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Executing Politics with Empathy

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Executing Politics with Empathy: My experience canvassing and tips for success

Isabella is a third-year undergraduate reading politics and modern history at the University of Manchester. The multi-disciplinary aspect of Isabella’s degree allows her to explore the links between her interests: political/intellectual history and international relations/social politics. Isabella is currently undertaking a placement year at British Airways within the CRM Communications Team; she is not only gaining valuable insight into the methods and delivery of effective communications but also a broad understanding of global business operations through self-organised shadowing. Isabella seeks a positive and rewarding career in the civil service or corporate business.

My first-ever canvassing experience has positively transformed my political understanding and led me to believe that everybody has something to learn from campaigning. Don’t get me wrong, the thought of canvassing is terrifying. Imagine knocking on the doors of strangers to enquire about their political prescriptions. On top of that, imagine doing it for a party you might not even support, with people you have never met. Never fear, if this sentiment resonates, I want to share my experience in the hope of making canvassing seem slightly less frightening and to insist that there is a lot to learn from humble door-knocking. 

As a student of politics at university, I consider myself to be well-versed in current British politics and recognise the centrality of campaigning to local politics. Whilst I read about activism in the daily news and frequently come across it on social media, this aspect of politics feels especially daunting. I have always felt underqualified for campaigning and resigned it ‘to the professionals’ (perhaps it is because I am a part of the generation that can participate in politics from the safety of being behind a screen). The truth is, I was completely wrong. Campaigning is for everyone, and confidence should never be a barrier. In retrospect, I wish I had taken the first step to get campaigning much sooner. 

Patchwork’s #GetInvolved programme has provided me with the support I needed to throw myself into political campaigning. I felt like this was my chance, so I attended Patchwork’s ‘Canvassing Briefing’ lead by two of their Alumni, Zara and Frankie. They expertly put myself and my fellow Patchworkers at ease in explaining the basics, dos, and don’ts of canvassing.

“My main takeaway from this session was that canvassing is essentially a listening exercise.”

There is zero expectation that you persuade or convince voters. Instead, the aim of door-knocking is to ask questions and listen attentively to the answers given. This came as somewhat of a shock to me as someone who remembers campaigners standing at the door with my parents discussing politics and policy! In addition, if knocking on doors is not for you, there are several other roles within the canvassing process such as leaflet drop-offs and admin, so it really is for everyone! 

My one aim for my first canvassing session was to apply Zara and Frankie’s advice, to ask and listen. Before I arrived, I was struck with nerves imagining walking into a room filled with high-intellectual politicians all speaking in jargon. To my surprise when I arrived, I was greeted by welcoming smiles and a well-organised operation prepared for newcomers like me. 

Having been paired with a local councillor, I found after we knocked on the first few doors my predispositions were immediately quashed, and I observed the success of bringing democracy to the doorstep, a particularly accurate description of canvassing I heard recently. My favourite interaction of the day was a conversation on one doorstep with an individual who initially wasn’t interested in talking with us, but later began to discuss their concerns about their local area. We discussed the experience and concerns of the younger generation and shared some reflections over recent changes to the education system. We recalled opportunities that I, as a university student, will never get to experience. The conversation wrapped up positively, and I felt that I had made a real connection with the voter. Throughout the day I had several more interactions like this one, in which someone who I didn’t necessarily agree with showed acute concern for my future and a desire to make change for my generation’s sake.

These interactions taught me three things:

  1. Listening attentively is one of the greatest tools in the toolbox.
  2. Finding common ground (about anything) goes a long way. 
  3. Executing politics with empathy leads to success. 

Let me divulge my learnings from my first experience canvassing:

Zara and Frankie’s invaluable advice is something to follow, when you enter a conversation on the doorstep start by asking questions and listening attentively to the answers given, this will ensure you don’t get caught out and ease you into positive conversation. In light of this, enter conversations with zero judgment or predisposition about what beliefs the voter may hold (yes, this is a basic one, but you would be surprised by what your subconscious thinks up)! Above all else, execute each interaction with empathy, voters are human beings after all, and personal stories accompany almost all opinions. Finding common ground goes a long way to build rapport but this is non-essential, instead, enter interactions with kindness and it will most likely be reciprocated. Finally, not all of your canvassing experiences will follow suit so be flexible and expect everyone you speak to harbour completely different views. These aren’t just skills to use when canvassing but interpersonal qualities that help to build rapport and connection. 

Ultimately, throw yourself into it and knock on that first door. Don’t let confidence hold you back. I hope this blog has debunked canvassing sufficiently for you to enjoy the experience and hopefully learn something! 

Our #GetInvolved programme enables under-represented communities to engage with grassroots politics. We equip you with the skills and opportunities to have your voice heard, regardless of your political knowledge or experience. We’re running events across the country this year, so sign up to #GetInvolved now. 

Campaigning for change: My Labour Party internship

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Campaigning for change: My Labour Party internship

John is a final year mathematics student at the University of Warwick, he participated in our 2023 Labour Party Summer Internship. He is interested in campaigning and organising and has recently started his role as a campaign manager for the local elections alongside his studies.

Being part of the first ever, Patchwork-lead, Labour Party Summer Internship was a truly unique and impactful experience. Having been to London only a handful of times and having never worked for a political organisation before meant that entering Labour Party HQ for the first time was a daunting but thrilling experience. 

At this point, I had very little knowledge of what lay in the 6 weeks ahead and what opportunities and experiences this internship would offer me. Whilst waiting on the reception sofas for my fellow interns to arrive, I was left pondering what I wanted to get out of this internship. I settled on a few key goals; firstly, I wanted to see and learn more about the inner workings of Parliament and the Labour Party, secondly, I wanted to develop my skills as a campaigner and activist and learn the best ways in which I could help the Labour Party win the next general election. 

All of these goals and more were met through a range of thrilling experiences including; shadowing various departments in Labour HQ, sitting in the speaker’s gallery to watch PMQs, a day working with Angela Rayner, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and finally a week spent in Scotland campaigning in the Rutherglen by-election.

The Internship itself

Each of the six weeks were broken down and offered myself and my fellow interns opportunities to experience different parts of the Party, Parliament and campaigns. The weeks were supplemented with a Friday ‘skills’ session with the Patchwork Foundation, these were excellent and gave me an opportunity to reflect on the week, think about what I had learned and prepare for the week ahead. These sessions covered pivotal topics such as public speaking and leadership which are vital skills that I have used constantly in my new role as a campaign manager – knowing how to best take charge of situations and coordinate volunteers requires good leadership and communication and using these skills properly means you get the most out of your volunteers. These sessions were also beneficial as they gave me an opportunity to relax and bond with my fellow interns. 

We started working with the Digital and Communications department in HQ, where I was able to support on strategy tasks and learned to use the HQ digital systems. I was also able to assist with Party advertisements and support the market development. Being at the centre of the Labour Party’s communications gave me invaluable skills regarding online campaigning and the power of videos, graphics and messages to put across the Party’s stance and influence voters. I’ve found this incredibly useful working in my current role as a campaign manager – knowing how to best put across your message to the electorate in the form of graphics, videos and surveys and what tools you can use to best mobilise local volunteers.

In our third week, we travelled up to the regional office in Newcastle, where we worked with the membership and conference teams. I was able to assist with data management and support membership development whilst also supporting the development of the Labour Party Annual Conference 2023. This was a superb insight into how the party’s membership system works and the scale of the operation that was being undertaken to plan the Party’s annual conference. 

We then travelled back down to the HQ in London and began working with the Policy department. I personally worked with the international department and was given a view into the Party’s alliances with other left of centre parties across Europe. This was also the stage of the internship where I was lucky enough to spend a day with Angela Rayner, working with her team in Parliament and helping them digest her new brief as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. I was also fortunate enough to attend the first session back after summer recess of PMQs. Both of these opportunities gave real insight into the workings of Parliament and were opportunities that I would have never had without this internship. 

Campaigning in Scotland

A highlight of this internship for me personally was my final week on the internship programme, where I had the opportunity to campaign in the Rutherglen by-election for now Labour MP Michael Shanks. We worked with senior party organisers who talked us through the history of the Labour Party and how they’ve campaigned at previous elections. They offered insight based upon real experiences as to what works and what has failed in past campaigns and showed us the strategy for the Rutherglen campaign and what messages were being delivered to different voters. 

This was incredibly useful in developing my understanding of election strategy, what messages resonate with voters, how to mobilise activists and supporters and how to have persuasive conversations with people about their voter intention. 

We then were given the opportunity to go and campaign ourselves. We first phonebanked constituents; this involved using the Labour Party’s system called ‘dialogue’, which connects you to voters whom you can call and speak to about their issues, concerns and voting intention. This was a refreshing opportunity to speak to people who don’t necessarily have the same political views as you and have constructive conversations and what the candidate or party could offer them. This has helped me massively in my current role. As a campaign manager, it is important that I can communicate well with voters on behalf of my candidate so speaking to people who have varying sets of views on a variety of issues was great preparation for this.

Finally, we ventured out onto the campaign trail to go ‘door knocking’, which involves knocking on a constituents’ door and having a similar conversation with them to the ones we were having on the phone. We were also joined by the candidate, Michael Shanks MP, and Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, this was a great opportunity to hear their insight into how the campaign was going and hear the passion with which they spoke about the opportunity Labour could offer Rutherglen and Scotland as a whole. 

Reflecting on this week in Scotland I feel it was one of the most beneficial elements of the internship. Working with Labour Party organisers was an excellent source of first hand information about how to run campaigns. Hearing their insights into how best speak to voters on the door and how to run an election day campaign have given me skills that have directly fed into my now role as a campaign manager ahead of the local elections in May 2024 and helped me understand what the best ways were for me to contribute to making the next government a Labour one.  

My Advice

To anyone considering applying for this internship I would say ‘Go for it!’. As one Labour Party staff member said to me, this internship really is the ‘crème de la crème’ of political internships. 

This internship has deepened my passion for politics and furthered my desire to #GetInvolved in the political arena. It has led to some amazing opportunities, including being a part of Sadiq Khan’s campaign launch to be re-elected as Mayor of London and being the campaign manager of a local election candidate in Coventry.

I am envious of those of you thinking about applying for this internship this summer, its incredible opportunities will only be heightened given we are at such a key time in the political calendar. Anything could happen, who knows, you may even be involved in a general election campaign.

 

Applications for our Labour Party internship are now open and you have until 9am, Monday 13th May to apply. Find out more and apply here.

Patchwork Internships: Labour Party Internship Now Open!

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Applications are now open for our summer internship with the Labour Party! For more information and to apply, visit our website here. The deadline for this internship is 9am, Monday 13th May. You can read more about our summer internship with the Labour Party below, or about all our internships here.

The Labour Party will be running a six-week summer paid internship in partnership with the Patchwork Foundation for 2024. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of politics, gain work experience, and learn more about how the Labour Party is run. Throughout your time with the Labour Party, you will be supported through training and development to help you enter the world of politics.

This programme is a diversity internship, designed to ensure the equal representation of all demographics in politics. This scheme is designed for individuals who face societal barriers to engaging with politics, specifically focusing on individuals who come from ethnic minorities or lower socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, this is a national scheme, and we would particularly welcome applications from candidates from across all of Great Britain. Successful candidates will be supported with travel and accommodation costs to enable them to undertake the internship.

We are looking for candidates who are interested in exploring the opportunities a career working in politics provides. Whilst experience of political activism in the Labour movement is helpful, the programme is primarily directed at people who have no experience at a national level. This programme is for individuals who have a passion for politics and align with the values of the Labour Party.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

The Art of Politics – Serena Gupta

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

The Art of Politics

Serena is a History of Art BA graduate from the University of Warwick, and has an MA in Fashion Curation & Cultural Programming from the London College of Fashion. Her work experience involves museums, galleries and retail.

Since I was 17, I have been independently interested in politics, specifically the Conservative Party. I know that traditionally to grant a career in Westminster, one would have to study a subject that relates to political theory. It was, therefore, such a pleasant surprise to see that when applying for the Patchwork Foundation Internship at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), there was no requirement to have studied politics, so I did not hesitate to apply!

As a History of Art BA and Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming MA student, I remember feeling as though my background was quite different from everyone else. However, after meeting the rest of the office, I realised I did fit into the vibrant and diverse team. The skills I developed from my History of Art degree included observation and analysis, and from my Curation degree I improved my skills of being selective and a forward-thinker. These transferable skills really helped in the political internship. I used the former when researching policy in the Conservative Research Department (CRD), and the latter for producing original ideas in the Marketing Team.

Studying both art and fashion helped me gain a further insight into international culture and to be respectful of differences. Much of art and fashion emerged through different faiths and upbringings. Similar to Parliament, the cross-party environment exists on a lot of mutual respect. In the same way a curator would want a museum or gallery to be for everyone, the Government also want to make policies that would be relevant to everyone. 

In the six-week internship, I learnt so much about how to work in such a motivated and driven team, more so than I would in a corporate job for one year. This is because of the fast rotational method of the internship, which taught me a different array of skills. Some examples; I learnt how to better my writing in a more constructive and concise way in CRD, improved on my organisation skills in the Chairman and CEO’s Office, I learnt long-term financial thinking in Marketing, and effective time management in Campaigning. It was also such a wonderful experience to be a part of a close-knit team. When everyone has the same ambition, it creates a universal connection, making it a friendly and communicative environment to work in.

Throughout the internship there were opportunities that arose where the interns could help at events for the Treasurers Team. These events would be attended by the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and generous Party donors. I really enjoyed offering my extra time to help at these events, so much so, I was offered to stay on after the concluded internship for a month as Event Management Support to help organise a large-scale fundraising event called the City Dinner. I learnt a lot about planning in advance, but also how to be resilient as sometimes things had to adapt last minute. This helped my current role as Communications Officer for Steve Tuckwell MP because if diary plans change, you must be proactive. I still enjoy working closely with the CCHQ Treasurers Team and regularly volunteer to assist their events. One of the first events I worked on after the internship ended was at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. The Treasurers Team have taught me the logistics of working in a team that focuses on networking, development and continuing the life-long skill about how to, and why it is important to, continue close relations with clients, both new and old.

The CCHQ internship as a whole, not only taught me a lot about working in politics, but it also gave me the freedom to utilise my skills I obtained from my BA and MA too. For example, my art degrees taught me a lot about conservation and archiving. I have an instinct to ensure that artworks are protected and recorded. Towards the end of the internship, I was really intrigued by the wealth of artwork and archive posters that CCHQ have in their collection. I asked colleagues if I could have a look at the archives and create a catalogue. As I raised this idea, I was later asked to select a few of these to be put on display in a vitrine in the headquarters of CCHQ Matthew Parker St. I was so pleased that CCHQ welcomed the idea, and appreciated the importance of not only having an archive but showcasing some of it too. I recently visited CCHQ and to my delight the walls both upstairs and downstairs are filled with more artwork. This goes to show that as a temporary Patchwork Intern with bright ideas, you can bring permanent benefits and insights to the rest of the team, regardless of your educational background. 

I am forever grateful for my experience at CCHQ because it made me realise I could use the skills I got from my degrees to see the art in politics, which I have already started to implement in my new role as Communications Officer for Steve Tuckwell MP. 

My Patchwork Political Internship Experience – Joe Sinnott

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Joe participated in our 2023 CCHQ internship and worked within the Youth Engagement, CEO and Chairman’s, and Campaigning and Marketing teams. He recently graduated with a Law degree from the University of Bristol and was always fascinated by the policy/political elements of the degree, and has since begun working as a Communications Officer for an MP.

They say a week in politics is a long time, so I did a six-week internship!

Entering CCHQ for the first time, I was unsure about what to expect, the people I would meet and the work I would be undertaking. Would I fit in? Was politics a career path for me?

I had several goals I wanted to achieve through this internship: firstly, to learn more about the workings of the world of Westminster; secondly, to develop my organisational, communication, research, and problem-solving skills; and thirdly, to meet like-minded people.

These goals and my questions were all answered and met when I was given the privilege of organising the intern celebration in the Houses of Parliament. An event attended by Members of Parliament, CCHQ staff as well as interns, their families and other prominent figures who were integral to making this experience as amazing as it was.

So, the question is… how did I accomplish this task? And how did this answer my questions and help me achieve my goals?

My experience on the CCHQ internship

Beginning with weekly Patchwork sessions, I developed various soft skills, from how to network to how to debate and present myself professionally and effectively. These skills provided the foundation for organising such an event, giving me the ability to set out a plan and providing me with the confidence to undertake this task. Gemma, Niamh and the wider Patchwork team provided a constant presence to learn from, express doubts and laugh with.

I was given the opportunity to work within the CEO and Chairman’s team, a diverse group of people taking on a wide array of tasks ranging from correspondence to event planning and much more. This rotation provided me with the opportunity to learn how to reply to correspondences on behalf of the Party Chairman, tailoring how I wrote to reflect another’s own style. Working with Tanya, she showed me the intricacies and importance of choosing the correct wording and how phrasing can completely change how messaging can be construed. This was all supported by the opportunity to chair a meeting for Mark Fletcher MP, developing my research and public speaking capabilities while also learning about why he chose to get involved in politics and his views on what a good MP looks like.

These experiences helped me to understand that everyone in politics has a unique story, which has led us all to develop similar views. This helped to show that politics and the Conservative Party were a place open to anyone from any background.

Planning the celebration event

From this, Izzy was integral in showing me the ropes of how to secure space within the House of Commons and set out a catering menu and a guest list. Trying to establish who should be invited was an interesting task which involved providing all the interns with the opportunity to nominate those they had worked with to attend. In total, this resulted in a guest list of over 120 people and the challenge of extending invites to various people, from Members of Parliament to families and CCHQ staff.

Communication was key to planning this event, and I was given the opportunity to develop this skill through campaigning in the by-elections in Selby and Ainsty, and Uxbridge and South Ruislip. The highlight of the internship was talking to a man on the doorstep, unsure of whether to vote about his priorities and what he wanted from his MP; several minutes later, he was on the way to the polling station to support our candidate, Steve Tuckwell MP. Although this was only a single vote, I was deeply impacted by the idea that all the skills I had developed over the last few weeks had been used to not only benefit the party but also to convince someone to get involved in democracy. It showed that this internship had helped me to grow professionally into a more confident and knowledgeable person and gave me the confidence to apply such communication skills to a wider audience.

But why this internship?

I could not be more pleased about the experience I had at CCHQ, the people I met, the opportunities I was offered and the knowledge and skills I gained have all resulted in a deeper and more enthusiastic interest in a career in politics. I am grateful that this experience culminated in such a fantastic event, celebrating the success of this internship with such an amazing group of people.

The one piece of advice I can give to people considering this internship is… go for it!

Whether you want to go into politics, looking to develop communications, design, organisational skills or more, this internship is right for you. It provides the skills and experience to make you stand out in the crowd in any field. In my case, experience is not necessary; this is about getting more people involved in our democracy, building as individuals and acting as a springboard to reach your aspirations.

The experience I gained on this internship continues to transform my life and perspectives, and I hope it will for you too!

 

Patchwork Internships: CCHQ Campaigning Internship Now Open!

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Applications are now open for our CCHQ Campaigning Internship! For more information and to apply, visit the Conservative Party website here. The deadline for this internship is the week commencing 11th March. You can read more about our summer internships with CCHQ below, or about all our internships here. The Patchwork Foundation, in collaboration with the Conservative Party, will be running a six-week paid summer internship for young people to learn more about working in politics. Building on previous versions of the programme that took place within CCHQ, this years programme will offer the opportunity for participants to work at the heart of CCHQ’s campaigns during a General Election year.

We are looking for young people who are passionate about learning more about the world of politics, and want to develop essential campaigning skills by learning from experienced teams on the campaign trail. We want to support young people who might not have previously considered a career in politics, by providing the support to overcome any barriers and flourish in these environments, and we’re particularly interested in young people from under-represented backgrounds.

This year’s scheme will take advantage of the exciting political landscape of a General Election year, to be a part of CCHQ’s campaign on the ground and in constituencies. Participants will be placed with Campaign Teams across the country, to learn more about local campaigns in different regions in the UK. Throughout, you will be supported by the Patchwork team to develop the skills necessary to thrive on the scheme, such as critical thinking, public speaking and networking, as well as one-to-one pastoral support to ensure you are able to get the most out of the programme.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]