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Tag: US Embassy

The Biden Administration: 100 Days in Office

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

The Patchwork Foundation are delighted to announce our event in collaboration with the US Embassy in London. The Biden Administration: 100 Days in Office will be an evening of panel discussions and breakout sessions as we discuss President Biden‘s first 100 days in office. Specialists and young people from the UK and US will be joining to explore the ways in which our two countries can use our ‘Special Relationship’ to create positive change and to tackle some of the biggest issues of our generation.

The event took place on Tuesday, May 11th.

 

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Keynote Address

  • Aaron David Snipe is a career member of the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service and currently serves as the Embassy London Spokesperson and Director of Media Affairs.  Prior to his work in London, Aaron served as Embassy Tokyo’s COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator in 2020 and as Tokyo’s Political-Military Chief from 2015 to 2019.  His most recent assignment in Washington was as Spokesperson for the Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs where he regularly engaged American and international press to explain U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa with a particular focus on Libya, Syria, Egypt, and the Middle East Peace Process. @AaronSnipe
  • Paul Rennie OBE is the Head of the Global Economy Group at the British Embassy, Washington DC, leading the UK’s climate and energy, economic and trade, and science and technology networks across the United States. Prior to that, he led the Foreign Office’s strategic transformation programme, focused on delivering a 21st century Diplomatic Service. Paul is a professional economist, with a particular expertise the analysis of emerging markets and the international education sector. @pauljgrennie

Plenary Discussion and Q&A – Biden’s First 100 Days and the future of the ‘Special Relationship’.

  • MODERATOR: Dennis Marcus is the Executive Director of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK, an educational charity that works to inspire people to make human rights a reality in their everyday lives. Dennis also co-founded the social impact agency Ubuntu London, working with leading politicians, global NGOs, and high profile activists, including honouring Nelson Mandela’s co-accused Denis Goldberg, Ahmed Kathrada and Andrew Mlangeni. @DenMarcUbuntu
  • Prof. Jeremy Mayer is the Associate Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Professor Mayer regularly speaks to State Department groups from all over the world and has spoken on behalf of the State Department in Moldova, Germany and Mexico. From 2002 to 2013, he trained diplomats for the Foreign Service Institute in a course he co-taught and co-designed. He has offered political commentary to major networks, including the World News Tonight, BBC, PBS’s Newshour, NPR, CNBC, and local affiliates, as well as many national newspapers.
  • Kylie Atwood is a national security correspondent for CNN based in Washington, DC. Since joining the network in 2019, Atwood has reported on developments throughout the impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump. She also broke several stories including Rudy Giuliani’s push to get the Trump administration to grant a visa to a Ukrainian official promising dirt on Democrats and key elements of the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda. Additionally, she broke stories on US-North Korea talks, and details of Trump’s conversations with Kim Jong Un. In January of 2020 Atwood was included in Crain’s NewsPro’s 12 to Watch in TV News. Prior to joining CNN, Atwood was the CBS News State Department reporter. @kylieatwood

Breakout Sessions

a) Get Involved: Making a Difference Through Politics
How can young people create change through politics? What are the best ways to get involved? Why is it important that young people from all backgrounds use their voices, and how can we make sure they are able to?

  • PANEL MODERATOR: Hannah Kaufman works as a political consultant at Lexington, a leading political consultancy firm, and holds a BSc in Government from the LSE. She is an executive board member for the Patchwork Foundation, and an Ambassador for 50:50 Parliament, which campaigns for gender equality in the UK political system. Hannah was previously selected by the US State Department for the International Visitors Leadership Program, where she focused on ‘Youth Empowerment and Civic Engagement’. @HannahLKaufman
  • Dr. Joseph E. Marshall, Jr. PhD is an author, lecturer, radio talk show host, and community activist. He is the founder and executive director of Alive & Free, an international violence prevention organization headquartered in San Francisco. He is a social entrepreneur recognized for his pioneering work redefining youth violence as a disease and developing the successful Alive & Free Prescription violence prevention methodology. @DrAliveNFree
  • Josh Babarinde OBE is the Founder and Chief Executive of Cracked It, a smartphone repair company training and employing at-risk young people to give them an entrepreneurial route away from gang crime. He is also the Chair of the Year Here Foundation, a charity designed to widen access to social entrepreneurship for people from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds. He was recognised in Forbes’ 30 under 30 Europe Social Entrepreneurs, and is now a political campaigner. He’s devoted part of his time to playing a role in halting the spread of the virus by becoming a qualified COVID-19 Vaccinator. @JoshBabarinde
  • Rebecca Gorena is the Senior Programme Director for the Alliance for Youth Action. The Alliance is a national network of organisations that build the political power of young people, connecting them to engage in democracy and ensure their voices are heard.  @rebeccagorena

b) Effective Allyship
If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that we all need to work together to make sure our society is representative and inclusive of all backgrounds. This session will look at how each of us can effectively leverage our own privileges to create space for and lift the voices of others.

  • PANEL MODERATOR: Barbara Ojei Agwaziam is an experienced speaker and host who is passionate about diversity and inclusion. This passion led her to found A Touch of Colour (ATOC), an organisation that seeks to drive racial and ethnic equality in the workplace. She is a trustee for the Blagrave Trust and a Ubele Young Emerging Leader.  She has professional experience in both policy and operations which she has developed in the trade and healthcare sector. @_ATouchOfColour
  • Marty Rouse Equal Voices Advisory Council Member at the National Democratic Institute (NDI). He previously served as National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) based in Washington, DC from 2004-2020. He was recruited to HRC after heading MassEquality, the group that led the fight to secure marriage equality in Massachusetts (the first state in the US to achieve marriage equality). A native New Yorker, Marty was the State LGBT Director of Bill Clinton for President, worked on LGBT issues under Mayor David Dinkins and Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger.@NDI
  • Sereena Abbassi is an Independent Equity Inclusion and Diversity Consultant and Speaker. She is committed to creating organisational transformation that is grounded in a deep-seated belief that all our liberations are tied to each other. Her approach is both creative and strategic – and done with lots of heart. Sereena has worked with organisations such as Airbnb, Facebook, ICA, Kew Gardens, and has spoken at UCL, LSE, Royal Albert Hall, Viacom and Monzo to name but a few. She is British, Persian-Iranian, Jamaican and has lived and worked in the U.S, the Netherlands, Iran, Spain & UK.
    @sereenaabbassi

c) The Climate Emergency
High on the agenda for the Biden Administration as well as the British Government is tackling climate change, so what can we expect to see from both over the next few years, how successful will it be, and what part do young people have to play?

  • PANEL MODERATOR: Imran Sanaullah MBE is the Chief Executive Officer of the Patchwork Foundation. Imran was awarded an MBE in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours List in 2019 for services to young people.. Imran has been recognised by the likes of HRH the Prince of Wales, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Theresa May MP for his hard work in improving opportunities for those from the most disadvantaged and minority communities in the UK through his work with the Patchwork Foundation, Naz Legacy Foundation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Mosaic Network (part of the Prince’s Trust). @UKPatchwork
  • Robin Bronen is the Executive Director for the Alaska Institute for Justice. She works as a human rights attorney and has been researching and working with communities forced to relocate because of climate change since 2007. Her research has been publicized by CNN and the Guardian, among others. She has worked with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to implement President Obama’s Climate Change Task Force recommendation to address climate displacement as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Climate Change Office.
  • Giles Wilkes was a Special Adviser to former Prime Minister Theresa May covering industrial strategy, consumer and competition policy, energy and transport and general economic issues. He had played a similar role as Special Adviser to Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills for four years in the coalition government. He is now a Specialist Partner at Flint Global where he provides advice on UK political and policy matters related to industrial strategy, competition and regulatory concerns. @Gilesyb

Closing Remarks

 

Politics amidst a pandemic

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

In a ‘new normal’, where we are socially, or rather physically distant, we found a new way to be politically close. By this, I don’t mean being close in our political views – rather, coming together virtually to learn the process behind democracy, hearing from speakers from various political backgrounds and sharing insights in unprecedented times. I am a participant in the Patchwork Foundation programme, who encourage and support the active participation of young people from diverse communities in British democracy and civil society. This year, during a global pandemic, I experienced sessions on Google Hangouts, learning about politics, campaigning and much more. This strange, yet exciting experience has been bizarre, to say the least, but rewarding nonetheless.

My experience with Patchwork Foundation stems from a few years ago, when I stumbled across the organisation and through them was able to meet the heroes who served with Nelson Mandela. Speaking to individuals who actively fought against the apartheid, instilled a hunger inside me for activism – to make a real change in this world. Their words around overcoming injustice still ring in my ears in the aftermath of George Flloyd’s murder. We have moved from apartheid to insititutional racism – proving that now, more than ever, there is a deep need for young people who are politically savvy to be the leaders of tomorrow, to create change.

Now, as a ‘Patchworker’ in their Masterclass programme, I have the opportunity to hear from world-class speakers. A few months ago, we had our induction session in parliament. I was buzzing, surrounded by wonderful individuals, ready to be challenged in a political programme. That was the first, and only, time thus far that our cohort has met in person. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that we would be thrown into a world where a virus would stop us in our tracks. After the initial uncertainty, I was delighted to hear that Patchwork Foundation would be moving to an online platform.

Our first Masterclass session was with Yael Lempert, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in London. Although we were not physically present together, I felt her powerful presence through her online talk. She spoke in a raw and honest way, taking us through a journey of her past and how she reached this esteemed position in her career. It was a great honour to hear her insights – seeing a woman, in what is typically a male-dominated world, thrive and succeed is inspirational. She shared many nuggets of wisdom, such as her advice on finding a job that sparks your passion and going for it – she said that somebody has to get the job, so why not you? It is similar advice that my mum gives me – if you don’t apply, you won’t get it! The thing which stuck with me the most however, was when she told us the importance of speaking truth to power. That is something I live my life by and I hope that by participating in this Masterclass programme, I will gain the skills to be able to effectively communicate the hard truths to people in positions of power.

Written by Haleema Ali

 

 

“Do Not Despair, Keep Trying” – A Masterclass with Yael Lempert

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

“Do not despair, keep trying.” – A key statement I picked up during a Patchwork Foundation Masterclass with the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Yael Lempert.

Ms Lempert is a remarkable woman with an equally remarkable career. I was very excited to get the chance to (virtually) meet Ms Lempert and hear all that she had to share with myself and my fellow cohort members. It’s the kind of opportunity that I had never had before, so I wasn’t about to let it pass me by. For many years I’ve been plagued with anxiety and fears that I’d always be unable to live up to the bar and so I was particularly interested to hear if this was something Ms Lempert had ever experienced, and, if so, how she dealt with it.

My first impression of Miss Lempert was that she appeared to be a very smiley and friendly woman and this really put me at ease for the remainder of the session. I feel that all too often politicians are portrayed as serious and sometimes sinister people, however Miss Lempert is proof that that portrayal isn’t always accurate.

Whilst I’ve always been aware of the existence of Embassy and have had a vague understanding of their intents and purposes, it was nice to be able to gain further clarity on them and what they strive to achieve from listening to Ms Lempert. I learnt that as Deputy Chief of Mission, Ms Lempert has many responsibilities and plays a very important role within the U.S. Embassy. I can see why Ms Lempert would have been offered such a position based on her career history.

As I have mentioned already, Ms Lempert has had an incredible career so far. It’s no secret that throughout history the political field has been a challenge for women, from pay gaps to not getting a promotion they really deserved. Ms Lempert spoke briefly about her experience as a woman in the industry and the challenges she has faced. I found her advice quite humbling and very morally positive, she said, “focus on what you are doing and your work and let it stand for itself.” It was clear to me that Ms Lempert has a very ‘can do’ attitude towards her work and I admire this.

One thing that Ms Lempert mentioned repetitively throughout the session is how she feels it’s so important to keep trying. When asked what she felt her greatest achievement was and what she was most proud of, she said that she was proud of herself for trying despite failing. This really stood out to me. As a young woman dealing with mental and physical health issues, I’ve always found it so easy to criticise myself and only see the failures. Her positive outlook is something to keep in mind always.

I will really cherish this memory and the things I learnt from Ms Lempert. I look forward to future opportunities to learn, and I hope I will cross paths with the Deputy Chief of Mission again.

 

Written by Jess Lambert

2020 Masterclass Programme Participant