Author: UpRising
UpRising has joined forces with Mosaic Associates, Three Faiths Forum and Patchwork Foundation to launch the MP of the Year Award.
Recently hosted by fomer Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson at the House of Lords, the MP of the Year Award launch event was well attended by parliamentarians, present and former UpRising participants and supporters of all the organisations involved. Panelists, including Director of UpRising, Andrea Cooper, answered questions from the audience about representative power in the UK, community organising and civil society, and confidence.
The MP of the Year Award is important because it recognises the hard work of our MPs – Alvin Carpio, UpRising advisory board member
The MP of the Year Award is a unique opportunity that encourages deprived ethnic minority groups to positively engage with political life as well as a chance to appreciate and reward Members of Parliament for their good work within their communities.
Members of Parliament are nominated by individuals, as well as various grassroots organisations, and then face a panel of judges who select them as MP of the year. At the end of the year a national winner is selected from the regional winner. Not only is this a venture to promote integration but also promote best practice amongst our leaders.
Alvin Carpio, former UpRiser and a member of UpRising’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Board, attended the launch event and stated:
“The MP of the Year Award is important because it recognises the hard work of our MPs. I used to work for an MP and understand the important role they play in parliament and in communities nationwide. In particular, I am respectful of the amount of work they do responding to problems of thousands of constituents through their case work and surgeries, a tremendous amount of work that often goes unnoticed.
We live in a democracy where our elected representatives shape our laws and represent us in parliament. MPs have stood up for communities during the riots; campaigned to end the proliferation of betting shops on our high streets; built leadership programmes for disadvantaged young people who want to make a difference; passed laws to ensure marriage equality. For this work they should be recognised and upheld as beacons of community leadership, and rewarded for their courage, commitment and tireless endeavours.”
Click here to nominate an MP for the MP of the Year Award. Nominations close on 15th June 2013.
Photographs are by the Patchwork Foundation. Click here to see more photographs from the event.
