0+

Provided with the opportunity to directly engage with decision makers

0+

Young people have campaigned with Patchwork Foundation

0+

Young people supported to engage with mainstream politics

0+

Young people graduated from our Masterclass Programme

Patchwork doesn’t just leave young people with political knowledge, it also leaves them with a lot of personal power. This power is founded in the knowledge that they can do things that they didn’t even know were possible yesterday, things that Patchwork makes a reality…As a gay person; as an intersectional feminist; as someone who’s struggled with disability and poverty throughout life, I’m almost the embodiment of all the underrepresented communities [Patchwork tries] to reach out to and I can honestly say that I have never found a place more welcoming and inclusive than the Patchwork family. If they can do this for me, then I know that together we can make all youth feel like this…Patchworkers grow from the support that Patchwork Foundation provides. Patchwork breaks down misconceptions on the constituent’s door step, it strives to bring young people into a world without glass ceilings or locked doors.

Catrina
Patchwork Graduate (2013)

“Patchwork has opened some unique doors for me. I used to think that decision makers and prominent locations were inaccessible to people like me, and now I encounter them on a surprisingly regular basis. Patchwork has shown me I can live my life to the fullest potential. Being accepted unconditionally, regardless of your background, is part of what makes Patchwork truly special. Our Masterclass tutors leave a mark on Patchworkers long after the session has ended. Our speakers are role models that inspire us, and show that we can achieve just as they have. Many people from underrepresented backgrounds feel as though we do not belong in political spaces. Patchwork tries to teach young people that you have just as much right as anyone else, and that source of discomfort can be transformed into a source of unique strength.

Kieran Angel
Patchwork Graduate (2015)

“The Patchwork Foundation has instilled in me a confidence and drive I never had before. The drive and determination to go and get involved in anything I am passionate about. Before Patchwork I could never have imagined myself talking about policy with Sir Oliver Letwin, learning about leadership from the former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg, chairing a session at 10 Downing Street with the Private Secretary to the Prime Minister… going to Party Conference for the first ever time or now having the opportunity of interning as a Parliamentary Assistant to the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP. These opportunities are normally not available to people like me but Patchwork is changing that…The biggest impact Patchwork has had on my life, is it has bridged the gap between having potential and being able to fulfil it, putting you in the right places at the right time, providing opportunities for you to improve yourself but also improve things for others…Patchwork has shown me the importance of voices from all communities being heard, that we are all represented in business and politics, whoever you may be or wherever you are from.”

Lovell Owiti
Patchwork Graduate (2018)

As a black Muslim woman I am used to labels, labels that can confine you and cripple you, but you can also choose to use these to your advantage and knock down barriers that previously may have seemed impossible to overcome. Patchwork helped me realise that I could call myself a leader. Not just a student of leadership but someone who could have a role in politics…

My voice is being heard in important conversations, some of which I now lead. I now know for certain I want to serve my community, my city and I want to run for a seat one day soon. This is something I’ve always wanted to achieve but didn’t think someone like me could.

Patchwork therefore, is beyond a leadership programme, it is an important mission that empowers people to take action, to act on issues that impact our communities and wider country at large. It makes politics human. The surreal places that welcomed us to learn in their facilities has been a wonderful bonus, allowing me to feel like I belonged in these spaces. We constantly found ourselves in Masterclasses being tutored by remarkable people who shared powerful stories and inspired us to believe in our abilities.

Ifraax Samatar
Patchwork Graduate (2019)