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.