What others say

“Parliament should reflect the population we seek to represent. People shouldn’t see Westminster as remote, irrelevant or off-limits to them, they should know that it is something that serves them, something in which they can play a part. That is what the Patchwork Foundation sets out to achieve. Over the past decade, you have touched and transformed the lives of thousands of young people.” See her full statement here.

I am proud to be a Patron of the Patchwork Foundation because I am a strong believer that our democracy should be accessible to all.

No-one should feel disadvantaged if they want a career in Parliament – and I am fully behind the Foundation’s efforts to support and equip young people with the skills, experience and know-how to succeed in public life.

After all, democracy is stronger when it is more diverse and representative of the people it speaks for.

It is, therefore, no surprise that the Foundation’s work to reach out and create opportunities for would-be politicians has inspired colleagues from across the House to get involved.”

Over the last five years, I have seen Patchwork grow from strength to strength. It’s work with underrepresented communities, especially young people, is not only important to get young people involved in our democracy, but has also completely changed so many people’s lives. I know colleagues in Parliament and across politics who have really been touched by the work done by the foundation. I have already seen Patchwork Alumni helping shape politics and wider society by taking up active roles and jobs across Whitehall, Parliament and even City Hall.

”The Patchwork Foundation’s MP of the Year Award, is not only about making sure we recognise MPs who go above and beyond in reaching out to and working with underrepresented communities, but it is an important reminder on how much more MPs of all parties need to do more, to engage with those groups. This is especially important because of the changes to the Electoral Register which will knock off over one million people from the register. The Labour Party have launched the Missing Million campaign and we will work with organisations like Patchwork, Operation Black Vote and many others to ensure there is a mass voter registration drive to ensure everyone who is eligible can vote. Over the summer we saw a great democratic process within the Labour Party, never before have we seen such a high level of engagement with young people and with people from all different communities. I remember the hustings the Patchwork Foundation invited me to, I remember how lively and engaging it was and how passionate a room full of young people were so bought into the idea of democracy changing their own and other lives for the better. Thank you, Patchwork Foundation for all the work you do, it is an honour for me to support you.”

”I am proud to support the ground breaking work of the Patchwork Foundation. The organisation has helped thousands of young people from under-represented communities engage in the political process. From holding community engagement events attended by thousands of people, to small masterclasses with senior political figures, the Foundation is leading the way in making politics more accessible to all, regardless of there you live, where you come from, your age, ethnicity or background. Patchwork is one of the few organisations I know that trains young people from diverse backgrounds on political campaigning and then helps them to implement those skills on the doorstep through their GetInvolved programme.”