It is also the chance to meet like-minded individuals with a strong variety of interests, experiences and backgrounds and forge and build worthwhile and valuable relationships and networks with our fellow Patchworkers.”
The Patchwork Foundation’s year-long Masterclass Programme includes sessions with esteemed political figures in British civil society. These sessions allow Patchworkers on the programme to hear from individuals with different lived experiences and a breadth of engagement with politics and civil society.
A Masterclass allows our young people on the programme to ask questions about their personal development and to learn more about politics from professionals at the top. The discussion is chaired by one of our Patchworkers, who presents the speaker, briefly discussing their work before moving on to the structured questions.
The discussions are conducted under Chatham House rule, to allow for more open and safe dialogue.
Before each Masterclass session, the cohorts research the speaker to make the session as beneficial to them as possible. During the briefing on the day, they share the aspects they found relevant and interesting about the speaker, enabling them to partake in an educated conversation both with other Patchworkers and the Masterclass tutor.
Previous Masterclass tutors include:
“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.”
