The Foundation’s support for Patchwork was announced at the Patchwork Foundation’s inaugural fundraising dinner held at the Wintergarden venue in Canary Wharf, attended by leading politicians of all parties as well as civil society and business leaders from all backgrounds.  Thanks to the generous support of the Canary Wharf Group which costed the event, over 300 guests attending this prestigious event and heard speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Patchwork Foundation’s Patrons John Pienaar, Sir Martyn Lewis and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

The Patchwork Foundation’s ambitious mission aims to be achieved through three inter-related and supporting outcomes:

• That young people from minority and disadvantaged groups have the skills, experience and knowledge to engage and succeed in public life and politics
• That young people from minority and disadvantaged groups see the benefits of engaging in democracy and civil society and are doing so
• That political parties and civil society institutions encourage the involvement of young people from minority and disadvantaged groups

The Foundation delivers its mission through four key outputs:

• Impactful skills development and education programmes: its core programme is its Masterclass programme, which offers a cadre of selected candidates a ten-month syllabus that develops their personal and professional skills, increases their political skills and a unique opportunity to learn from and interact with leading practitioners from British politics and public life.
• Rare and insightful opportunities to experience democracy and civil society: Patchwork’s #GetInvolved programme gives young people the chance to take part in the campaigns that are shaping the future of the country, by providing both the opportunities and the skills training to do so from the grassroots to pinnacle of British politics.
• Inspirational engagement events and campaigns: Patchwork organises powerful events with leading speakers from the world of politics and civil society that have been attended by more than 30,000 young people since 2011.
• Powerful recognition programmes and events: the Foundation’s MP of the Year Awards, celebrating those who successfully engage with under- represented communities, is fast becoming a highlight of the Parliamentary calendar and increasingly driving wider change.