‘Inspiring’ students visit Wesminster to celebrate interfaith project
‘Talented and inspiring’ students from across the country joined MPs in Westminster to celebrate an interfaith leadership initiative that has served over 2,000 people over the past year – and been awarded by the UN.
A graduation ceremony held at the Parliamentary Estate’s Portcullis House on Monday morning (15 June) topped off a successful year for the Three Faiths Forum’s ParliaMentors scheme – which sees students from diverse backgrounds work together in mixed-belief groups to create social action projects
The young leaders, from universities in London, Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham, were mentored by MPs and Peers and supported by leading organisations such as the British Council as they bridged cultural divides to tackle community issues head-on – including dealing with unemployment in Salford, elderly loneliness in Camden and religious stereotyping in Manchester.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
The ParliaMentors group from Queen Mary University of London hosted inclusive sports workshops for the multicultural communities of Tower Hamlets and Mile End, young leaders in Nottingham hosted a day of food and music to strengthen ties between students and the local community, and in Birmingham the group teamed up with local filmmakers and charities to highlight community work in the local area.
2015’s cohort – whose work was described as “absolutely vital” by East Ham MP Stephen Timms – are among the 300 who have graduated from the programme since 2007, a number of whom are now charity directors, MPs and local councillors.
Mr Timms said: “I am privileged to have mentored these talented and inspiring individuals on 3FF’s ParliaMentors programme. In our culturally diverse society, it is essential for people to get together and cooperate towards common goals.
“Young, emerging leaders like these play an absolutely vital role in building connections between people from different backgrounds. I have no doubt they will continue making a real difference in their communities in the future”.
Student Aziz Din added: “On this programme our achievements would’ve been impossible without cooperation and unity.”
“My experience as a ParliaMentor has been invaluable instilling in me the confidence to interact with people from different backgrounds. I feel uniquely prepared to go out and challenge the divisions we see in our communities and society”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Brigit Grant
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)