'Roots'

Mentored by Simon Hughes MP

"We created this project to promote participation among secondary school pupils, as we felt this is a demographic in which individuals start to become politically aware, but often feel unable to get their voices heard. Having been advised by Junction 49 and the Citizenship Foundation, the sessions in schools were incredibly productive – at first the students made it clear that politics was not something they had time for, but when we introduced politics in an indirect manner, showing how it infiltrates every part of our lives, they showed that there were plenty of issues that they were very passionate about and some really good suggestions came out of it. Delegates from schools were then taken to Parliament where they could put their questions directly to MPs.”

'Human Rights Activist Enrichment Programme'

Mentored by Andrew George MP

“The aim of this project was to raise awareness of human rights issues in 14-15 year olds. We ran a programme to explore questions such as 'What are human rights?' and used FREDA to identify the main principles of Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity and Autonomy. We looked at human rights at home (focusing on care), in school (focusing on bullying) and contemporary human rights issues (focusing on violations of rights). We gave some information on the 'Human Rights Act' and considered ways in which people can stand out against abuses of human rights, including lobbying, protesting and volunteering, in order to equip young people with the knowledge of how to start tackling these issues.”

‘Faith and Gender: A Question of Representation in the House of Lords’

Mentored by Lynne Featherstone MP

“We wanted to foster general awareness of the democratic deficit we feel currently exists in terms of the representation of gender and faith in the upper house of Parliament. We organized a panel discussion, with invitees including the Archbishop Rowan Williams, the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and HRH the Prince of Wales, to explore possible solutions. A number of factors were taken into consideration, for example, having an upper house that is directly in line with demography may take the emphasis away from expertise and focus exclusively on the religious background of its members.”

‘Student Survey on Attitudes towards Religions and Religious Education’

Mentored by Anne Milton MP

“We asked 85 secondary school students from Jewish, Christian, Muslim and non faith schools and 62 university students from different backgrounds for their opinions. Overall our research showed that: students liked learning about other religions and felt that it was important; in some religious schools the main topics in RE were not covered in lessons, which students were unhappy about; and that knowledge about religions came from TV, internet and friends. Students of all faiths agreed that people have a right to practice religion and that the law should not control the wearing of headscarves in school or circumcision. “

Anna Dyachenko, whose trio worked on the ‘Roots’ project, reflects on the programme:

“I believe that one of the most important implications of the programme is the way in which it tackles the popular prejudice about ‘them’ and ‘us’, the governors and the governed… On top of altering the stereotype of political elitism and public apathy in Britain, the programme has also provided an insight into the mechanisms of politics, whereby Undergraduate ParliaMentors have acquired the view of British politics from inside.

 “Working with two individuals with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds has enriched my knowledge and scope and enhanced my understanding of the world. Essentially, due to our differences we have enjoyed a multi-perspective interaction which has equally reinforced ideological basis of our project.”

The graduation reception was attended by the MP mentors and hosted by Baroness Hayman, the Lord Speaker and a Patron of the Three Faiths Forum, who said: "This is a fantastic scheme - there is no substitute for personal contact between individuals. It is essential that deep-rooted learning experiences like this are supported and grown"; and "Those of faith and commitment to mutual respect have to fight for their ideals. Every individual can and must make his or her own contribution."