Kosovar Albanian Youth Against Violence (KAYAV) engaged 520 underrepresented Londoners overall through their project, 100% of whom were low-income Londoners. As a result of the project:
- 80% of survey respondents reported increased understanding of who is eligible to vote, and all participants reported increased understanding of the accepted forms of Voter ID.
- 80% of survey respondents reported that they were more likely to register to vote
A single mother and refugee from Albania joined the Change Makers project through KAYAV’s ESOL class.
Initially, she did not understand how decisions were made around housing and education in her community. Before joining the project, she felt excluded from political conversations and believed that civic participation was something that happened for other people, not her.
Through the project activities such as workshops, visits to Parliament and Westminster City Hall, she gained knowledge about how local and national government systems work, how to register to vote, and how decisions on public services are made.
She became more engaged with civic and democratic processes. As a result of this project, she felt empowered to write a letter to her local councillor about housing conditions in her area and encouraged others to join her. She is now considering joining her local residents’ group and has started translating political information for other Albanian single mothers in her community.
“For the first time, I understood who makes decisions about my children’s school and the housing support I receive. I used to feel invisible. Now I feel like I can ask questions and be heard.” - Albanian single mother
This sentiment is also reflected in testimonials from other participants, underlining the importance of tailored culturally rooted information from trusted sources.
“I didn’t even know I had the right to vote. Now I understand not just how, but why my vote matters.” - Participant from Albania
“This project made me realise I have a voice even if I am not yet a citizen. I can still talk to decision-makers and be part of the change.” - Young Afghan refugee
“Our mosque was invited to a political literacy session for the first time. It helped us understand how policies are shaped and how we can be more involved as a community.” - Community leader from a local Albanian mosque