Partnership for Young London - Care Leaders

GLA Democratic Participation Grants Team

Partnership for Young London's ‘Care Leaders’ project was tailored to the needs of care-experienced young people and supporting them to overcome barriers to registering to vote and applying for photo voter ID. A network of ‘Care Champions’ were trained to deliver political literacy workshops and connect young people with decision-making mechanisms to get heard on issues that matter to them. Information was also cascaded to key practitioners in local authorities to embed in their local offer.

Care leaver champions image with people holding cards with vote or care written on them

Partnership for Young London reached a total of 337 under-registered and under-represented Londoners through their project. As a result of this project:

67% of survey respondents reported an increased understanding of the different voting systems used for elections in London.
67% of respondents reported an increased understanding of who is eligible to vote and the types of accepted forms of photo Voter ID.

Through these activities they found that their attendees felt empowered and were more likely to participate in civic life. They said they would consider actions such as signing petitions, voting, contacting elected officials and attending peaceful protests or campaigns.

Testimonials from attendees of their sessions highlight the importance of having a care-experienced facilitator, who made the participants feel represented.

“Thanks so much for attending the session on Tuesday, I was with some of our forum members yesterday and they mentioned that they enjoyed the session and thought it was great that it was facilitated by someone who is care-experienced as well!”

“Louisa delivered an absolutely excellent session Tuesday evening. She is always so professional, and such a joy to have around. Our Bexley young adults love seeing her, and we are really looking forward to another in person Children in Care Council soon.”