Voice4Change England delivered their project through stakeholder engagement, roundtable discussions, information stalls, tailored resources and social media campaigns, including newspaper articles to reach Orthodox Jewish households. They also delivered 10 workshops for civil society organisations (CSOs) in their capacity as an umbrella organisation.
Voice4Change England reached a total of 7,429 under-registered and under-represented Londoners through their grant project.
- 96% of survey respondents reported an increased understanding of the different tiers of government (e.g. local, regional, national) and the different voting systems used for elections in London.
- 93% of respondents reported an increased understanding of who their elected representatives are and what they do.
Feedback from workshop attendees highlighted the importance of holding spaces for organisations to come together to discuss and reflect on the specific barriers faced by their communities and what meaningful engagement looks like in different contexts.
“Today it has made me realise how important it is to get involved in voting, on how voting is very important and how my voice is very important when it comes to voting, and I think one take away from today was to get the youth involved... and this conversation doesn’t end here today, this conversation should continue because we need to let people know, how important it is, and how important their voices are.” - Health and Wellbeing Development Officer, attended workshop
“It was really good to hear what we can do as individuals registering to vote and participate in our community.” - MA Student, St Mary’s University, attended workshop
“I specifically appreciated the democratic engagement seminar. As part of Gen Z, I think we hear a lot of discussion about what’s the point of voting, why be engaged? But it’s always a privilege hearing reminders about why it is beneficial to be part of it, and that we do have power to make changes within the system.” - MA Student, St Mary’s University, attended workshop
“There has been a stimulating discussion on civic engagement for under-represented communities in London, how we can bring participation and not just in voting but, in all forms of political life” - Researcher, LSE, attended workshop