Belief and leadership: students connect on inter-cultural programme

This week 45 students of different faiths and non-religious beliefs began 3FF’s (Three Faiths Forum) year-long ParliaMentors leadership programme. The programme, now in its 7th year, develops the next generation of leaders by providing them with skills, experiences and networks to advance their careers.

Winner of the UN Award for Intercultural Innovation, ParliaMentors also creates an opportunity for the students to learn from each other and build strong and lasting relations between people from different communities. The students will work in diverse trios to create and deliver social action projects and will also be mentored by MPs and Peers across eight cities.

Former mentors on the programme include Dominic Grieve QC MP, John Bercow MP, Iain Duncan Smith MP, Baroness Susan Kramer, Hazel Blears MP and Margaret Hodge MP.

Ben Roback, a Jewish student from the University of Leeds, said: “ParliaMentors is a unique experience, and it’s great to be around likeminded people who share similar passions and an interest in learning about each other’s backgrounds. I have never before been in a room with so many people from different faiths who are all thinking about making an impact and a difference.”

Gurinder Hayer, a Sikh student from the University of Birmingham, said: “I have joined a community of future leaders from different faith backgrounds who, together, represent the voices of young people across the UK aspiring to make a difference.”

Daniella Shaw Gabay, 3FF Policy and Public Affairs Manager who oversees ParliaMentors, said: “Britain is a wonderfully diverse place, but events like the Woolwich attack and its aftermath have highlighted that there are significant challenges to address in order to build a really integrated society. Programmes like ParliaMentors are important because they give people the opportunity to build better, more positive and productive relations between individuals and communities.”

The programme started with a three day residential leadership training which introduced students to each other and allowed them to start sharing ideas and preparing for their social action projects.

ParliaMentors, which attracted over 300 applications this year, was launched by 3FF in 2007. It now has over 250 alumni, many whom go on to work in politics, media and for NGO’s. The programme is supported by Pears Foundation and the DCD Group.