Rejecting the politics of fear: emerging leaders celebrate diversity

In stark contrast to the recent success of far-right parties in the EU elections, a group of young leaders are instead celebrating the potential of politics to bring people from different cultures together.

The 45 students on 3FF’s leadership programme ParliaMentors – which brings together aspiring leaders from different religious and cultural backgrounds – are gathering for a graduation ceremony at Millbank Tower in Westminster on Monday 2 June at 4pm, hosted by Trevor Phillips OBE.

Trevor Phillips, who is former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, will address the ceremony and give an insight on his own leadership journey.

The event celebrates the achievements of the students who work in trios to create social action projects in different communities around England. In their year-long work, students of different faiths and non-religious beliefs are mentored by MPs and Peers.

The graduation has particular relevance following the xenophobic rhetoric surrounding the recent EU elections. This highlights how important ParliaMentors is in training young people from different backgrounds to work in the political sphere, giving them the skills and experience to become confident leaders capable of bridging cultural divides.

The graduating students are part of a network of emerging leaders and will join over 250 alumni of the programme. ParliaMentors is run by 3FF, an intercultural organisation that builds positive relationships between people of different faiths and beliefs.