My Voice My Vote Programme 2014/15
About My Voice, My Vote
My Voice, My Vote is a programme for young people to develop their passion for social action,
digital campaigning and making a difference in their communities. The programme is run by youth
development charity UpRising, whose mission is to open up pathways to power for a diverse
range of talented young people.
The programme is designed to follow on from the National Citizen Service (NCS), for young people
who want to develop their social action campaigns and leadership skills.
My Voice, My Vote is a 2-3 month programme being offered exclusively for NCS graduates who
will be voting for the first time in the General Election in May 2015. Regional teams will be
running the programme in East London, Bedford, the West Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester
and Liverpool.
In London, the first cycle of the programme will run over the summer (2014)the 2nd cycle towards
the end of 2014 and the final cycle at the beginning of 2015.
Start dates for 2014/15 cycles are: 22/07/14; 22/10/14; 16/02/15
The summer cycle will consist of 6 full days over a 2 week period followed by a few evening
sessions. The Oct/Jan cycles will consist of two weekends followed by a number of evening
sessions.
Young people will learn to run a digital social action campaign, meet influential leaders, expand
their understanding of the democratic process and organise a hustings for candidates in the
election in their area.
By engaging in social action and understanding more about how decisions get made, our future
leaders will be better equipped to put forward the issues they care about and consider how to use
their right to vote. The programme includes team building, training on leadership and skills,
conversations with local leaders, working in teams to deliver a digital social action campaign, a
hustings with local candidates, and a graduation event.
Opportunities with UpRising beyond My Voice, My Vote
Beyond the My Voice, My Vote programme, participants will be offered the opportunity to take
part in UpRising’s part-time core Leadership Programme for 19-25 year olds.
The core programme provides a specific focus on key leadership skills, personalised coaching and
mentoring, and the opportunity to expand on the knowledge and skills acquired through NCS and
My Voice, My Vote by designing and delivering a more comprehensive and sustainable social
action campaign.
At the end of the programme, UpRisers automatically join our 450+ alumni group, the Emerging
Leaders Network. UpRising continues to support alumni through regular master classes, national
events and the opportunity to gain further mentoring and contribute to the core programme.