Our Parliamentary Summer Reception pays tribute to the work of the sector

6th July 2011

Martyn Lewis with volunteers from Envision

Over 150 MPs, peers and sector leaders attended our annual Parliamentary Summer Reception at the House of Commons on July 5th, paying tribute to the important work undertaken by civil society organisations across the country.

In his address to the reception, the Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd MP, acknowledged that it has been a difficult year for anyone running a voluntary organisation, but felt there was much to feel positive about for the future if we work together effectively. He also said that there has never been more cross-party consensus about the important role the sector plays, and that 'there is a window of opportunity for people who care about getting citizens involved in the decisions that shape their lives’.

Guests also heard from our Chair, former newscaster and Youthnet founder Martyn Lewis. Drawing on figures from our Participation: Trends, facts and figures almanac, which had its official launch at the reception, Martyn argued that more needs to be done to support people from all walks of life to give time to charity and their community. The statistics suggest that the more deprived an area, the less likely it is that people participate in civic engagement and volunteering.

Graduates from NCVO member organisation Envision, a national educational charity which provides young people with opportunities to make a difference in their local communities, also addressed the audience. After high fiving guests on their way in, they spoke about their inspiration to engage with Londoners and put smiles on their faces by asking passers-by in busy London streets for high fives.

Envision was set up by four young people in 2000 to challenge the stereotype of ‘the youth’ as apathetic and disengaged with the issues going on around them. Today their flagship programmes support 16-19 year olds from across the country to design their own local community projects, tackling issues from street crime to climate change.