Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the period From 1/10/2022 (period start date) to 30/09/2023 (period end date)
Charity Name: MODEL WESTMINSTER Charity RegistraLon Number: 1184456
Aims and Purposes
Model Westminster works to improve the poli3cal engagement of young people. We are a non-par3san, volunteer-run, and educa3onal registered Charitable Incorporated Organisa3on. Our interac3ve events, spanning talks, debates and group work, are designed to illustrate how poli3cs and policymaking interact to tackle the greatest poli3cal challenges of our 3me.
In seAng our objec3ves and planning our ac3vi3es our Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance.
The objects of the charity are, for the public benefit:
-
The advancement of educa3on par3cularly, but not exclusively, in poli3cs and policy making.
-
To advance in life and help young people through providing support and ac3vi3es which develop their skills, capaci3es and capabili3es to enable them to par3cipate in society as mature and responsible individuals.
Change of Leadership
We thank Grant Fisher for his tenure as Chair of Trustees and Anwulika Ellio8 for her role as Director of Model Westminster since the incep>on of the charity. We are happy to entrust the charity to the capable hands of Ayath Ullah as Director. Moreover, we welcome 3 new trustees Pedro Jacinto, Rubina Begum and Anhar Chowdhury and thank our outgoing trustees Alice Dermody-Palmer and Will Dyer for their service.
Summary of AcLviLes
Our charity organises a mixture of both public events for all young people aged 16-25 and events not publicly adver3sed e.g. with a school and indirectly through our affilia3ons with UK universi3es.
Every event the charity runs is based on a non-par3san poli3cal issue that par3cipants can explore. Through interac3ve sessions, young people develop their cri3cal thinking skills by engaging in mul3-sided discussions, debates and listening to experts from event topic’s respec3ve fields. The events also allow young people to learn from and teach each other, which increases their sense of community and involvement in society.
Model Westminster has been on a hiatus between March 2020 - July 2024, hence no current events will be listed below. Due to COVID-19 and a change in leadership, we have no acLvity to report.
ContribuLon of volunteers
We are grateful that Model Westminster has been run by a team of dedicated volunteers, most of whom have been university students.
Together they have brought with them a wealth of experience from debate training, to teaching and knowledge obtained from their degrees.
In addi3on, we seek to invite experts into every event, these experts who volunteer their 3me have worked in their field e.g., diploma3c services, debate trainer, police commissioner for several years and share our mission of advancing educa3on in policy making.
Achievements and Performance
Due to COVID 19 and our inability to maintain partnerships with schools during this 3me – we took a hiatus between March 2020 – July 2024. We hope to resume normal programming by Sep 2024. Whilst we have no significant events to report, we have included our previous years achievements and performance to illustrate what we aim to achieve in a regular year.
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
In the year preceding our hiatus, (excluding university socie3es), Model Westminster has reached over 180 young people.
The MiseducaLon
Roundtable
This event was a joint event with non-profit organisa3on ‘Get IN Westminster’. Model Westminster ran ‘The Miseduca3on?’ as a 2-part event. The first event was focussed on developing cri3cal thinking through debate, discussion and analyses of data and government reports. The second event was designated as a smaller event, where par3cipants would be paired with a mentor in the civil service to learn how to write ‘parliamentary style’ analysis and recommenda3ons based of informa3on gathered at the previous event.
Model Westminster and Get IN Westminster set out to allow students to explore a variety of key issues that have impacted students and academics of colour currently in higher educa3on. This included, the a_ainment gap, admission prac3ces, mental health facili3es in universi3es, representa3on in senior leadership and funding.
We held an interac3ve panel discussion that sought to hear from a variety of views from experts to faculty to students, across the poli3cal spectrum. Speakers included Dr Deborah Gabriel, senior academic based in the Faculty of Media and Communica3on at Bournemouth University, Paule_e Williams Paule_e Williams has
worked in higher educa3on for over a decade leading widening par3cipa3on and student success projects; Larissa Kennedy (20) Educa3on Officer and Deputy President at Warwick Students’ Union among others. All guests were informed of the need to remain apoli3cal throughout.
Mentorship
All par3cipants (excluding faculty/experts) were invited to our second event aimed at providing young people with li_le exposure to poli3cs with a mentor in the civil service. For a one-month period, par3cipants had contact with their mentors as they learnt how parliamentary papers are wri_en. This culminated in an event in Parliament, where the chapters were finalised. The event was successful; however, the vast majority of par3cipants did not maintain contact with their mentors despite finding them insighgul. In future we will work on maintaining links beyond the event.
The Power of Social Media
‘The Power of Social Media’ was an interac3ve event aimed to help young people explore social media’s impact on society. The event, hosted by Twi_er UK, gave par3cipants the opportunity to delve deeper into the links between social media and the poli3cal engagement and mental health of young people.
Workshops
Cri3cal thinking is a skill that Model Westminster aims to foster and encourage in young people. Aher hearing from industry professionals, par3cipants took part in two workshops, (Using social media to make an impact and Mental Health and social media) allowing them to think through and challenge the informa3on that has been presented.
Using social media to make an impact
Katy Minshall , Head of UK Government, Public Policy and Philanthropy Twi<er addressed par3cipants on how chari3es and campaigners can make the most of social media e.g Twi_er. Following this talk and Q&A, par3cipants will leave with knowledge of how to harness social media for campaigns that will make a posi3ve difference in society. In addi3on, as a group, par3cipants drahed a le_er of advice, which par3cipants could send to their MP’s about how they can be_er engage with young people using social media.
Mental Health and Social Media
The second workshop focussed on Mental health and social media.
Dr Becky Inkster , NSPN Senior Manager & Wolfson College Research Associate, Cambridge Neuroscience, University of Cambridge delivered a talk focusing on social media and young people’s mental health and well-being. Becky explored the poten3al effects of social media. She discussed her calls-to-ac3on to mi3gate the nega3ve effects.
Following this talk and Q&A, we read a report 3tled the ‘Impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health’ published by the House of Commons Science and Technology Commi_ee in January 2019. In groups, par3cipants used this framework to brainstorm new policy recommenda3ons to solve some of the highlighted issues.
As always, Model Westminster takes a non-par3san stance on all issues and aims to improve the poli3cal engagement of young people by bringing them closer to issues that may affect them.
Of the a_endees who filled in our feedback form, 100% of a_endees would recommend our events to a friend, 100% say they are more likely to engage in poli3cs aher a_ending this event (directly demonstra3ng our public benefit) and 70% had not studied poli3cs formally at university. One par3cipant noted that the speakers selected were very informa3ve.
Louder London
The purpose of this event was to provide young people with an opportunity to learn debating skills from a Model Westminster’s debate trainers. We provided an opportunity to practise these skills in a debating competition and receive feedback from judges.
This event was about creating a fun and free way for young people with limited debating experiences to discuss important issues with each other. Participants gained more confidence in voicing their opinions and analysing arguments, which aims to help them reach their own judgements about real decisions being made in the UK.
This was a non-partisan debate; no party politics was permitted at any point, only policies relating to specific issues for educational purposes were used. Team, judges and guests were informed that overtly partisan politics may lead to disqualification or deduction of points.
In the feedback form 100% of par3cipants in this event agreed they would be more likely to engage in poli3cs aher a_ending the event and 60% had never studied poli3cs in a formal capacity.
Bow School
In a bid to increase our reach and benefit to the public, we sought to partner up with a local school. Bow School is a comprehensive secondary school and sixth form for boys and girls, located in Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England. It has a roll of 600 pupils, and we partnered with school staff to create a short programme of events.
Introductory Assembly
We introduced Model Westminster to the whole of Bow School Sixth Form, outlining our mission, how they could engage in our events and how we would get involved with their school.
General ElecLon
Model Westminster ran a General Elec3on workshop for the sixth form, as some were of vo3ng age. We informed pupils of the role of local and na3onal elec3ons, how parliament is organised and how to contact their MP.
We also facilitated a class debate on general topics to foster familiarity with discussing issues amongst their peers.
MigraLon Workshop
As part of a larger conference within the school, Model Westminster ran a migra3on workshop focussing on immigra3on rules around the world. We then introduced and facilitated a class debate on whether the UK should switch to a solely points based immigra3on system. Students were allocated a side, to encourage them to think of arguments outside their own perspec3ve.
Due to COVID-19 and the heavy restric3ons on schools, we were not able to con3nue with our programme of events. However, our inten3ons are to expand and include more schools when possible.
University SocieLes
Model Westminster is a standalone CIO; however, we have links with ‘Model Westminster Socie3es’ in one UK university. These socie3es are independent, and Model Westminster does not take any liability for them. These socie3es agree to follow the objec3ves and aims of Model Westminster for the benefit of students at their respec3ve universi3es. Our first was in Durham, this society ran for one academic year, however due to lack of commi_ee members it closed in October 2018.
‘MW EXE’, the Exeter university society is s3ll running, with a wide programme of events and a full commi_ee. It has run for approximately 3 years and has had guests from Alastair Campbell to Mr Ben Bradshaw is the Labour MP for Exeter.
Whilst remaining separate from our charity, these organisa3ons help us increase the benefits we can offer to the public outside London.
To protect Model Westminster’s brand and reputa3on, we have a clear set of guidelines for socie3es to follow including remaining apoli3cal and non-par3san.
Financial Review
The payments and receipts accounts show £0 in all areas as no payments or receipts have gone through a Model Westminster account. In the same way we have not accepted any assets or liabili3es.
We intend to raise funds and obtain grants in the future to help us meet our charitable aims, but at present due to volunteer support and minimal resources required – we have decided to run the charity with no budget in its ini3al year and due to complica3ons due to COVID.
Gihs in kind of services are not required to be stated in the receipts and payments or assets and liability.
We currently hold zero reserves as our charity does not require cash to con3nue to meet its charitable aims. At present we partner with schools and organisa3ons, so we have venue space and resources such as paper, to teach.
In the future this will change, and we hope to obtain grants to expand our opera3ons, we will s3ll endeavour to run a lean and low budget opera3on where possible to best u3lise poten3al donors’ money or grants.
The budget of the charity is not a going concern of con3nuity, so long as we con3nue to work with organisa3ons such as schools that allow us to keep our running costs extremely low. The trustees are aware that for the long-term health of the charity, holding reserves would be beneficial for the security and longevity of Model Westminster.
Structure, Governance and Management
Type of governing document
The organisa3on is a Charitable Incorporated Organisa3on, registered on 17 July 2019. This charity does not own and/or lease land or property. The original Cons3tu3on Of Model Westminster was signed on 07/01/2018 by Grant Fisher, Chair of Trustees.
If the CIO is wound up, each Member of the CIO is liable to contribute to the assets of the CIO such amount (but not more than £1) as may be required for payment of the debts and liabili3es of the CIO contracted before that person ceases to be a member, for payment of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for adjustment of the rights of the contribu3ng members among themselves.
Trustee selecLon methods
We currently have 3 trustees.
According to our governing documents, each Trustee shall re3re from office at the third Annual Re3rement Mee3ng following the commencement of his or her term of office. The Annual Re3rement Mee3ng shall be the mee3ng of the Trustees at which the accounts of the CIO are adopted.
Re3ring Trustees may be reappointed.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
CHARITY NAME: Model Westminster OTHER NAME CHARITY USES: MW REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1184456 CHARITY’S PRINCIPAL ADDRESS: 68 HINDES ROAD HARROW HA1 1SL
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Grant Fisher retain’ the role of Chair of trustee during the period of this report. For ease of reference the new appointees are listed below.
| Name | Role | Date of | Other | ReporLng status of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| appointment | trusteeships | other trusteeships | ||
| Pedro Jacinto | Trustee | 7/07/24 | TBC | |
| Rubina Begum | Trustee | 7/07/24 | TBC | |
| Pedro Jacinto | Chair | 7/07/24 | TBC |
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
The charity and its trustees are not ac3ng as custodian trustees.
Name of Chief ExecuLve /Director
Ayath Ullah
Other opLonal informaLon
A record of services given in kind:
- None for this financial year
DeclaraLons
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
----- Start of picture text -----
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Grant Fisher
Position (eg Chair of Trustees
Secretary, Chair, etc)
Date
30/07/24
----- End of picture text -----
| Model Westminster | Model Westminster | Model Westminster | Model Westminster | Model Westminster | 1184456 | 1184456 | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
10/1/22 | To | 9/30/23 | ||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ |
|||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Sub total | 0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total receipts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Totalpayments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Cash funds this year end | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the | period | ||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
|||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Total cash funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
29/07/2023
1
| B2 Other monetary assets | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | 0 | ||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||
| Signed byoneor two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval |
||||||
| Grant Fisher | 9/30/23 | ||||||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
29/07/2023
2
CCXX R3 accounts (SS) 2910712023
CCXX R4 accounts (SS) 2910712023