What it means to be a Save the Children Election Champion

2015 is an important year. The general election gives us the chance to push forward an agenda that seeks to fight poverty and alleviate inequality.

As a volunteer for Save the Children, this is something I’m passionate about.

The role of Election Champion was something that caught my interest immediately.

Excited

I was excited to vote for the first time in a general election, but I wanted to be more than just a voter, just another statistic.

After searching my local area for opportunities to engage with the political process in the run up to the election, I found out about the Election Champions through my university and rang immediately to find out more.

Countdown to 6 May

The closer we get to the general election in the UK, the more I want to be involved.

The idea of being ‘politically active’ generally evokes a traditional notion of being a member of a political party – this could not be further from the truth.

There’s so much more to the UK political process than party politics. I signed up because I care about the issues that Save the Children campaigns on, and the election is a great opportunity to ensure that they are firmly on the agenda for UK politicians.

What we do

So, what is an Election Champion?

We’re volunteers across the country who will lobby MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates on key issues, both national and international, on behalf of Save the Children.

The task isn’t easy, but we’ve hit the ground running.

Success

We’ve already successfully campaigned for MPs to pass the 0.7% commitment on international aid.

Our current focus is to get party leaders to commit to ensuring that all children born in the UK this year are reading well by the age of 11, as part of the Read on. Get on. campaign