Birmingham social enterprise takes a seat in Westminster

Beatfreeks Collective, a Birmingham-based social enterprise, will take a seat at the heart of British politics after being appointed Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Democratic Participation.

The APPG is made up of Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum and counts names such as the UK’s only Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, and the former Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett, as members.

With a focus on getting people involved in politics, the non-partisan APPG has already commissioned research into issues such as voter registration reform and voter ID checks.

As the Secretariat, Beatfreeks will play a key role in determining the focus of future research and in steering the direction of the group.

Anisa Haghdadi, founder and CEO of Beatfreeks Collective, said: “We’re humbled to have been appointed as Secretariat to the APPG on Democratic Participation.  Despite the stereotypes having you believe otherwise; young people are political. We are committed to enfranchising more people in speaking truth to power and this national platform will allow us to reach politicians and policymakers in the heart of Westminster. Even more exciting that we are doing it from the centre of Birmingham.”