Meet the MDP Team

  • Lara is the co-founder and Executive Director of Migrant Democracy Project. Lara is from Brazil and has spent the last 10 years in the UK working on migrant justice, including support for migrants in detention and EU citizens making applications to the EU Settlement Scheme. She has led campaigns on access to British citizenship and has been working on migrants’ democratic empowerment during her time in the UK.

  • Alex is the co-founder of Migrant Democracy Project. She is a research, advocacy and operations consultant, working with various migrants' rights organisations over the last 8 years. She is currently the organisation's Finance Manager, supporting everyday finance as well as fundraising.

  • Róise has been organising communities for 5 years, including students, migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women. Leading on our MPower: Political Leadership Programme, Róise continues her dedication towards creating spaces for those with lived-experience to have a voice.

  • Katie has been organising and campaigning with migrant communities for the last 2 years. In 2023, Katie graduated from Queen Mary University of London with an MA in International Relations and in 2021, with a BA in Spanish and German. Her studies introduced her to community organising across borders and languages in the UK and EU context. Having lived in several countries, she is personally invested in building intersectional solidarity and community power for a fairer and more just political system. In her spare time, Katie runs a campaign on gender representation in music.

  • Olivia Blocker is a communications strategist, researcher and movement worker with over a decade of experience in police and prison abolition organising, climate communications, and public health research. She currently resides in Liverpool with her partner, pursuing a Masters degree in Strategic Communications.

  • Kendall Bendheim (she/her) is a digital organiser specialising in movement strategy, CRM architecture, and supporter relations. After 8 years in Spain working with a movement-building agency, she now works from London with multiple progressive campaigns to better structure, sustain, and grow their work among their supporter base.