Universities
Before the summer break the Trust provided a number of speakers for Universities. We continue to provide this service, currently on-line, and hope that colleges will be able to return to face-to-face sessions soon. The Trust has a number of engagements with Universities for the Autumn/Winter term, providing speakers on a variety of topics as follows:
Exeter University – Parliamentary Studies – October (Bridget Prentice), November: Scrutiny & role of Select Committees and effectiveness of Parliamentary Questions, Early Day Motions, Petitions, Private Members Bills (Helen Jones). Role of Whips and relations with backbenchers (Rt Hon Sir David Hanson and Edwina Currie).
Brunel University – November: Reflections on the parliamentary process – Tom Levitt
Westminster University – December: The Blair /Brown years – Helen Jones
Secondary Schools
Our partnership with Speakers for Schools (S4S) is working well with 12 members participating in their programmes and a further 9 volunteers in the process of induction. In the last academic year Sir David Hanson engaged in a discussion with students at Denbigh High School in Wales. Sir David Lidington spoke to students at St John Rigby RC Sixth Form College in Wigan and Jeremy Lefroy spoke to students at King David High School in Liverpool. Tutors tell us that students gain a positive view of politicians and the political process as a result of our activities.
The feedback from the schools has been very positive with one school saying that students “were made to feel that the talk was addressed to them – they were treated like grownups and that all their questions were valid.” Other feedback included the following comments from students: “I really enjoyed the Q&A with a prominent politician”; ‘‘it was great! It was a shame we couldn’t have done longer.” And one teacher said “The students thought the speaker was wonderful and really appreciated his time and his efforts. He also had a very engaging manner.”
S4S will continue to coordinate virtual talks but are currently discussing future in-person talks with schools.
Political Education
We have recently established a link with I Have a Voice, a not-for-profit social enterprise which works with young people to increase political literacy and engagement. Several of our members, including Jeremy Lefroy, Adrian Sanders, Helen Jones, Joan Walley and Sir Vince Cable contributed to their recent report on the value of political education and some participated in the launch. A copy of the report can be found here.
We received the following feedback from the project organiser:
“Members of the Parliamentary Outreach Trust contributed to a discussion paper on the many facets of political literacy and participation. Their insight into the relationship between MPs and their constituents was crucial to the paper. In particular sharing their experiences of communicating key policy developments, furthering the public’s understanding of elections beyond party politics, encouraging people to engage with politics between elections and engaging with the education sector. The launch event was well-attended and we are now working on the discussion points raised in the paper with a range of stakeholders, many of which arose as a result of discussion with the Trust. IHAV is extremely grateful to the Trust for its time and expertise as it is giving clout to our efforts to demonstrate the value of political literacy and participation.”
We are discussing ways in which our two organisations might work together in future.
International
Sadly, a proposed project providing support to women parliamentarians in Afghanistan has not come to fruition due to the changed political situation there. Through the Permanent Observer of the Inter Parliamentary Union to the UN, the Trust was in discussions earlier this year with UN Women Afghanistan about providing on-line mentoring to Afghan Women MPs. Nine of our women members, former MPs and MEPs, had volunteered to participate in the project which will now not be going ahead. Our involvement was as an educational charity. We recognise that those Afghan women now need support more than ever, but support of a different nature, which regrettably the Trust itself is unable to provide. Several of our members remain involved in various ways as individuals.
PARLIAMENTARY OUTREACH TRUST 