Parliament Week 2014 - Democracy in Action

Parliament Week is an annual programme of events and activities that connect people with parliamentary democracy in the UK. There's something for everyone, whether you attend or organise an event or simply take part in the conversation online. Local Business Owner Samantha Acton Operations Director at Domestic Angels is running her second
consecutive Parliament Week event aiming at engaging with local students of sixth form age on 14^th November 2014. 

You can find out more about Parliament Week via this link https://www.parliamentweek.org/about/.

The invited guests this year are around 60 students representing the senior schools of the Bournemouth conurbation, their teachers and representatives from Bournemouth Borough Council and the private sector. Mr Bonds head of History and Politics at Bournemouth School commented “We at Bournemouth School are very much looking forward to being part of Parliament Week, which gives our students the unique experience of taking part in a live debate covering local, national and international issues. This should provide a fantastic chance for our students to see how the work covered in class really translates into the real world.”

This year’s event has a full timetable starting at 1.15pm for arrival and registration of guests at Bournemouth Town Hall then the itinerary of events starts with Our Constitution presented by The Parliamentary Outreach Team who will run a workshop designed to challenge and enlighten our perception and understanding of the British constitution. This team are experts on how Parliament works conducting lively interactive experiences to increase the audiences understanding of the processes and relevance of Parliament. You can find out more about them and their work at http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/outreach-and-training/

The Parliamentary panel will be Annette Brook MP, Conor Burns MP, Julie Girling MEP and Cllr Jane Kelly. The panel will be chaired by Bournemouth Mayor Cllr Chris Mayne. Amongst the audience will be representatives of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade, Bournemouth Council, local businesses and Event Sponsors Morgan Sindall.

topics as chosen by the students of Bournemouth School for debate are:

1 - European - Should we have a referendum on EU membership?

2 - National – The response of the main parties to the growth of UKIP, has it been sufficient/appropriate?

3 - Local - Homelessness in the Bournemouth area, what are the possible remedies?

Event organiser and Partner to Parliament Week Samantha Acton, Operations Director of local cleaning firm Domestic Angels, commented of her involvement “I am interested in supporting students to get a better understanding of how Parliament works and demonstrating to them that they have the ability to make a difference to be empowered and to use their voices to be heard.

Kate Pix head of Business Development from Morgan Sindall commented ““Morgan Sindall Investments Limited (MSIL) is delighted to be sponsoring this event with Bournemouth Borough Council. Education is a key priority for both Bournemouth and MSIL and we are excited to be part of Parliament Week. A week which will allow students to contribute and learn about democracy on a European, national and local level”

Samantha clarified her involvement saying “I am personally involved because I have found myself in a position where I can make this kind of thing happen, I can contribute to my community in a positive manner, hopefully creating a legacy for the future. This isn’t about business promotion, this is about business giving me the connections and ability to deliver a significant event in the senior school student annual calendar that wasn’t happening previously. Over the generations, we have witnessed changes within our society which have been prompted by people being galvanised and motivated to create pressure on Councils and Parliaments. Apathy and disenfranchisement have been seeping through our society for a while now, Parliament Week engages the audience and requires them to connect with democracy on its 3 significant public platforms. Hopefully these students will remain connected throughout their lives and not hesitate to participate in shaping the world in the public arena.”