Are you involved in encouraging involvement with Parliament? Earlier this week, I took part in the 'Train the Trainer' course run by the Parliamentary Outreach team to see how they suggest we can make interacting with Parliament more effective.
I applied to take part partly because I'm keen to encourage greater interaction with Parliament in my work setting, to potentially enable a wider range of views, evidence and experience to be considered in decision-making processes. My previous experience of this work was as part of the KT-EQUAL programme - a consortium focused on how research can be used to improve the lives of older people. I was involved with a series of events at Westminster that led to some rewarding dialogue and debate. It's a fascinating arena and there are myriad ways to get involved.
The course attracted a diverse group and I worked alongside participants from other universities, staff from youth services, voluntary and community sector organisations and independent interests.
Our trainer, Clare Mullin was impressive both for her depth of knowledge and understanding of Parliament but also for the enthusiasm she instilled and the encouragement she gave us to get involved ourselves.
Day one: Train the Trainer - what's it all about
An impressive set of resources accompanies the training and day one consisted of a whole series of modules covering democracy, how Parliament is made up, the difference between Parliament and Government, how the legislative process works and ways of getting involved. The day allowed for plenty of scope for questions and although the content was detailed and covered lots of new material for most participants, Clare's guidance and reassurance about what to do with specific queries and where to get help was invaluable.
Day two: Train the Trainer - over to you
On day two it was our turn in small groups to deliver a topic from the resource pack. Although we were initially unnerved by the short timescale available for preparation, working in a group and sharing out the tasks led to a lively and stimulating series of group presentations. Everyone on the course was extremely supportive and encouraging of each other. I gained insights from every presentation and came away with useful ideas for designing follow-on activities in my workplace.
Next steps
One of the services I haven't used before is the Parliamentary Information Office as an initial port of call for queries. The House of Commons Information Office details are here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/hcio/contact-us/
I am looking forward to receiving the hard copy of the Resources Pack and to adapting this in my university. With all the routes and opportunities open to us - I am expecting to undertake some involvement with Parliament over the coming year.
How can you join the programme?
The training course is free to attend. I would recommend it for anyone keen to work more with Parliament in their settings. For dates of future courses and details of how to apply, go to: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/outreach-and-training/train-the-trainer/
The Parliamentary Outreach webpages also include details of other events and resources for you to use:
A big thank you to Clare Mullin for an enjoyable and hugely informative training course and all the best to fellow participants in the next stages.
Image from the Train the Trainer webpage at www.parliament.uk, reproduced under the Open Government License