Educating our younger generation

These past couple days Oliver and I have had the pleasure of working with the Lib Dems in their Guildford office and shadowing Zöe Franklin in Westminster. This experience really taught us just how crucial it is to be educated around politics in our country and its interconnected nature.  

As an Economics and Maths A-level student at George Abbot, taking this opportunity was a huge step outside of my comfort zone. I can say with confidence that I have gained a wider range of skills and knowledge, even the day-to-day conversations with colleagues are so mentally stimulating and invigorating. I greatly enjoyed being around people who aren’t afraid to challenge others' ideas and defend their point and I now have a kindled interest in matters that I wasn't previously aware of. It truly showed me the importance of being politically aware and that unlike the stereotypes politics is not “boring” and “just for old people.” 

Being a student who has had a recent growing interest in politics, Oliver found this week to be “relevant, exciting and valuable”. His interest began from talking to his politically inclined friends who made him aware of what's going on, not only in the UK but also on a global level, as well as listening to the podcast “The Rest is Politics”. He believes that since then he has become more engrossed because “the more you know, the more you can form an opinion” and is grateful for this opportunity because it allowed him to appreciate and recognise the importance of local politics.  

Both of us really enjoyed going to Westminster and watching Rachel Reeves defend her budget in the spring forecast statement. Seeing how passionate all the MPs were while debating piqued our interest and we became absorbed with the points they were bringing up.  

In the Guildford office we have learnt how to look at different aspects from a more critical eye and how to evaluate and draw conclusions from data. We got to learn the lifecycle of constituent’s correspondence and have been “made more aware of the amount and passionate level of ideas and comments the constituents bring to the office.” All in all, this is an experience unlike any other and we are both the better for it.