Waymakers trip to Parliament
Helen Murray
Great trip to Parliament today with a Waymakers group booking. It was lovely to be able to visit with a bunch of both new and familiar faces.
We’d passed on needs and preferences that had been shared with us on booking forms in advance and staff were great at allaying anxieties. After passing through airport style security we were invited to visit tables laid out with activities such as writing a manifesto, creating a petition, figuring out who your MP is, identifying devolved and reserved powers and making a pitch to become a peer - all with optional support from education service staff.
We also met a Baroness from the House of Lords with particular interests and experience in education (I made sure I gave her Waymakers’ website so she could find out more about other ways of doing education!).
We then watched an immersive 14-minute film which crammed in a LOT of information about the history of Parliament (which has its name’s origins in the French - ‘Parler’ we learned).
After that, the bit we’d all been waiting for - the tour! With Parliament in recess we got to see a lot more than we ordinarily would have, including going into the Commons and the Lords. We also saw the colour-coded pigeon holes that are still meticulously maintained for each of our 650 MPs despite the fact they hardly ever use them now as they are much more partial to communicating with each other in Whatsapp groups these days!
Our group of around 33 was divided in half with a member of staff leading each group and we were given an engaging and informative tour which clearly explained the roles of Lords and MPs. For anyone who missed it or just doesn’t relish a group tour don’t forget you can ask your MP to take you on a free tour and there are some materials here which may be of interest.
That was our penultimate Deep Dive before the new term. Last one still to come: a fun 2-day theatre-inspired workshop where participants will collaborate and contribute in whatever roles (not all performance based ones) they choose.
…and on 24 Aug, those aged 6-10 interested are welcome to get involved in co-creating a new core group with us.
