The 18th to 22nd November was devoted to Democracy Week in College.
The week started with a thought-provoking Prayers in which students heard from a member of staff who explained what it felt like to vote in the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994.
Students took part in activities all week which were organised by our capable and innovative Politics Academic Representatives. These included Playdoh key concepts, Kahoot quizzes, Athenian voting, Model United Nations, a mock trial and a debate about the reasons for Trump’s victory in the US election.
We finished the (slightly extended) week with a visit from Guild member Frances Scott on Monday 25th November, who advocates for increased representation of women in Parliament.
The importance of diverse representation in politics cannot be overstated, and it’s up to us to work hard to fulfil that goal. This was the central message of Frances Scott, founder of the pressure group 50:50 Parliament, when she spoke at CLC.
What was Scott’s motive for starting this ambitious pressure group? The inspiration came when her nine year old daughter was elected to her school council. At first, Scott was excited her daughter would represent everyone, but was then informed that she only represented the girls. A boy was also elected for council to represent the boys. This was for the simple reason that they had different lived experiences - so why didn’t this apply in Parliament? Thus, she started 50:50 Parliament.
Importantly, during the talk, Scott raised the prominent point that only by having a proportional percentage of women in Parliament to the population can policies that cater to women’s needs be made. Finally, as food for thought, she left us with a poignant reminder, “women are a majority in the population, but a minority in Parliament”. After the talk, we reflected on how empowering it was to know that she once studied at CLC, making her cause and journey especially close to our hearts. Furthermore, the group is willing to achieve their goals “one way or another”, rather than advocating for one specific method, highlighting their determination to their cause and making them exceptionally inspirational.
Thank you to all who took part and made it such a fun week!
Miss Burston, Teacher in Charge of Politics and Dr Woolstenhulme, Teacher in Charge of Religious Studies and Philosophy and Teacher in Charge of Academic Scholarship: Enrichment
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