Shadowers's blog

By ANDREW GRAY

When I applied to do the Cllr Shadowing Programme I was expecting to spend the full 25hrs sitting in meetings and listening to reports. However, this was not to be the case as I attended the Mayors Christmas Concert, went to London and met my Member of Parliament (MP)!

I have really enjoyed my council shadowing and am extremely grateful for having had this excellent opportunity offered to me. The council has welcomed me with open arms and have invited me to all sorts of different meetings, some more exciting than others, but always with consideration as to what I can participate in and giving me the chance to ask questions whenever possible. I think as a future improvement, many more students of our age should be encouraged to be included.

The experience of shadowing my local councillor was both informative and exciting and it has truly opened my eyes to the workings of government on a local level. Taking part in the programme has forced me to recognise that I knew very little about how the decisions affecting my own community are made, and that a vast amount of young people are, especially concerning local government, politically illiterate.