From Southampton to Westminster, and back again… what an unforgettable week!
Today was the final day of my first week-long MP Summer School for young people aged 14-17. As I said earlier this week, this was an ambition of mine from the moment I was elected, and I couldn’t be prouder of the young people who took part.
A few highlights:
– Kicking off the week with a joint Q and A with my fellow Southampton MPs Satvir Kaur and Caroline Nokes.
– A glimpse into the world of political broadcast journalist with Kit Bradshaw from ITV Meridian and Emily Hudson from BBC South.
– Seeing the young people get hands-on experience of TV interviews and social media content creation with the fantastic team at Solent University.
– A crisis management communications session from the pros at Carnival UK.
– Watching their confidence grow during a public speaking masterclass at Mayflower Studios
– A day in Westminster and a tour of Number 10 Downing Street. And yes, I’m happy to say they met Larry the Cat!
– Some brilliant insight into public policy from the University of Southampton.
All of this was provided at no charge to the young people. None of it would have been possible without the generosity of such brilliant partners across the city and beyond. I’ve mentioned several already but special thanks as well to CLIA UK and Ireland, Royal Lifesaving Society UK, Southampton City Council, UK Parliament, Red Funnel, Warblington Trust and the Go-Ahead Group.
Finally, none of this would have been possible without my amazing team. This was our first attempt at this summer school, and it was thanks to a real team effort, with everyone pulling out all the stops, that we made it a success.
Same again next year!