Empowering You to Empower Others
>> Aubrey: I’m Aubrey and I’m standing outside the Houses of Parliament. Inside people
are deciding how our country is run and making decisions that affect us all. But what you
might not realise is that they work for me.
>> Man 1: And me!
>> Man 2: And me!
>> Man 3: And me!
>> Man 4: In fact it’s important for all of us to get involved and have our say.
>> Narrator: The Parliamentary Outreach Service is running training sessions to show you how
to share your knowledge about Parliament with your wider community.
>> Sharon Stanley: And this is where you are going to find out how Parliament and the government
are two different things…
>> Sharon Stanley: Hello, I’m Sharon and I run these courses for adults with learning
disabilities in order to tell them how their society works. It is so important that they
spread the message to involve everybody in their civic society.
>> Narrator: You can learn how to help others engage with Parliament and have their say
on issues that affect them too.
>> Vijay: We need to go out there and tell them why it matters to us, so that when we
get our message, point of view across, they’ll be able to talk about it in Parliament and
they’ll be able to debate it.
>> Narrator: The training session explains how Parliament runs our country, affecting
our lives - from work and education to benefits, health services and transport.
>> Rt Hon John Bercow MP: Order, order!
>> Man 1: So the London area is very expensive to cover everybody…
>> Man 2: That’s a load of rubbish!
>> Sharon Stanley: Order, order.
>> Narrator: The sessions are fun and interactive with lots of games and role-playing to bring
the work of Parliament to life. From the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition,
from the House of Lords to Select Committees, the training gives a real understanding of
who people are and what they do.
You'll be able to teach people about…
>> Narrator: This training will give you the confidence to show others how to get involved.
>> Man 1: So this is my MP, Stella Creasy.
>> Man 2: Yes.
>> Man 1: And she is the MP for Walthamstow and also she has an email address.
>> Narrator: You can explain…
>> Man 1: So Mr Prime Minister, tell me what your party is exactly doing for people with
learning disabilities?
>> Man 2: I think they are well aware of the issues…
>> Sharon Stanley: The best thing for me when people take this course is that I see them
flower. They get so much confidence, they are so empowered that they no longer worry
about quite confrontational issues and people and they really do stand up and they get themselves
heard, they get themselves counted. I‘m passionate about this.
>> Narrator: The training teaches you about how the country is run. But it is also about
giving you confidence; empowering you to empower others to speak up for themselves.
(Laughter)
>> Sharon Stanley: Excellent, so, we’ve all got a law.
>> Vijay: I have done Parliamentary training and it’s led me to give a speech in Parliament.
>> Narrator: And support workers agree.
>> Cheryl: Since I was asked to come and do this, I’ve not shut up about it, that’s
all I’ve gone on and on and on about. So I think everyone will be glad today is over
and they’ll get a bit of peace, but they won’t!
(Cheryl laughs)
>> Narrator: If you want to empower others in your community we’ll give you…
>> Sharon Stanley: So, who can get involved in Parliament?
>> All: Everyone!
If you want to find out more...