Freya Hutchins - 16 years old
At such an eventful time in the UK's history, taking part in work experience in the Houses of Parliament has surely changed my understanding of the inner workings of the political system. I began work for Gillian during Parliamentary Recess, with plenty needing to be done in order to prepare for the following weeks. I was able to lend a hand in research tasks for Gillian, getting to know more about the issues that she raises awareness for with her constituents. I spent time creating briefings for upcoming school visits, a parliamentary campaign she had been asked to join and research into constituents who had been awarded on the New Year Honours list. I was also tasked with organising some of Gillian’s mail which enabled me to gain an understanding of the types of issues that Gillian was focusing on within her constituency and the types of events she would be attending in order to raise awareness of them.
Working for Gillian and her team gave me the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the day to day workings of Westminster and see it in action. I learnt things that took me by surprise and that I wouldn’t have expected and my experience has certainly benefitted the way that I view Westminster.
