The second exciting part of my trip to London was the tour of parliament that I went on on Friday (which was also the whole reason for my being in London in the first place). It was organised by The Emily Tree, an amazing group who are working to support young women getting into politics.
The day began with some group discussion work where we came up with three ideas- firstly, something quick and easy we could do to help women; then something bigger; then a huge idea. All the ideas that people came up with were really interesting and very varied- all equally important! I found the 'small ideas' especially empowering, as it's another reminder that really we needn't wait around to make a change. I've pledged to myself that I will do all the 'small things' I can (such as calling people out on everyday sexism, and complimenting other women instead of comparing etc.) because those small things can have a big impact.
After that we had a short talk on the aims of The Emily Tree, which was also really empowering. They're a grat organisation, and I really really want to get involved and do more with them!
After that we had the tour itself, which was very interesting, of course. It was quite different to the school tour I went on, and it was nice to have been on both as I saw and heard about different things.
Following on from that, we had a bit of a talk on women in politics, where we realised yet again that parliament is essentially just a boys club. It's really frustrating and saddening to be reminded about how unrepresentative parliament is (remember this?!) and to hear that, for women to fit in, they often just have to go along with things. I really really really hope that this changes- and it's organisations like The Emily Tree that are trying to get this change. Parliament should be a place that represents everyone, not just white middle class males.
Overall, I found the tour hugely interesting, and the parts that accompanied it incredibly empowering and inspiring!!