2015 Mock Elections in Schools

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As the tightest election battle for years dominates the news, younger members of society throughout the country are casting their votes by getting involved in the excitement and drama of Mock Elections.

The Hansard Society’s Mock Elections in Schools project collates the results from hundreds of schools across the country in order to produce a national result.  Schools are voting this week and next and the deadline for submission of results is 10pm on Thursday 7 May. The final nationwide result will then be calculated and announced early the following week.

To date, they estimate that over 250,000 young people are taking an active role in the 2015 Mock Elections with more joining each day as the election draws nearer. Schools are highlighting key moments in their Mock Election campaign by sharing photos, videos, and documents via the blog at mockelectionsuk.tumblr.com on Twitter or other social media using the hashtag #mockelections2015.  

www.mockelections.co.uk  / mockelectionsuk.tumblr.com

 

 

2015 Year Here Fellowship

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We’ve received the following from the nice people at Year Here…
The Year Here Fellowship is an ambitious, creative and rigorous 8-month course in social innovation. As a Fellow, you’ll build brilliant solutions to social problems supported by a world-leading network including Citizens UK, FutureGov, Bain & Company and the Cabinet Office.
We’re looking for bright grads who are serious about making society better.
 
If selected, you will:
  • Serve in tough frontline roles. Your first four months will be spent in homeless shelters, care homes and community centres understanding first-hand the daily realities of people living at the margins of society – and designing an Innovation Project to boost your placement’s impact.
  • Be assigned a top mentor. From former government advisors to social entrepreneurs, creatives and industry leaders, your mentor will advise you throughout your journey.
  • Get trained by an expert faculty. You’ll be given extensive training and coaching from a faculty of more than 60 experts, learning all about society’s problems and how to tackle them effectively.
  • Secure investment for your ventures. You’ll be designing and implementing your own projects aimed at tackling social problems from the get-go, with the chance to secure more than £3,000 from O2 and The Funding Network along the way.
  • Develop a packed creative portfolio. Through our Writing for Social Change unit, you’ll try your hand at journalism. Previous fellows have written in the Independent and the Huffington Post and given TED talks.
  • Turbocharge your network. From walking the halls of the Cabinet Office to running creative sessions at Google Campus, and from having lunch with the design team at IDEO to delivering workshops at a homeless shelter in Hornsey, you’ll rub shoulders with people from all walks of life.
  • Have no course fees. Unlike a traditional Master’s degree or postgraduate course, we cover your tuition fee. We also offer packages of accommodation and bursaries.
  • Join a growing alumni family. Your peers will be some of the the brightest young talents in the country. You’ll become a permanent part of a rapidly growing group of social influencers.

We believe in innovators, agitators and doers, not just cogs in the system. Our alumni have gone to make the Observer’s list of 50 New Radicals, build high-impact charities, and join fast-growing creative startups.

Whether you’re a grad who’s fresh out of uni or a few years into your career, if you’re idealistic but critical and want to take a rigorous approach to real issues – this is a unique opportunity to learn fast in the real world.

Apply now.

Liberteas: Celebrate 800 Years of Magna Carta

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To coincide with the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta the Houses of Parliament and the National Trust are asking the nation to take a moment to celebrate, debate and reflect on those liberties which we can very often take for granted but which people throughout history have campaigned to make happen or fought to preserve.
 
LiberTeas, will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 14 June at 3pm and will be the only national commemorative celebration of the sealing of Magna Carta.
 
Magna Carta established the Rule of Law and started a journey towards our modern day rights and freedoms and we are asking communities and organisations across the nation to mark the anniversary by hosting an event that celebrates rights, freedom and liberty. It could be a debate or an afternoon tea, a public lecture or open house, a street party or a picnic in the park, all we ask is that their event joins the rest of the nation at 3pm to mark the moment.
 
More information on LiberTeas (including how to and creative guides), and to register events can be found at www.liberteas.co.uk. Once registered, organisations will also have access to the brand so that they can make their own LiberTeas promotional materials.  The first 400 people to register before 15 April will receive two free tickets (subject to terms and conditions) to the national Magna Carta commemoration at Runnymede on 15 June.
To coincide with LiberTeas events on Sunday 14 June at 3pm churches across the country (and many overseas) are being encouraged to ring for the Great Ringing Day.  This is being led by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

Adam Dant appointed as Election Artist

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The House of Commons has selected artist Adam Dant as the nation’s official Election Artist, commissioned by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art to document the processes and outcomes of the 2015 General Election.

He will travel around the United Kingdom observing electioneering in the run up to polling day and some of his initial sketches will be shared on parliamentary social media channels during the election period. His final, completed work will join the Parliamentary Art Collection later in 2015.

Adam Dant is known for his monumental narrative ink drawings which approach British culture, politics and ideology with a rich vein of satire in the tradition of Rowlandson and Hogarth.

Collecting CVs of Parliamentary Candidates

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Democracy Club has set up a website where they are collecting CVs from as many candidates as possible, and it may be something you want to check out.

They point out that sending a CV is usually the very first step of a job application, and believe that it should also be the first step when people apply to become an MP.

Full details over at Democracy Club CV – and you can upload your member’s CV there if they are up for it.

Register to vote by 20 April!

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The deadline for registering to vote in the general election taking place in May is approaching. If you wish to vote, you must be registered by Monday 20 April 2015, meaning there are now just four weeks left to register.

You can register online on the UK Government website or complete a registration form and return to your local Electoral Registration Office by post.

The deadlines for applying for a postal vote (Tuesday 21 April) and applying for a proxy vote (Tuesday 28 April) are also approaching.

And, if you wish to stand as a candidate in the general election, your nomination papers must be delivered by Thursday 9 April 2015.

From the Parliamentary Website

Understanding the darknet: POSTnote

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A very small proportion of websites use sophisticated anonymity systems, which allow their operators to conceal their identity if they wish to. This part of the web is commonly referred to as the darknet. The darknet helps citizens to protect their security and privacy and to circumvent censorship. It also facilitates organised crime, such as the billion dollar drug market known as Silk Road. This POSTnote discusses the challenge of preventing such crimes without compromising the other uses of anonymity technologies.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has recently published a POSTnote on the subject, which you can download as a PDF.

POSTnote:The darknet and online anonymity

 

Teaching teachers about Parliament…

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Teachers’ Institute: 29 June – 3 July 2015

The Education Service will be hosting the next Teachers’ Institute residential course in Westminster, 29 June – 3 July 2015, and applications are now open.  The Teachers’ Institute is a unique professional development opportunity, enabling teachers to experience Parliament in action during an informative, interactive and unforgettable week based at the Houses of Parliament.

Transport and accommodation costs are covered for all delegates, and applications are welcome from teachers and other professionals working with children aged 7-18 across Citizenship, Politics, Law, History and other related subjects.

Apply by 31 March at www.parliament.uk/teachers-institute

Parliament Revealed

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The Hansard Society has published a new online resource, Parliament Revealed, which claims to offer ‘an insider’s guide to one of the oldest parliamentary democracies’ – that would be ours.  It does this by ‘speaking directly to MPs, Peers and Staff who serve there’, so we imagine some of you will be featured.

While we’re sure everyone working for an MP is fully aware of the minutiae of Parliamentary procedure and has little to learn from a  resource aimed at the general public, or any interest in learning all about Parliament in 30 minutes – as below – it may be something to point friends and family to when they ask ‘so what do you actually do all day?’

A House Rebuilt? Speaker to lecture on March 2

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A House Rebuilt?  Progress, governance and an agenda towards 2020

Monday March 2, 6pm, Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster
Chaired by: Dr Ruth Fox, Hansard Society

In this “end of term” lecture given to the Hansard Society, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP, will outline his thoughts on the significant challenges facing the next Parliament, in particular the implementation of changes to the leadership and future governance of the House service, the restoration and renewal of the parliamentary estate, the unfinished work of the Wright Committee, and implementation of the Digital Democracy Commission.

The Lecture will be followed by a Q&A session

To attend contact comms@hansardsociety.org.uk