UK Parliament Week
UK Parliament Week is an annual series of events in the United Kingdom that aim to inspire interest in parliament, politics and democracy and encourage young people and the public to engage with the UK’s democratic system and institutions. Initiated in 2011, a week-long programme of events and activities is organised each year by the House of Commons and House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in collaboration with over 300 organisations including charities, schools, museums and community groups.[1][2]
Events in 2016
Parliament Week will be held on 14–20 November 2016.
History
The inaugural Parliament Week took place in 2011 between 31 October and 6 November with events taking place around the country.[3][4][5][6][7] Running from 19–23 November, the schedule for 2012 included visits to schools and debates with school children.[8][9][10] The third Parliament Week ran from 15–21 November 2013 and included events about women in democracy.[11][12][13][14][15]
Parliament Week 2014 took place from 14–20 November. Discussion topics included digital democracy and a social media campaign called "Do Democracy" which aimed to encourage 16- to 24-year-olds to make their views heard in Parliament and other democratic institutions across the UK.[2][16]
In 2015, Parliament Week was held on 16–22 November and focused on "the future of democracy".[17][18] It was coordinated with a year-long programme of events called "Parliament in the Making" which celebrated the 750th anniversary of the first English Parliament to include representatives of the towns and cities of England on 20 January 1265, and the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.[19][20]
The official name of the event was changed in 2016 to "UK Parliament Week" from "Parliament Week", which had been used since 2011. This change was intended to signify the emphasis on delivering events throughout the United Kingdom and to help distinguish it from activities relating to other Parliaments and Assemblies in the UK: the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly.[21] Since 2013, the European Parliament has held an entirely separate event for members of national parliaments under the name "European Parliamentary Week".[22][23][24]
See also
- Civic engagement
- Democracy Day (Canada)
- European Local Democracy Week
- International Day of Democracy
References
- ^ "Parliament Week". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ a b "UK Youth Parliament stages annual Commons debate". BBC. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Events to be held around UK for Parliament Week". UK Parliament. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Peers in Schools for Parliament Week". UK Parliament. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week comes to Wales". UK Parliament. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week - The Speaker's Debate". BBC. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "How to teach … UK Parliament Weekaccess". The Guardian. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Lively schedule for Lords during Parliament Week 2012". UK Parliament. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Peers in Schools for Parliament Week 2012". UK Parliament. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament 2012: How to hack the House of Commons without anyone even trying to stop you". The Independent. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
Now in its second year, Parliament Hack, running in conjunction with Parliament Week...
- ^ "Parliament Week 2013: Lords activities, discussions and debates". UK Parliament. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week 2013: Education Resources" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week: Cabinet Office opens its doors". Cabinet Office and Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week 2013 — Women in Democracy". Into Film. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Join Telegraph Wonder Women for an evening of debate: Is there such a thing as the women's vote?". Telegraph. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Programme of Events for Parliament Week 2014". Political Studies Association. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Parliament Week 2015 campaign announcement". Parliament Week Blog. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ^ "The Future of European Democracy". Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ "Parliament in the Making: 2015 Historic Anniversaries programme". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "2015 Anniversaries: An Update" (PDF). UK Parliament. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to the new look UK Parliament Week". UK Parliament Week. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "European Parliamentary Week". European Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ Hefftler, Claudia; Neuhold, Christine; Rozenberg, Olivier; Smith, Julie, eds. (2015). The Palgrave Handbook of National Parliaments and the European Union. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 99. ISBN 9781137289131.
- ^ "European Parliamentary Week: MPs in Brussels to debate economy, jobs and budget" (Press release). European Parliament. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
External links
- Parliament Week website
- Video: Magna Carta, Simon de Montfort, and the emergence of Parliament UK Parliament
- Video: A brief history of representation in nearly 60 seconds UK Parliament
- Parliament Week: Stories of Democracy The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford