Pre-scheme thoughts
I think that we all assume that we know how government works, but when you really think about it, it’s not actually that clear to people who are not directly involved.
I was so pleased when I received the news that I had successfully secured a place on the Step up Cymru Mentoring Scheme as I knew it would be a very good scheme to be involved with and a great opportunity to gain a working knowledge of what actually happens at the assembly and to find out what Assembly Members actually do.
After I had been selected to be on the Scheme, I was feeling both excited and nervous at the same time with some apprehension as to what would be expected from me.
I wanted to learn more about the way that the Assembly worked and how I could influence the people who make decisions about life in Wales. I wanted to know how to do it and I wanted the confidence to be able to do it.
I wanted to take part in the Mentoring scheme to understand better the procedures, restraints and ethos of the National Assembly and have a better insight into the values and visions of elected representatives.
I hope that the Step Up Cymru mentoring and shadowing scheme will provide me with useful contacts within the National Assembly, Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities
The Roma, Gypsy and Traveller communities are among the least engaged citizens in Wales, as voters, as politicians and as public servants. Consequently, they are among the least well served citizens. As a Romani Gypsy I would like to see a change that sees Roma, Gypsies and Travellers better engaged with the communities around them through community groups, schools, local authorities and the Welsh Assembly Government. The mentoring and shadowing scheme will give me a better understanding of the things that influence political decision making and the constraints faced by policy makers. This in turn will give me the tools to better represent my own community.
