Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, will help launch the city’s first ever Democracy Dayon 23 September. He will be speaking at Coldean and Jubilee libraries and answering questions about being Speaker – one of the most powerful roles in the day-to-day business of Parliament. Democracy Day will also include a range of workshops, activities and information stalls in Jubilee Square and the Parliamentary Outreach Team will be visiting Hangleton and Jubilee libraries.
The programme of events is available below. For more details about the day, contact please contact Democratic Services on 01273 291066 or e-mail democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Please note that some workshop timings have changed from earlier postings.
Democracy Day Morning Events
9.30 – 11am, Coldean Library
Meet Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons
- Find out about life in parliament and the role of the Speaker
- Ask questions about parliament
- Meet elected local politicians
To book your place, call 01273 810248 or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk
9.30–11am, Hangleton Library
Meet the Parliamentary Outreach Team
- Ask questions and discover how parliament works
- Meet elected local politicians
To book your place, call 01273 810248 or email bookings@workingtogetherproject.org.uk
Afternoon Programme of Activities
11.45 am – 7.30pm, Jubilee Square and Jubilee Library
- Come and find out about life in Parliament, take part in debates, browse the information stall and lots, lots more throughout the day
The following afternoon activities have limited spaces, so book early to guarantee your place, call 01273 291066 or e-mail Democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk
12 noon – 1.00pm, Jubilee Library Ground Floor
Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons
- Rt Hon John Bercow MP will be speaking and answering questions in Jubilee Library at noon to kick off an afternoon of stalls, activities and workshops.
1.45 – 2.45 pm. Jubilee Library Ground Floor
Big Society
- The government has set out an ambitious agenda to build a Big Society based around social responsibility and community action.
- Come along, find out more and join our informal debate. The session will be run by Urban Forum and offer you the opportunity to explore what is meant by Big Society and how you can get involved.
1.30-2.30pm and 3.oo-4.00pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room One
Get involved with Parliament
- It can sometimes seem that decisions affecting our lives are made by others and are beyond our control. However, there are many ways you can get your voice heard, whether that is locally in the town hall or nationally at the Palace of Westminster. The secret is knowing how.
- The Parliamentary Outreach workshop will explore the various ways you can begin to get involved with Parliament’s processes.
1.30-2.30pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room Two
E-democracy
- Are you following your MP on Facebook? Do you remember how young Iranians used Twitter to tell the world what was happening during last year’s presidential elections? Online tools are becoming more and more important in supporting people’s participation in public life, strengthening communities and building democracy
- Come to this workshop and get a taster of blogs, podcasts and e-petitions. We will discuss how you can use these tools to influence and get your voice heard.
3.00-4.00pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room Two
Are volunteering and democracy the same thing?
- Volunteering and community activity allow people to engage in and with their local communities – building their own democracy. They also provide a direct means by which people may influence and have their voice heard through democratic processes.
- Are volunteering and democracy one and the same thing?
- Do we make our city a more democratic place in which to live by making our neighbours and community our business?
Come and explore these and other questions and find out how you can get involved.
To book your place, please call 01273 291066 or e-mail Democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk
And lots more! Watch this space for information about social media workshops, information stalls, activities and debates.
Do you want your voice to be heard in shaping the Big Society in Brighton and Hove?
Throughout democracy day the Brighton & Hove Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) and Novas Scarman will be running an activity which will give you the opportunity to say what you feel the Big Society should look like in Brighton & Hove. The ideas and views put forward by you will be used to help influence decisions made across the city which affect us all. So come along and share your views and help us to influence the things that matter to you in your city!
Come and have your say at Speakers Corner on Democracy Day!
Talk about anything you want for up to two minutes – you might have something to say about the price of food, global politics or something you love about living in the city. We will be running Speakers Corner slots throughout the event and everyone is welcome. We hope topics will spark discussion, challenge preconceptions or just entertain and make people laugh.
Brighton & Hove Community Reporters
Brighton & Hove Community Reporters is an exciting project that helps people across the city to get their voice heard. Whether they use video, a blog, radio, a community newsletter or Twitter, it gives people the skills and support to tell stories about their communities. Run by SCIP, Working Together Project and the Friends Centre it is supported by The Argus and the BBC. Come and hear SCIP’s Mark Walker explain how it all works and how community reporting can be a powerful tool for change, social justice, and activism!
The Table of Ideas 12.30-3.30 pm
A curated conversation that stimulates the circulation and sharing of ideas between participants, in the context of a public feast. The outcome is uncertain, the process of meeting and sharing ideas being its primary purpose. It is a magical and transformatory system designed to engage both strangers and colleagues alike, framed and contextualised as an art event.
Councillors’ Cafe 2.00-3.00pm – Rare Books Room
Come and meet a Local Councillor
- Find out what they do,
- how they can help,
- how can you become a councillor
Evening Event
5 – 7.30pm, Jubilee Library Conference Room One
Big Society workshop
- The Urban Forum and the Brighton and Hove Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) are facilitating an evening discussion on the government’s Big Society agenda and what it means for Brighton &Hove’s communities. The discussion will aim to identify what community and voluntary groups want to achieve and some ways forward in the changing policy climate.
- Members of small community and voluntary groups are particularly welcome to come along to share their views about the Big Society and to bring any examples they may have of the Big Society in action.
To book your place on this event, please call 01273 810237or e-mail libby@cvsectorforum.org.uk
Help with childcare is available on request when booking workshops
