Democracy Week engages more Islanders
8 October 2021
Over 5000 Islanders took part in activities marking Jersey's second Democracy Week, which took place last week.
The week is designed to help Islanders of all ages to enhance their understanding of, and engage with, the States Assembly. This year, with Jersey's next General Election less than nine months away (22 June 2022), local residents were encouraged to think about which aspects of Island life they feel most passionately about.
During the week:
- Island Views Photography Competition: Over 2300 votes were placed to choose a winner out of 185 photos showing what entrants love most or would change about the Island
- Island Bunting: Over 2000 school children from across the Island's primary schools decorated 150m meters of bunting with their favourite things about Jersey
- Q&As with States Members: 750 people attended Q&A sessions on Facebook on the role of Scrutiny and engaging young people in politics
- Democracy Bus #2: 100 Victoria College students worked with artist James Carter to discuss and vote on how they would invest £1 million of taxpayers' money to improve the Island. Artwork based on their ideas has been spray painted on a school bus, which will be on the roads for the next 18 months
- Tours of the States Chamber: 31 people attended tours to learn more about the history and procedures of the States Assembly
Jenny O'Brien, Head of Digital and Engagement at the States Greffe said: "Democracy Week is a fantastic launch pad for new initiatives and projects to get Islanders thinking and talking about what they care about most in Jersey. This will be particularly important next year when it comes to voting for the candidates who will represent us for the following four years.
"Over the coming weeks, we'll be rolling out more videos and information to support both people who want to learn more about the States Assembly and the election processes, including information for Islanders thinking about standing for election."
