Thousands of Islanders engaged with Democracy Week ’23 activities
9 October 2023
Jersey's fourth annual Democracy Week was the biggest yet, with 28 events taking place across the Island, in addition to new video and podcast resources, in total, reaching over 6,000 Islanders.
The aim of Democracy Week is to help Islanders to understand and engage with the work of the States Assembly and its Members. Wherever possible, the week is used as a springboard for launching new initiatives that can extend beyond the week itself. Over the course of the week:
- Over 1600 students engaged with States Members and learnt about Jersey's elected parliament at 14 school visits
- 59 Islanders learned about the history of the States Assembly on free tours of the States Chamber and a tour around St Helier
- Islanders spent ten hours discussing local issues with States Members and learning how they can have their say on pop-up stands in the Town Centre and a 'Meet the Member event
- Simon Jupp, MP and former local journalist, hosted the first Politics Matters event which saw States Members and 56 Islanders sharing their views on how to increase civic engagement in Jersey
- Over 4,400 members of the public tuned in to watch and listen to new online video resources
- The States Assembly podcast channel launched with 'Why does Democracy Matter?' which has been downloaded by 70 people to date
- Partner events were hosted at Jersey Library, where:
- 16 people attended An Introduction to Jersey Politics
- 6 young people attended readings of The Many Hands Club and Charlie & Spud by local author, Penny Byrne
- A democracy display of books highlighted the topic to Islanders visiting the Library
- 32 primary school children submitted entries to the 'Design a States Chamber for the Future' competition
Deputy Carina Alves, Chair of the Privileges and Procedures Sub-Committee for Political Awareness and Education, said:
"It's been fantastic to see Democracy Week grow again and particularly to see schools and other community groups embrace the week and run their own events in addition to those offered by the States Assembly.
We always set out to ensure that the Democracy Week programme includes something for all Islanders, with a particular focus on reaching people who have not engaged with Jersey's democratic system before. We look forward to seeing the ongoing impact of these initiatives throughout the political cycle and when it comes to the 2026 election."
