Our Engagement and Learning Officers have been in post for a little less than a month and they are already hard at work. Now the dust has settled following their arrival, we thought it was time to catch up with them about their project.
Funded by the Heritage Fund, Alice Cleave and Jade Arrowsmith will work with their colleagues at the Library over the next 15 months to reach 16-24 year-olds and support them to learn about and engage with the Library and its collections – focusing on democracy, human rights and religious freedom.
So far, they have familiarised themselves with the intricacies of Library life and explored the Library collections with the help of our Reading Rooms team. They have contacted and canvassed schools, met with representatives from various youth-orientated organisations – and Alice has even made her television debut talking to ITV Wales about the project. They have also launched a social media campaign - #Engage – which encourages people to get talking about democracy.
You can join in on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram. You can see one of the #Engage posts here.
“I feel like we’re settling in,” said Alice. “And I am enjoying it. There are a lot of people excited for us to be here, and we’ve been going around talking to colleagues and people outside the Library to find out what they need and want from us. I’m already booked in to visit a local high school, and Jade and I will be meeting with various organisations over the next few weeks.”
The Engagement Officers have been given a broad remit to shape the learning and education project, and are formulating plans for school, college and university visits and outreach events.
Jade said, “I feel like it’s going really well. It’s great having people share their expertise and to find out how we can build links with young people. It’s really moving forward.”
Alice (above) comes to the Library with a BA Hons in History and Politics and an MA in Politics. Her MA dissertation focused on Citizenship Education in England and Wales and its impact on young people. She is an advocate for political education and is excited to combine her passion for history, politics and youth engagement in this role. When she is not at the Library, she is also a Rainbow and Brownie leader with Girlguiding Cymru and in her spare time enjoys baking and listening to history podcasts.
Jade (above) previously taught languages in schools, sixth-forms and at university level and is now writing her PhD on Franco-British cultural evolutions. With her background in education, languages and cultures, Jade is enthusiastic to share her skills. One of Jade’s hobbies is experimenting with vintage recipes.
Both officers are keen for people to join the conversation about history and politics on the Library’s social media feeds. They are using real-life historical examples to explore what happened in Parliament from the Victorian era onward to contextualise and encourage discussion about today’s political landscape. So far, they have touched on voting reform, examples of politicians who swapped sides and more.
Search ‘Gladstone’s Library’ on Twitter/X, Facebook or Instagram and find the posts marked #Engage to join in.