Speaker: Stew Sexton (Senior Accessibility Advisor, New Zealand Parliament)
Chair: Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN)
Details: In this seminar, Stew Sexton will outline the integrated approach the New Zealand Parliament has adopted to embed practices that enable accessible and inclusive engagement with Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse communities. This is part a wider diversity and inclusion strategy that also enables engagement with indigenous Māori communities, ethnic minority groups and young people.
This is founded on an institutionalisation approach which depends on collaboration between the main bodies of the parliamentary administration, the Parliamentary Service and the Office of the Clerk – and through the establishment of permanent staff roles to ensure that engagement of underrepresented groups remains a priority.
This online seminar will take place in MS Teams and is open to members of the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN).
Speaker: Dr Clementine Hill O’Connor (Research Fellow in the Division for Social and Urban Policy at University of Glasgow)
Chair: Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira (University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN)
Details: In this IPEN seminar, Clementine Hill O’Connor will draw from the findings of her Research Fellowship at the Scottish Parliament to explore the role that ‘lived experience’ plays in parliamentary work, namely in scrutiny processes. By ‘lived experience’ we mean the experience of those directly affected by legislation.
There has been a growth in activity around the methods and approaches that are used to bring a wider variety of people into the work of the Scottish Parliament – a key feature is the role of ‘lived experience’ and the role it plays in scrutiny.
This increased interest in lived experience is mirrored across all levels of government, both national and local, and is an increasingly important component of policymaking processes. It has the potential to address democratic deficits, bringing a more diverse range of perspectives into policymaking, ultimately resulting in decisions that have stronger public support.
It is also understood to bring those directly affected by policy into the process, giving voice to often marginalised group. Understanding the perspectives of those who commission and use evidence from people with lived experience (i.e. the committees) is key to ensuring that it is incorporated in ways that are both effective and ethical.
Clementine will draw on three case studies of processes that incorporated lived experience into the work of Scottish Parliamentary committees and will reflect on lessons learned.
This online seminar will take place in MS Teams and is open to members of the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN).
Citizen engagement processes in democracies are regularly criticized for only involving ‘the usual suspects’: people from broadly similar, usually socio-economically advantaged, backgrounds.
This means parliaments are less likely to make decisions, policies and legislation that respond to the needs and interests of the wider population, and more likely to be seen as elite institutions. Engaging underrepresented groups is therefore key for overcoming these challenges and improving democratic outcomes.
This Guide explores different approaches that parliaments can take across all types of engagement activities – information, communication, education, consultation and participation – to ensure that underrepresented groups are reached and that engagement impact is enhanced.
The guidance is supported by a range of examples from parliaments across the world.
Cristina Leston-Bandera (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) said:
“Breaking barriers to engagement with parliaments starts with reaching out to communities that do not usually engage.
“This is not always easy to implement but the Guide on Engaging Underrepresented Groups officer invaluable advice – such as the importance of understanding the challenges these groups face before planning citizen engagement activities.”
Kagiso Molatlhwa (Programme Specialist, Youth and Gender, UNFPA Botswana and Former Executive Director for the Botswana Council of NGOs) said:
“Inclusion is the cornerstone of sustainable development. In the true spirit of leaving no-one behind, it is critical to facilitate the engagement of the underrepresented. Their voices matter.
“The Guide on Engaging Underrepresented Groups is a practical and vital resource that will facilitate this important process.”
About the series
Published in August and launched on 29 October 2025, the Guide on Engaging Underrepresented Groups is the seventh in a new eight part series focusing on a range of public engagement topics to help build parliaments’ capacity to engage members of the public in their work.
The series is being created through a project collaboration between the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) and INTER PARES. The Guides are produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the INTER PARES I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA.
The Guides have been developed by Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Juliet Ollard, (Senior Research and Engagement Officer, IPEN) in partnership with INTER PARES.
The project team have drawn from extensive academic research and parliamentary practice from across the world – including many interviews with parliamentary officials and academics, and the expert advice of our International Advisory Group and the IPEN Executive Team.
The final Guide in the series will be launched next month.
Speakers: Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira (University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN); Jonathan Murphy (Head of Program, Inter Pares); Juliet Ollard (UK Parliament); representatives from the parliaments in Germany, Zambia and Italy.
This one-hour event will:
introduce the new Guides on Citizen Engagement for Parliaments, created through a partnership between Inter Pares and IPEN
share insights from global experts and practitioners
highlight real-world examples of innovative engagement practices
reflect on how parliaments can embed citizen engagement in their daily work
Book your place
The launch event will take place on Zoom on Wednesday 12 November, 14:00-15:00 GMT / UK time; 15:00-16:00 CET.
Booking is required – please register here. You will receive a confirmation and link to the event by email.
In this article, IPEN member Karen Aitken (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada) shares details of the wide range of in person and online outreach initiatives used to promote a better understanding of the parliamentary system in British Columbia.
Introduction
British Columbia is the western-most province in Canada with a population of just over 5.6 million but covering an area over 944,000km (three times the size of New Zealand).
Community outreach can be very challenging due to our provincial landmass, so virtual classrooms and online programs have been a great addition to our parliamentary education offerings.
The Legislative Assembly is in the capital city of Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island – about a one and a half hour ferry ride from Vancouver where over nearly half of the province resides.
British Columbia Parliament Buildings with Knowledge Totem Pole in the foreground. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Speaker in the Schools
The Speaker in the Schools program was launched in 2023, with the aim of encouraging students to engage in democracy and consider contributing to their communities by becoming parliamentarians as adults.
Through this program, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and I travel to constituencies to visit primarily elementary schools and invite the local Member to join us.
We spend about one hour with a class, or sometimes a combination of classes, in either a classroom, gym, or multipurpose room. Students are divided into two groups to role play government and opposition, complete with dress up clothes for the Speaker, Clerk and Sergeant-Arms (including a child-sized mace).
Through fun and engaging sessions, the Speaker shares their first-hand knowledge with students and leads them in a model parliament exercise to explore how a bill becomes a law. The students decide on their own topic and debate is typically enthusiastic, creative and always fun. The teacher plays the role of Lieutenant Governor to give the royal nod of assent.
Hon. Raj Chouhan, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly visiting a school in Surrey, BC. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Online program options
The in-person Speaker in the Schools program moved to an online visit with the Speaker during Covid and remains an option available to school groups of all ages.
It starts with a simple introduction to the Legislative Assembly, its purpose and function and then an open Q&A with the Speaker. The class receives a mailed certificate after participation. Offering the program online has ensured that remote and rural classrooms can participate and meet with the Speaker and ask some incredible questions.
Speaker in the Schools branding for front cover of students’ workbooks. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Hallow’een activities
Other initiatives for students include our Halloween Trick or Treating program at the Legislature building where staff in the first-floor offices participate to hand out peanut-free candy along with several activity stations for games.
Also, at this time of year, we offer Halloween Travelling Plays in the evening where visitors are met by up to four different characters from British Columbia’s past as they travel through time and the building to learn about “spooky” connections to Parliament. The characters are portrayed by the stellar Parliamentary Players – acting students from local post-secondary institutions that we hire each year.
Four costumed Parliamentary Players as part of the Haunted Life of Francis Rattenbury. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Tea & Tour
Continuing our programming in costumes, we have a Tea & Tour where visitors sign up for breakfast in the Parliamentary Dining Room and then take a tour of the Parliament Buildings with a costumed interpreter – often the architect of the buildings, Francis Rattenbury.
Tea & Tour promotional poster with costumed Players. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Play & Tour
In May and June, we also offer a Play & Tour for booked school groups to travel around the outside of the buildings and through time to meet characters from two different plays: My Place in Politics and A Place for Democracy and then come inside for a tour and potentially seats in the gallery when the House is sitting in May.
Three costumed characters from the travelling play entitled: A House for Democracy. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Student travel grant
We are extremely excited to be launching a Student Travel Grant program in the Fall of 2025 where school groups can apply for per head funding dependent on their geographical location to receive travel dollars to support their visit to the Parliament Buildings in Victoria.
This is also based on the school group participating in a virtual classroom in advance of their visit to better prepare them for the highlights of what they will see in person.
Poster for the new School Travel Program launched on Monday, September 8, 2025. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Seasonal events
There are other special interpretative events offered throughout the year – such as Family Day in February and Christmas Lights in December where we reach out to a variety of families, choirs, and the general public to encourage more engagement with our Parliament.
Children’s choir performing on the front steps of the BC Parliament Buildings as part of Christmas light up ceremony each December. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
The Parliamentary Education Office develops a wide variety of educational programs and resources on the parliamentary system of governance and the role of the Members for students, teachers and the public. The Office increases visitor awareness of the history of the Parliament Buildings and the parliamentary process through informational programs, materials and outreach initiatives.
Karen has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria together with an Early Childhood Education diploma and Royal Roads Certificate in Public Leadership. She loves working in Parliament, visiting other Parliaments and travel in general.
A new online map showing public engagement activities delivered by parliaments around the world was revealed at a launch event in Westminster, London, on 25 September.
Chaired by Professor Shane Martin (University of Essex), the launch event gave attendees an insight into how the map came about and the process of creating it.
Laura gave an overview of the map and the project, and was joined by Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira (University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Dr Elise Uberoi (UK House of Commons and Deputy Chair of IPEN).
Global map of public engagement, now live on the IPEN website.
Elise Uberoi said of the launch event:
“Laura’s insightful presentation was followed by a some really interesting questions and thoughtful discussion of how the map might be used in the future. It was a great opportunity to celebrate the outcome of this exciting project.”
Cristina Leston-Bandeira added:
“As you can imagine, it’s a challenge to get a profile of what public engagement services parliaments offer all across the world. It’s great to see that, through this project, we’ve managed to collate data from 65 parliaments.”
Parliaments not yet represented on the map are welcome to fill in this survey to ensure their details can be included.
Feature image
Elise Uberoi, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, Shane Martin and Laura Sudulich at the launch of the global map of public engagement in Westminster, London, September 2025.
For decades, political disaffection has been a common feature of society since citizens do not feel represented by those who govern them, which can lead to them abstaining from participating in political life.
To address this issue, Simón-Astudillo and López-Alonso decided to examine whether the problems identified by the Spanish population in the surveys undertaken by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) are related to the petitions they request to the Senate.
The researchers analysed sixty surveys and all the petitions sent to the Upper House over the course of seven full legislatures (2004-2023).
No correlation was found between the concerns of the population and the petitions submitted to the Senate. The latter do not refer to problems affecting the general population, but rather address personal and individual issues.
This led the researchers to conclude that citizens do not have sufficient knowledge to use this channel of participation appropriately, in addition to the fact that institutions do not promote it. With the distancing between representatives and represented, the population has reached a point of disconnection with institutions in which they do not feel they can have an influence.
Deliberative methods are increasingly a source of inspiration for those who seek to redress the global trend of deepening dissatisfaction in democracy.
Such methods offer parliaments the opportunity to engage citizens in rigorous in-depth consideration of complex policy problems and through this potentially enhance their own deliberations and democratic wellbeing overall.
Deliberative methods are not yet widespread among parliaments, but there are several contexts where experiments are settling into institutionalized models.
In this guide, we explore the different ways in which deliberative democracy can be applied in and by parliaments as another tool in the citizen engagement toolbox.
Published in August and launched on 14 October 2025, the Guide on Deliberative Engagement is the sixth in a new eight part series focusing on a range of public engagement topics to help build parliaments’ capacity to engage members of the public in their work.
The series is being created through a project collaboration between the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) and INTER PARES. The Guides are produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the INTER PARES I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA.
The Guides have been developed by Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Juliet Ollard, (Senior Research and Engagement Officer, IPEN) in partnership with INTER PARES.
The project team have drawn from extensive academic research and parliamentary practice from across the world – including many interviews with parliamentary officials and academics, and the expert advice of our International Advisory Group and the IPEN Executive Team.
Two more Guides will be launched over the coming months.
What do parliamentary buildings really say about democracy? Are they open, welcoming spaces for citizens – or distant symbols of power?
In a new podcast, Professor Cristina Leston Bandeira (University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Anna-Maria Pawliczek (International Parliamentary Cooperation, German Bundestag) come together to address these two questions.
Timed to commemorate the International Day of Democracy – and hosted by Jessica Benton Cooney at INTER PARES – this podcast explores how parliaments function both as physical spaces and symbolic places that shape public trust, identity and participation.
Trinidad and Tobago Rotunda Gallery. Credit: Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
Featuring global experts and real-world examples – from Berlin’s iconic glass dome to ‘mobile parliaments’ that bring democracy to rural communities – this episode shows how architecture and design can either build bridges between citizens and their representatives or reinforce barriers.
Zambian Parliament truck. Credit: National Assembly of Zambia.
“Parliamentary spaces have huge symbolic importance in shaping perceptions and experiences of parliaments. These can both strengthen connections between citizen and parliament, and hinder these.
“In this podcast, we reflect on this and how small changes can make such a difference.”
Join Cristina, Anna-Maria and Jessica as they unpack how parliaments can move beyond walls to become truly inclusive spaces of belonging, connection and democratic engagement.
Parliament of South Australia Community Education & Engagement session – demonstrating use of floor mats in outreach sessions. Credit: Parliament of South Australia.
Parliaments are fundamental to democracy, but it is often difficult to understand how they work. Parliaments have a responsibility to provide opportunities for citizens across different groups in society to learn about what their parliament is, what it does, and how to get involved.
Education programmes are widely offered by parliaments across the world, and there are various approaches for different (age and other) groups.
This Guide provides an overview of different approaches and considerations to help parliaments deliver meaningful and effective education programmes.
Published on 14 August 2025, the Guide on Education Programmes is the fifth in a new eight part series focusing on a range of public engagement topics to help build parliaments’ capacity to engage members of the public in their work.
The series is being created through a project collaboration between the International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) and INTER PARES. The Guides are produced with the financial support of the European Union as part of the INTER PARES I Parliaments in Partnership project, implemented by International IDEA.
The Guides have been developed by Cristina Leston-Bandeira (Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds and Chair of IPEN) and Juliet Ollard, (Senior Research and Engagement Officer, IPEN) in partnership with INTER PARES.
The project team have drawn from extensive academic research and parliamentary practice from across the world – including many interviews with parliamentary officials and academics, and the expert advice of our International Advisory Group and the IPEN Executive Team.
The remaining three Guides will be launched over the coming months.
