• Home
• Join
• Termcard
• Exec Committee
• Programmes
• Sponsors
• Links
• About

OxWip visits Cherwell School

10 February 2005 — Students at Cherwell School (Oxford) were visited by representatives of Oxford Women in politics. The after-school event was coordinated by teacher Mr. Gray and was attended by fifteen students, both girls and boys. Frances Clemson (OxWip’s Outreach Chair) began the presentation by giving context to how far UK women have come politically in the past 77 years (women weren't granted full rights to voting until 1928). The recent elections in Iraq were also cited as an example of important gains in democratic freedoms. Clemson then led a brainstorm session where the students identified a number of issues related to politics, ranging from education to health to warfare.

Melanie Frost, who reads Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, gave the students a brief overview of her course of study. She discussed the degree pre-requisites, what one can expect from the tutoring system and the amount and types of work required. Moving on to the professional world, Ellen Behrstock, (OxWip’s Deputy Chair of Outreach) identified a number of career routes women have taken into the world of politics, ranging from law and business to the more unexpected career of chorus line dancing. She suggested a number of ways which young women could begin their career in politics, including through internships, volunteering on a campaign, working in a think tank, standing as an MP and most importantly, staying informed and voting.

Clemson went on to discuss the importance of public speaking, and used a number of famous political quotes to drive home the importance of being articulate. Students successfully matched a number of the quotes with their authors, including excerpts from Nelson Mandela’s “there is no easy road to freedom” speech, and Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I have a dream” speech.

Back to the main press release page.