Interview: Parent Isabell Macinnes

Sarah started going to the Children’s Parliament when she was – when it started really. Em, my understanding was that the schools were, you know, children from every school within the area were to, to put children forward to attend, for the Children’s Parliament. Em, the children were all sent, em, leaflets through the schools and the parents were to respond. Em, and it’s one of these things – a leaflet came through the door and we just left it and didn’t do anything about it I must say. And it was the week before the Children’s Parliament actually started that I was approached by my work colleague and she asked me if Sarah would be interested because they were short of children and they needed actually twenty children – they wanted twenty children to start with, em, and they were short. Em, so I’d said to her that Sarah and I had spoken about it and she didn’t seem that keen, but I said I’ll speak to her again, and I’ll persuade her to go for the first session and see what she thinks. So that’s what we did. Em, and Sarah went to the first session and loved it, and continued to go after that.

Em, it was a commitment for them. Eh, she used to have to go once a month. They always met once a month, varying the locations throughout Uist and Barra. They would - there was - they went to Eriskay, they were in Stoneybridge Hall, they were in Carinish, they were in Lochmaddy, Eri- Barra, so they, so they got to see throughout the islands and then it meant that each child was – had an opportunity to stay within their own location.

She really enjoyed the art, the art that they did, em, and I think that’s probably the thing that she enjoyed the most was doing the art. She also, I mean she liked the drama and she liked the music when they did different things but I think she learnt a lot from the art and it certainly improved her own ability with art. Em, but no, she did and, and the things they did were all so different, you know, and, em, and I think she found it easy to talk about things that bothered her within the group. Um, now I can remember one of the days they were talking about good teachers and bad teachers and, you know, she found it easier to identify what she thought was good and bad in a person following the sessions that they did, whereas before she probably would have struggled with that.

Em, and I think it allowed them to explore so many things and ideas, and just rights and wrongs as well. I think she maybe is much more aware of what is right and wrong for people to do now, than she was.

I mean there was always an element of recycling and, um, organic produce when they were eating and um but I think in the last year of it Sarah had a, a fantastic opportunity. She went to a camp for a weekend where they were, um, studying the environment in great detail and she really enjoyed that, eh, weekend. In Fife it was, yes I can’t remember – I couldn’t remember there where it was. Um, and I think that was one of the other things from the Children’s Parliament. It gave her so many great opportunities. She was, she spoke in the children – in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and she went to that camp. She had a trip to Heisgeir, I think a very memorable trip for, for me, because I had grave reservations about Sarah going on the trip and I remember speaking to, to Isabel Steele and saying to her that I really didn’t think Sarah would cope with it and I don’t know how she would go on the boat, and I think Isabel quite rightly pointed out they were my fears and not Sarah’s fears at all. And she speaks of that weekend in Heisgeir, eh, with, eh, great enjoyment. Um, and the boat didn’t faze her at all, which really surprised me.

Um, there are, you know, she has built up confidence over the years. Em, and I do think it’s to do more with the confidence that she got from the Children’s Parliament than her maturing as she would have anyway. She’s now much more able to speak to people, speak in – to groups of people. One of the things that she does now that she certainly would not have entertained before was um, she actually takes part in reading in our local church, um, on a Sunday, and that’s speaking to a, a big amount of people, um. And she is very confident doing it. Um, she does, eh, quote the rights and the wrongs of people, freely, and is very articulate in what children’s rights are.

One of the things that, looking back on, about the three years of the Children’s Parliament was, possibly about when they were into the second year. There was, you know, times that Sarah didn’t want to go. And I think she felt that, um, particularly some of the girls had stopped going at this point, and she didn’t think it was fair that she had to carry on going every month, but, you know, we kind of spoke about it and I said “Look, you’ve committed to this for three years, and, you know, you have to see the three years out. You can’t make decisions and change your mind half-way through. You’ve got to see it through.” Um, and she did, and she did enjoy it, but, looking back, you know, I did always wonder why, you know, the ones that had stopped going stopped. Um, was the three years maybe too long as the pilot? Um, but I suppose when you’re building pilot information you need that length of time. Em, but I know that, em, I think there was some of the girls particularly that had dropped out. And Sarah herself felt that, um, the boys were so immature compared to the girls and she had difficulty with that at times, and I think that’s just how boys and girls mature at different levels anyway. But I think it did have an effect on, on the turnout of, of the children towards the end of the Children’s Parliament.