Training sessions for Guernsey women considering standing for deputy in June election

Thursday, 9 January 2025 08:05

With less than six months until Guernsey goes to the polls, an initiative has been launched to try to get more women in government.

The Train to Campaign programme begins with a full morning session on Saturday 1 February 2025.

It will explain campaign strategy, manifesto writing, and how to set out policy positions.

This will be followed by a series of evening sessions targeting doorstep campaigning, hustings events and social media use.

The programme is a part of Women in Public Life's #WomenStandGsy initiative to get more women in the Guernsey States.

Women in Public Life's Linda Rolf says there is currently one woman deputy for every four men.

"I think it is important the States represents the community in all sorts of different ways.

Women bring a particular set of skills to being a deputy, perhaps a more consultative and engaging approach.

You can only represent your own life experiences and that’s why it’s important to have balance."

She says they want to demystify the campaigning process.

"I think it will give candidates more confidence.

With island-wide voting how do you reach those 65,000 people? Well one of the things we will be saying to them is you don’t need to reach everybody, but you do need to be clear about what you stand for.

See who is likely to vote for you and then listen to them so that you can learn to be a good deputy and represent people fairly."

The course is designed to complement the official States training that begins on 16 January, which will focus on the realities of being a States member, not campaign skills.

Places on the Train to Campaign programme can be booked online.