Student engagement: Pathways and possibilities forum

In early July, the Community Engagement Education team held our first Pathways and Possibilities forum. The forum was designed to highlight the range of careers that exist within parliament and to explore the various pathways of a range of staff, acknowledging that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to working within the Parliament of Victoria. For the pilot program, we invited students from across Victoria who had recently applied for work experience with the Parliament of Victoria, along with young people who had applied for a range of youth programs. The day was divided into a series of panels and workshops, focusing on research and the law, media and community engagement.

Photo: Committee Manager Kieran Crowe speaking to students about the work of committees 

Participants started the morning with a careers panel, where they heard from two of our experienced committee managers about the different types of research they do in their role, and the purpose of this research. They spoke about the important work of committees, how people can be involved and how committees determine their key stakeholders for each of their inquiries.

In the media workshop, participants heard from the Community Engagement manager about how social media has changed the way parliament engages with the public over time, and they also considered Parliament of Victoria’s current social media strategy. Participants also worked with several staff from the Broadcast team, examining the technical side of broadcasting, such as how to set up interviews and were given the opportunity to practice framing shots.

Photo: Community Engagement manager Andres Lomp speaking to students about Parliament of Victoria’s changing engagement strategy

In the community engagement workshop, participants worked with members of the Community Engagement team, exploring what is involved when planning an engagement event. They considered who they wanted to engage with, the purpose, what other stakeholders might need to be involved, and what type of event might be most suitable – location and scale included.

The day would not have been possible without the support of a large range of parliamentary staff who facilitated each session, sharing their unique career pathways into parliament, and providing participants with parting advice about starting their own career journey. The participants, mostly from outer Melbourne and regional areas, enjoyed hearing from a range of people and making connections with other students.