Dickson Delighted to Welcome Carrickfergus Academy Work Experience Pupil to His Constituency Office

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, and his staff were delighted to welcome and host a young politics student, Charlotte Green, for a week of work experience in his Constituency Office.

She was given information that was able to provide her with the experience of what it is like to be a member of the Legislative Assembly, while staff demonstrated how the office functioned, and how to deal with constituent’s issues and members of the public that came into the office.

The work saw Charlotte take on a number of roles common to MLAs, including the preparation of press releases, meetings with constituents and dealing with telephone queries.

The Carrickfergus resident, who is studying A-Levels in Government and Politics, History and English Literature, has developed a keen interest in local issues.

Mr Dickson said: “It is wonderful to have such bright young people interested in politics in general, but specifically in local issues. I was more than happy to accommodate Charlotte on her journey into politics in Northern Ireland, and I hope to see her face around Stormont in the future!

“Charlotte, who is hoping to study Politics and International Relations at Queen’s University Belfast, creating a path to a career in politics, was excited and enthusiastic about getting an insight into what happens in an MLA’s Constituency. She is a bright, articulate teenager and an excellent young student with a splendid work ethic who will definitely carve out an amazing career for herself.”

On her final day, Charlotte said: “It’s been brilliant to be able to have such an amazing experience into the world of politics with such an outstanding mentor as Stewart Dickson. It was an added bonus working with the staff, who involved me in many of the events they were covering during the week.

“It was a highly enjoyable and interesting opportunity to work for an MLA and experience the daily goings on of constituency work. I want to thank Stewart Dickson, Noel Williams, Ally Haydock and Emma Gordon for giving freely of their time to educate me in the operation of the constituency office during such a busy schedule. I would happily do it all over again!”