Adele Gardner shares her experiences of our Peer Support Circles
To hold your hand up and say I would like to stand felt like a huge step forward and also quite a large step into the dark. Taking part in Peer Circles turned on the light and helped me to clearly see the types of self development that I would need to undertake on the journey to pursuing candidacy. The huge benefits of this programme rests with the experiences that other women share. I have learnt so much from listening to others who are politically experienced, and from regular contact with my circle of women within Peer Circles.
I have gained the following from this programme. A clear sense of where I am and how to move forward. I also now clearly know that this is not a solo journey, It’s about being part of a much wider network of women who share the desire to see more women in Parliament or holding other forms of political office, nationally and locally. I have gained strength from this network.
Initially it felt quite a big commitment to agree to do this over a period of weeks. As time went on, I quickly began to realise that there was so much to learn that 6 months of weekly workshops wouldn’t be too big an ask!
Journaling pages were a key part of the Peer Circles process. It was great to be encouraged to break things down so that important aspects of a process were not overlooked in the enthusiasm to move forward. I particularly enjoyed and benefitted from reflecting on how I might approach building a network of support and influence personally and politically, which is an essential part of standing for any kind of office. I had to do some really deep thinking about this. Very recently I bucked up the courage to ask someone of considerable local influence if they would support me in applying for something. Doing this was not easy, but hearing them say that they would and explaining why they would has shown me that I can do this. But with this support comes a strong responsibility towards others. If they back me, then I need to work very hard indeed to make sure that their faith in me is upheld by my attitudes and actions.
Knowing and owning my own story has been important for me too. How I identify politically and personally is very much tied to the values that I hold and thinking about how I can communicate those values to others matters. Across the course of 63 years many things have shaped me, this encouraged me to think about the really key and defining moments in my life, what lead to them, how they affected me. Would they matter to others as much as they mattered to me was a key question? I have come to realise that my political story is strongly linked to my personal story.
Peer Circles has taught me a great deal about self care. In the work place and in the family how we care for ourselves can be overlooked. Peer Circles has helped me to realise how extremely important self-care is for those who intend to engage with public life. Often political biographies of political women focus on extremely long hours, not needing a great deal of sleep, etc etc. I don’t want to be a machine, nor do I want a stroke, I want to serve the people who put their faith in me and to do this I now realise that I have to care for me too! I will need to know my triggers, manage my stress, reach out to others for support when I need it, and learn how to effectively delegate too. It is interesting how the press jumped on Hillary Clinton when she became sick while running for President, and how Trump claimed to beat the virus as if personal weakness was symbolic of political weakness. I want to be part of a new wave of politically minded females who advocate for self care and help others to see it’s importance. Taking care of us helps us to take care of others too!
Laughter matters a lot! In my peer circle we have laughed quite a bit. We have helped each other during difficult weeks, shared thoughts, feelings and ambitions. I know I will stay in touch with the women in my circle because we share so much and provide a great sounding board for each other.
My goal now is to keep going. To keep exploring how I can use my skills, passion, ideas and energy to support the political party that I believe best represents the values that I hold. I am still willing to stand for office locally and nationally. This programme has helped me to realise that I don’t need to know everything immediately, but I do need to commit to learning what I don’t know and reaching out to more knowledgeable others along the way.
A big thank you to everyone who makes the Parliament Project (Now Elect Her) possible. Your energy, drive and determination to support women on their political journey is amazing.
Raising a glass to you all,
