I have been a member of Youth Parliament since the start of the 2014 School year and the experience has been extremely enriching and empowering. As a former member of the school Debate Team, the Human Rights Friendly School Youth Committee and a current member of the Student Council, I am experienced in discussing diverse issues and expressing my opinion. But I thought this would develop these skills even more. The idea of the Youth of Bermuda discussing topics relevant to our island was extremely appealing to me and joining the Youth Parliament exceeded my expectations.

In this context, I was given the unprecedented opportunity to shadow the Premier Michael Dunkley. The Premier was extremely generous to extend an invitation to shadow him during the Annual Convening of Youth Parliament and I decided to hop on this opportunity.

I contacted the Premier’s Secretary who replied almost immediately and I was given an appointment for the 8th of December. On the day, I was extremely anxious and excited to spend time with the Premier of Bermuda. I arrived at the Senate Building and was asked to wait in the Secretary’s office. After a nerve-racking few minutes, the Premier walked out with other MPs and Dignitaries and I was immediately welcomed into the Cabinet Office with a great air of hospitality. Upon entering the Premier’s office, Mr Dunkley gave me an overview of how a typical day would run and the itinerary for the morning.

The day began with a Meet and Greet with two ladies from the UK. I was then given a tour of the Senate House which was eye-opening as I was able to meet well-known politicians and observe how business was conducted behind the scenes. This tour was followed by a visit to the Hamilton Docks, a once-in-a- lifetime experience as I accompanied the Premier on top of a crane used to lift crates. During our visit of the Docks, I realised that it was important for the Premier to take out time to reach out to Bermudians from various walks of life such as the Dock workers. The day was concluded by an Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting about which I cannot elaborate on since I must observe strict confidentiality. The Premier and everybody in the Senate chamber were extremely generous and welcoming and I am infinitely grateful for that. I realised that being a Premier is very demanding and intense on a daily basis.

What is covered in the Media only represents 20 per cent of what the Premier does when he is not in the limelight. For that reason, I am sincerely grateful that Premier Dunkley took the time to guide me, answer my questions and ask for my opinion on issues of the day. It was obvious that the Premier genuinely cared about the Youth and I was very proud to represent my peers on this exceptional occasion.