Wrexham teenagers praise recent International Women’s Day experiences

Teenagers who recently shadowed women in public service and political roles have spoken of their positive experiences.

The group had the chance to gain an insight into public life that they may not otherwise have had, as part of International Women’s Day (IWD) in March.

14-year-old Emilia Mandyna spent the day shadowing Amanda Lonsdale, the NHS Assistant Area Director for Community Services.

During the day she had the chance to sit in on behind-the-scenes meetings at the NHS, including those covering budgets and consultation, and spoke to female staff within the senior teams on their day-to-day roles and how they got their jobs.

Emilia said she was keen to take part in the day’s events, having taken part in shadowing work for International Women’s Day in 2018.

“I saw behind the scenes at the Maelor and the number of different roles that are not front line,” explained Emilia.

“Doctors and nurses get a lot of credit for the great work they do, but the staff behind the scenes need more credit as the NHS would not run without them.”

She added that she would recommend IWD and similar events to young women interested in public life.

Jessie Hack, also aged 14, shadowed Donna Dickenson, the service manager for prevention and support in the education department here at Wrexham Council.

During the day, Jessie shadowed Donna at a number of different council settings, including the Info Shop on Lambpit Street and the Youth Justice Service. She also spoke to Donna about how she became service manager and her career to date.

Jessie added that she would recommend the event to other young women, and said: “I enjoyed the day so much, and would love this to be a representative day for in which other organisations might take part.”

Cllr Andrew Atkinson, lead member for youth services and anti-poverty, said: “It’s so important that we do everything possible to mark International Women’s Day – not just with events, but by giving young women who might be considering a career in politics or public service the chance to see what takes place behind the scenes.

“As such, I’m very pleased to see the level of involvement on International Women’s Day earlier this month, and I’m especially pleased to see comments from young women like Emilia and Jessie who clearly benefited from their experiences during the day.”