Francis Kahembwe and Sarah Boyack at the start of the Opening Doors shadowing programme which ends with three more days in Holyrood.

Francis Kahembwe returns to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday to finish the shadowing programme he started last year. But  Opening Doors will not be closing. During the coming year we hope to continue  the interesting new direction Francis has helped us to take. And that is where you could come in…

When Francis  filled his application form for Opening Doors 2008 he noted a special interest in shadowing politicians who take an active part in shaping environmental policy. So we set out to create a shadowing programme that would fit the bill.

Now we have acquired a taste for it. This year Opening Doors can offer placements for people with special interest in health, education, trade unions and environment. And if there is any other issue you feel strongly about, well, we are open to other ideas too.

“I want to acquire knowledge and awareness on how politics impact on the environment and then learn how to use that knowledge to influence environmental policy.”

Since May 2008 Francis has been able to explore the subject from two sides: going inside the Scottish Parliament to see how decisions are made and then working with the Scottish environmental lobbying group LINK to find out how they set out to influence those decisions. He also gave a talk to Friends of the Earth on climate change and Africa.

Now Francis  concludes his tailor-made shadowing programme by rejoining Sarah Boyack MSP for three final days at Holyrood starting on Tuesday 13 January at 9.30 am! Then we will all get together to find out what each of us has learned from the experience.

As ever, we will keep you posted.

“Africa is changing,” says Francis Kahembwe, “and there is hope. But the progress needs to be nurtured into life.” [Picture by Yvonne Baginsky ]

How can we help African countries adapt to climate change? Is it right that the world’s poorest countries should suffer the worst consequences of pollution from the richest nations? These were some of the tough questions Francis Kahembwe put to the audience in his talk on Africa and Climate Change at the Friends of the Earth Edinburgh meeting on Thursday 30 October.

There are no easy answers to climate change but Francis outlined some practical and achievable ways of adapting to climate change and ensuring a sustainable quality of life at the same time. In Africa, where climate change is already affecting the lives of millions of people, better weather forecasting alone could help increase crop yields by enabling farmers and policy makers to predict rainfall and drought with greater accuracy.

This very thought-provoking talk to Friends of the Earth Edinburgh marked the concluding phase of the shadowing programme for Francis who began our Opening Doors 2008 programme in May this year. A former forester from Uganda, Francis asked for a shadowing programme with a special focus on environmental issues. After two days shadowing Sarah Boyack, MSP for Central Edinburgh, Francis has spent the last two months working with Scottish Environment LINK the cross party environmental lobbying agency.

We look forward to the report Francis will present when he has completed a final day with Sarah Boyack. Meanwhile questions raised by his talk remain. Not least, how can rich countries of the north ensure that funding for adaptation to climate change is part of development aid?

“Africa is changing,” says Francis, “and there is hope but the progress needs to be nurtured into life.”

Friends of the Earth Climate Change talks continue in the Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace. Colin Howden, director of Transform Scotland, will talk about Transport and Climate Change 0n 27 November at 7.30pm.

“I started on the shadowing programme at Scottish Link last Wednesday. A desk and computer have been organised for me. On Wednesday we went through the monitoring system where they check what is happening at the Scottish Parliament on a daily basis and filter out those issues relevant to environment. I also had chance to read through the pack of information for the Link Climate change meeting that was scheduled for Thursday the next day in Perth.”

Many thanks to LINK for providing this exciting development for Francis who began by shadowing Sarah Boyack Labour spokesman on the Environment and Rural Affairs in the Scottish Parliament. As luck had it, his first day coincided with the Climate Change debate. Now, thanks to Scottish Environment Link, he gets a chance to see how policy and debate may be influenced by environmental agencies.

We are really delighted to get such enthusiastic support from LINK which is the forum for Scotland’s 33 voluntary agencies, covering a wide range of interests (from bats, birds and bumblebees to whales and snails; from ramblers associations and national heritage organisations to friends of the earth).

Francis will spend up to two days a week in the Edinburgh LINK office learning about the work of Susan Guest, Parliamentary Administration Officer and Eilidh Macpherson, Parliamentary Officer as they co-ordinate parliamentary briefings on such very topical issues as marine conservation and climate change.

Francis Kahembwe meets Sarah Boyack MSP at the Scottish Parliament for the first of two days observing her work in environmental issues.

Welcome to Francis Kahembwe, the first person to take part in Opening Doors 2008, the Leith Open Space political ’shadowing’ scheme. As Francis, a forestry expert from Uganda, is particularly interested in the politics of conservation and environmental management we began by introducing him to Sarah Boyack, Labour spokesman on the Environment and Rural Affairs in the Scottish Parliament. As luck had it we arrived the day of the Climate Change debate!

Sarah Boyack, who has gained respect (and awards) for her contribution to environmental policy, had drawn up a busy two days for Francis to give him a broad view of her work in parliament and as constituency MSP for Edinburgh Central. Now we hope to offer Francis opportunities to observe how different voluntary organisations set about influencing government policy.

Francis brings experience of a career in conservation forestry in Africa and the Caribbean where he worked as adviser to the IUCN (the World Conservation Union). Since arriving in Scotland six years ago he has not been able to get work to fit his qualifications but (with two children at school here) he has gained employment as a sessional worker in the mental health project, Men in Mind, and has a long list of voluntary involvements including the Africa Centre, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the Carbon Centre in Dumfries.

As Francis explained when he applied for Opening Doors: “I want to acquire knowledge and awareness on how politics impact on the environment and then learn how to use that knowledge to influence environmental policy.”

This may be the first step in an interesting new direction for Opening Doors which began in 2006-7. We want to increase opportunities for people interested in taking part in local and national politics but, of course, politics extends far beyond parliament and city council chambers. Our mentors are likely to include teachers, trade unionists and environmental activists as well as elected politicians.

Question: What was the best thing about the scheme?

Answer: “The scheme opens politics to ordinary people who would never otherwise come close to it. ” Opening Doors feedback form, 2007.

That was just one response. Altogether, feedback was so positive we are planning to run a second phase of the Opening Doors shadow scheme starting in May this year and we would love to hear what you want to learn about politics.

One of the Opening Doors activities: a visit to the Scottish Parliament with Malcolm Chisholm MP.

Opening Doors is for people living in the constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith and is open to anyone interested in politics. Perhaps you are even thinking of becoming actively involved in politics but don’t know where to start?

Opening Doors gives you a chance to meet local politicians and ’shadow’ them at work. The idea is to give shadows the chance to learn about the work of members of parliament and city and community councils at first hand.

In the first scheme, which ran from October 2006 to January 2007, six people (five were women) took part. Representing African, Asian and Polish communities in the Leith area, each person shadowed a different politician – observing the work of Malcolm Chisholm MSP (at that time Minister for Communities) in the Scottish Parliament, following Mark Lazarowicz, MP, to Westminster, as well as getting an inside view of the responsibilities of city councillors in Edinburgh.

This year you will again get the chance to meet and shadow Malcolm Chisholm (now Shadow Minister for Culture) at Holyrood and Mark Lazarowicz in Westminster but we are widening the scheme to include mentors from education and trade unions. As well as educational visits to the Scottish Parliament and City of Edinburgh Council, we also hope to run a workshop on the budget (investigating how politicians decide how to raise and spend the money!).

Feedback showed different response but they were all positive. For one woman, the best thing about last year’s shadow scheme was “Having lunch with Malcolm Chisholm at the Scottish Parliament.” For another, “It also raised some welcome debate within the Black and Minority Ethnic Community, if people start talking about issues that affect them they are more likely to do something about it.”

For Leith Open Space perhaps the best part of the first shadow scheme was getting to know a great group of people we might not otherwise have met. Opening Doors is about politics but, much more importantly, it is about people.

Plans are still being discussed (and we have some fund-raising to do!) but meanwhile we would be delighted to hear your ideas.Please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Either post comments or questions here or email:

leithopenspace@btconnect.com