Catholic Parliamentary Internship (CPI)
Young Catholics making a difference in the public square
A year's intensive experience of political and social action in a spiritual context
Now in its seventh year, this scheme will provide seven recently graduated Catholics with an intensive experience of political and social action in a spiritual context.
Three interns will be placed with Christian MPs and there are two further public affairs internships – at Archbishop's House, Westminster and the Catholic Education Service (England and Wales).
We will also be recruiting two further interns for work with Christian MEPs in Brussels in a new parallel scheme to be run by the office of the European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences based in Brussels (COMECE).
London-based interns join part-time MA students for one evening a week during the autumn and spring terms at Heythrop College, University of London for modules on Catholic Social Teaching and Foundations of Christian Ethics. (Equivalent studies for Brussels based interns).
Interns are selected on the basis of ability and potential to gain most benefit from this unique experience. Financial support is provided which will fund accommodation, living and travel costs for the duration of the internship.
Candidates for Brussels internships will be required to demonstrate good working knowledge of French.
All applicants must be UK citizens.
Video
This video gives a short intro to the Internship scheme.
Click to watch.
With thanks to whiteboat.tv for filming, production and editing.
Contacts
The application deadline for places on the 2010-11 internship scheme has passed. However, if you have questions or would like more information, please email Michaela Kelly or Julia Flanagan.
What can an intern expect?
• Opening and closing individually guided retreat, and spiritual guidance.
• Studying Christian ethics and Catholic social teaching.
• Visits including to the Vatican.
• Exploring the Church’s involvement in social action through events and visits to projects.
The Common Good
The internship programme grew out of The Common Good and the Catholic Church's Social Teaching and seeks to affirm politics as an important and valuable vocation. It also encourages Christians who want to create a better society through public service.
Catholic Education Service for England and Wales Internship
The Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) is the agency which advises the Bishops on matters of education (at a national level) and lobbies Government and other domestic bodies on issues relating to education, whether in schools or Further and Higher Education. CESEW also works closely with the education officers of the Bishops in their Dioceses to support on such matters as education policy and strategy and legal issues.
The CESEW internship is for someone keen to engage in these critical issues. The role combines work on policy with media-based activities, and various forms of communication and collaboration with those that have an interest in Catholic education. It results in a diverse, rich and challenging experience.
The intern can expect to attend meetings with government ministers, civil service officials and Church leaders. He or she will be involved in developing and communicating education policy and, for example, liaising with the national press. He or she will gain a good understanding of how the Church engages with government in the field of education. The intern can expect to work closely with the Policy and Briefing Manager to support the work of CESEW, as well as having some individual projects to work on.
What are former Interns saying about the scheme?
Angela Cheyne
"This gave me an excellent practical grounding in Westminster politics and the opportunity to explore my vocation within that context. It also gave me a respect for the integrity of many politicians; a respect that isn’t naïvely based in the Westminster fan club, but is driven by my experience of working with people who believed deeply in the importance politics as a vehicle for social reform. Personally the internship gave me the space to develop my own thoughts about the interaction between religion and politics."
Peter Smith
"It gave me lots of experience of policy formulation, as well as parliamentary procedure, scrutiny of policy implementation, the operation of the Conservative Party, and a clearer sense of the roles think-tanks have to play in Westminster. I’ve decided to pursue a career in law after seeing at close hand the ways laws are crafted in the UK. In many ways, I’ve been shocked into action by what I’ve seen."
Matthew Curtis
"The internship was great. Working with people who were truly dedicated to public service was both instructive and inspirational. I also learned some essential tools that link the everyday work I do to the vocation to public service."
Tony Gribbin
"I had a fantastic time. It was a great preparation for my legal studies and a fantastic privilege - meeting fascinating people from all walks of public life."
Helen Longworth
"I met people who have changed my life forever and was inspired though their work and belief in me to work for social justice in the charitable sector. I learnt how to use my knowledge of parliament to create a route for those people who never get one otherwise.The journey here started with the internship."
Louise Walton
"A superb experience. As a result I am much more informed about the political and parliamentary systems - this means I can answer students and staff if they have any questions especially regarding campaigning on a given issue. Personally I feel equipped as a result of my largely positive parliamentary experience to argue against commonly-held ideas such as ‘all politicians are corrupt/in politics for their own gain.’ I still have faith in politics and believe it can be a noble vocation. It was also an excellent introduction to the work of the Catholic Church at national and international level and enabled me to study Theology as a subject for the first time."
Ellie Smith
"This truly remarkable year helped me to see that my passion for politics was something I could use in a really active way by becoming a teacher. I found the number of women holding high profile roles throughout the organisations of the Church particularly inspiring."