Jess Perchard, an English literature teacher at Jersey College for Girls, says she was inspired to run for office as her students were ‘disengaged’ with Jersey’s political system.
She added that if she was successful, she would look ‘to serve the public as a representative of children, families and those in need’ and hoped to redress the balance between work and family lives, tackle the high cost of housing and ensure that investment was made in education.
The 28-year-old former Hautlieu School pupil said: ‘My students are all passionate, caring and engaged young people, but they’re disengaged with the political system here in Jersey.
‘I believe that the wellbeing of our children and young people is the key to our success, and I know I can make a difference for them and their families.’
Miss Perchard, who completed an English and Education degree at Cambridge University, said that she was ‘eager’ to improve the perception of local politics by ‘raising the bar in terms of the quality of debate in the Chamber’. She added: ‘It is my belief that if we want things to change, we have to participate. Civic engagement in Jersey is at an all-time low, and this is due to increased dissatisfaction and subsequent apathy.
‘This is not good for us now, nor for our future. We must inspire our young people to participate in the conversation, to stand up for what is right and to incite action, not apathy, in the face of ideologies with which we disagree. We must build bridges between the public sector and the government, between the people and the politicians, and between our traditional heritage and future world.’
To find out more log on to her Facebook page: voteperchard, or her Instagram page: @voteperchard.
