The five month programme is designed to immerse the intern within the Parliamentary process in order to gain important experience to further their career aspirations. Euan will also assist in the creation and implementation of a work programme for an All Party Parliamentary Group on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
This will not only prove invaluable experience to Euan, but provide a platform to reach out to young people to demonstrate that living with IBD does not have to place unreasonable restrictions on their career or work aspirations.
Having not long completed his Masters Degree, Euan has moved from Newcastle and will be working five days a week in the office of Melanie Onn, MP for Great Grimsby, at the House of Commons. The programme has been made possible by a grant from the pharmaceutical company AbbVie.
Euan was diagnosed with IBD at the age of 16 and hopes to use his experience of living with the condition to raise awareness in Parliament and show that young people’s lives do not have to be limited by IBD. To promote his time in Parliament, Euan has created his own Facebook page, which he'll be keeping updated with his journey.
I believe the Parliamentary Internship I am about to undertake to be both an immense privilege and an amazing opportunity. Having suffered from IBD since my teenage years, I am no stranger to the feelings of despair and hopelessness that can arise as a result of the condition. This internship gives me the opportunity to demonstrate to young sufferers that, despite having IBD, it is possible to lead a full and active life - and what better place to do that than in Parliament! I will be documenting my experiences with regular updates, photos and videos on a dedicated Facebook page, so please ‘like’ the page and join me on this fantastic journey!
Euan Macfarlane
Parliamentary Intern at Crohn's & Colitis UK
I am delighted to welcome Euan as my Parliamentary intern through the Crohn’s and Colitis UK internship programme. It’s really important that people from a variety of backgrounds with different personal experiences, including those with Crohn’s and Colitis, have the chance of working in Parliament. There is a lot of work for Euan to get stuck into including establishing the All Party Parliamentary Group for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It will be a great opportunity to experience working inside the Houses of Parliament alongside MPs and researchers, learning the ropes and getting to grips with the processes and procedures of Westminster.
Melanie Onn
Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby
AbbVie supports Crohn’s and Colitis UK’s internship programme because young people living with IBD can face many challenges. This fantastic initiative not only provides participants with the opportunity to gain new skills and confidence but as the programme has demonstrated in the past, also possibly a new career.
Phil Schwab
Director of Government Affairs, AbbVie
