Sometimes when you least expect it, you’ll run into something great. That’s what happened to me at the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) meeting I attended with some of my Global Ad & PR classmates today.
BIS insight
When I first entered the BIS doors, I had no idea I would leave the building feeling so refreshed and inspired. I learned more than I ever would’ve expected about the U.K. government and some of the great changes it’s undergoing due to economic hardships. In particular, I was informed about the integration of departments and the new ideas being developed because of the current economic climate in the U.K.
At the meeting, I met Tim Lloyd, head of Digital Communications at BIS, who offered great insight, and to my advantage, previously worked for the Department of Health. He worked with National Health Services (NHS), in addition to the Change4Life 
campaign that I originally set out to research in the U.K.
More to explore
Although I couldn’t ask him everything I wanted to in our short meeting, he mentioned and briefly explained many topics that will help develop my project quite a bit. Some of the topics I want to explore more are his experience with working on programs for healthy school lunches and partnering with supermarkets to work through society to implement healthy eating initiatives.
I plan to talk to Mr. Lloyd about his involvement with specific healthy eating policies, especially those that target children and schools. I also want to learn more about his involvement with Change4Life and NHS, as well as the supermarket partnership he briefly spoke about. After hearing him speak, I could tell he was passionate about improving society and working toward making it a better place for all people. Both Mr. Lloyd and Jacqueline Williamson, who also spoke from the Cabinet Office inspired me because they were so dedicated to their involvement with BIS, the U.K. government and working toward improving society as a whole, even with economic challenges.
Inspirational BIS action
The meeting moved me because the people working for BIS truly care about fixing the problems they are facing, whether it has to do with public health, education, employment and many more issues. They understand that they don’t have the funding to implement loads of separate programs, so they are collaborating and working together to achieve their goals instead of cutting programs that are important to society. The BIS in the U.K. understands that certain initiatives must continue to better society, while the U.S.government is more concerned with funding and will quickly remove programs if there is not enough money for them to exist. It seems the U.K. is up-to-date with the idea of collaboration, and the U.S. government is focusing on the wrong issues, especially when it comes to healthy eating policies.
The truth is, many countries are undergoing economic adversity, including the U.S. and U.K. But it’s important to work together and solve existing problems to work toward achieving a well-functioning, innovative society.
Aubrey's Healthy Travels in the U.K. 