The festive season might be around the corner, but at SYP, the year is far from over! A few MSYPs have just been down in London representing Scotland at the UK Youth Parliament’s Annual Sitting in the House of Commons, while others have been preparing to meet the First Minister and his Cabinet colleagues next week.
Here’s a summary of what’s happened in the last two weeks – and don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with all #SYProjects.
We’ve attended the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting
Jordana Rae, Jamie Dickson, Kristers Lukins, Catriona Daw, Sophie Kerrigan, Rajsee Saraf, and Islay Jackson MSYPs joined other Members of the UK Youth Parliament in London on Thursday last week (5 November), to speak on behalf of young people at the heart of Westminster.
“In the Scottish Youth Parliament’s manifesto, Dear Scotland’s Future, 86% of young people agreed that every young person in Scotland should have accessible, affordable, and secure housing. Mr Speaker, why aren’t we allowing our young people to be safe and secure?” said Sophie, while holding a copy of the brand-new manifesto.
The first part of the debate was concluded by Rajsee, who stressed that progress made to help people acquire a new home isn’t enough. “Our calls to action aren’t luxurious demands; they’re the bare minimum our constituents need,” she said.
The afternoon session saw Jordana talk about the benefits of investing in local services to improve young people’s health and wellbeing, while Kristers pointed out the difficulties youth communities face when trying to access employment. Halfway through the session, Catriona emphasised that “real, noticeable actions need to be taken to stop crime and its effect on young people.” Finally, Islay’s speech focused on the environment, urging decision-makers to help meet targets to tackle the climate crisis.
You can watch both the morning and afternoon sessions of the UK Youth Parliament’s Annual Sitting on the UK Parliament’s YouTube channel here.
We’ve hosted our first Policy Convention
Our Policy Convention (aka PolCon) took place online last Saturday, 8 November. MSYPs from across Scotland joined the call to ask questions to SYP’s newly elected Board, which has been in post since September this year. The event also allowed them to debate Motions and discuss new ways to promote the new manifesto, Dear Scotland’s Future.
We’ve sat with decision-makers
On Monday, 10 November, Jamail Umar, MSYP for Dundee City East, met with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to discuss key issues affecting young people in his constituency. He also “quizzed her on some of the policies and the steps the Scottish Government is taking to achieve the manifesto’s [SYP’s Dear Scotland’s Future] goals,” said Jamail on his Instagram account.
We’ve taken part in a Remembrance parade
Earlier this week, Jake MacCulloch, MSYP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, joined the Dingwall Remembrance Parade to lay a wreath on behalf of SYP.
Taking part in Remembrance activities is an important way for young people to reflect on the past while helping shape a more peaceful and compassionate future. By standing alongside their communities, they not only honour those who served and sacrificed but also strengthen their understanding of history, gratitude, and civic duty.
Cabinet Takeover will be held in Edinburgh next week, where MSYPs will meet with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and his Cabinet team. More will be posted soon!
