Even as we head into December, the excitement and adventure at SYP isn’t slowing down. From taking over the Scottish Cabinet, to raising awareness about online safety to continuing our advocacy for education reform, our MSYPs have been making sure that young people’s voice
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 taken over the Cabinet
On Tuesday 18 November, 6 MSYPs took SYP’s national campaigns to the First Minister and his Cabinet at the annual Children and Young People’s Cabinet Takeover.
Jack Anderson and Rajsee Saraf MSYPs called for early action to tackle gender-based violence and challenge discrimination, while Amna Ansar and Jamail Umar MSYPs highlighted the need for better signposting of mental health support. Similarly, Alex Waterston-Law and Jamie Dickson MSYPs urged greater investment in youth work to secure Scotland’s future. To read their speeches and learn more about the Takeover, visit here.
You can see Ellie Craig MSYP interview the First Minister and Marcus Flucker MSYP interview the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on YouTube.
We’ve collaborated on a myriad of #SYProjects
Our Screensavers, Digital Safety Ambassadors, and Learning for Sustainability Youth Leadership Group came together in Edinburgh on Saturday 15 November to work on developing the projects they’re involved in. In the afternoon, the groups were joined by members of the Scottish Government’s Learning for Sustainability Leadership Group for a roundtable where they explored young people’s views and experiences of learning for sustainability in Scotland. Sophie Kerrigan MSYP, the Convener for the Education and Lifelong Learning Convener, chaired the roundtable. Thank you to all the young people for your great project work this year!
Building on from this learning, the Digital Safety Ambassadors then hosted a webinar on Wednesday 26 November all about the Amplifying Child Safety Online project, which SYP are running in partnership with the NSPCC. The event was attended by lots of adults from the Scottish Government and other charities working on online safety. During the event, the group – including Amna Ansar, Catriona Daw, Martha Dickie, Rajsee Saraf, Nathi Halimana, and Arianna Gagnon MSYPs – shared the work they’ve been doing, and facilitated group discussions to co-design solutions, which they’ll be working on in the new year!
We’ve debated Education Reform
We continue to lead the charge on putting children and young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making when it comes to Education Reform! Our Convener for the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee, Sophie Kerrigan MSYP, facilitated a group discussion with fellow MSYPs about the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, whilst in the same week SYP’s Vice Chair Marcus Flucker MSYP spoke on a panel with Royal Society of Edinburgh and represented young people’s views on Education Reform and Skills for the Future.
And lastly, we’ve highlighted how SYP’s work contributes to tackling generational poverty
The Royal Society of Edinburgh hosted the event on breaking down generational poverty, and explored how low pay, insecure work, high childcare costs, and wider inequalities trap families and children in poverty. Ella Quinn MSYP spoke on the panel about our recently launched SYP Manifesto 2026-2031 and how young people’s voices must continue to be at the heart of decision-making and community engagement. The full recording of the event is available on YouTube.
