Children and young people’s rights were at the centre of parliamentary discussions at Holyrood last week, with MSYPs showcasing our work to promote meaningful participation.
To celebrate nearly 10 years of our formal partnership with the Scottish Parliament, a youth-led exhibition was installed in the Parliament building, captivating MSPs as they returned from their summer recess and resumed business as usual.
The exhibition was set to offer decision-makers practical steps they can take to honour Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which says that every child has the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them – and to have those views taken seriously.
At the stall, both MSPs and other parliamentary staff could find a wide range of resources, including checklists to measure whether their meetings with young people are accessible, inclusive, and meaningful, and guidelines on how to make CRWIAs (Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments) more youth-led.
You can find out more about The Right Way here.
All materials have been produced as part of The Right Way – a project funded by the Scottish Government’s Children’s Rights Unit. The initiative was created by a group of MSYPs called the Young Rights Champions and aims to educate duty bearers on the UNCRC, making it the first of its kind across the UK.
SYP Chair Ellie Craig MSYP said:
Representing SYP at last week’s exhibition in the Scottish Parliament was a great opportunity to speak to new and returning MSPs and their staff about the important work we do to ensure young people in Scotland have their voice heard in policymaking. We were able to talk about a range of local and national issues. I especially enjoyed meeting the new Presiding Officer, Kenneth Gibson, as our partnership with the Scottish Parliament has become a key part of our work since 2017.
Every decision-maker has young people in their constituencies; therefore, they have the responsibility to engage and listen to them as per the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. As such, it has become even more imperative that MSPs understand their duty to uphold and protect children and young people’s rights.
The Right Way project has also enabled MSYPs to host Cabinet and Executive “Takeovers”, where they have a chance to speak directly to both the First Minister and Permanent Secretary, highlighting key concerns and offering solutions to address them.
You can find out more information about our Cabinet and Executive Takeovers here.
Over the last few decades, our MSYPs have been instrumental in making sure children and young people’s rights are respected both locally and nationally, with many wins along the way. These include the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law in 2024 and the introduction of free bus travel for under-22s across Scotland.
