Applications open today to stand in the Scottish Youth Parliament’s 2023 elections.
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, also known as MSYPs, are aged between 14 and 25. They are democratically elected every two years – two each for every Scottish Parliament constituency and a variety of National Voluntary Organisations – to represent all young people across Scotland.
Prospective candidates have until Friday 1st September 2023 to register their interest in standing to become an MSYP. Young people will then receive training to help them develop their skills over the summer before they launch their election campaigns in the autumn.
We’re excited to launch our elections for people aged 14 to 25 across the country to stand to become MSYPs, ahead of our 25th anniversary as the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people in 2024.
This is a chance to join a uniquely youth-led organisation to campaign for change on the important issues that young people care about.
As well as giving a voice to children and young people, MSYPs will also build their confidence and learn new skills all whilst having fun and making friends along the way
Mollie McGoran MSYP, SYP Chair
You can find out more about the role of an MSYP and how to get involved in our elections below:
We will be holding information sessions between May and July 2023 for young people aged 14 – 25 who are interested in standing in the SYP elections to become a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP), youth workers, and anyone else supporting a young person to take part in the SYP elections.
The session will cover what the Scottish Youth Parliament is, what we do, why we do it, and how we achieve our mission. It will give participants the fundamental background information they need to know about SYP before standing for election. It will also give an overview of the election process, what to expect, and what future participation in SYP could look like – whether attendees are elected as an MSYP or not.
Sessions will take place weekly throughout the application phase, between 6pm and 7pm – you can find dates below:
- Wednesday 17th May
- Thursday 25th May
- Friday 2nd June
- Monday 5th June
- Tuesday 13th June
- Wednesday 21st June
- Thursday 29th June
- Friday 7th July
- Monday 10th July
- Tuesday 18th July
- Wednesday 26th July
