Welcome to #SYPlatform – your fortnightly update on everything happening across SYP.
From meeting young people at a youth centre ahead of our next Cabinet Takeover to attending a multi-agency environmental panel up in Inverness, our Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) have been on fire recently.
Scroll down to see what we’ve been up to, and don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the latest #SYProjects!
We’ve come together at a Residential
From Saturday (4 October) to Sunday (5 October), MSYPs from different parts of the country came together for our Residential – a safe space to warm up before the next Cabinet Meeting with Children and Young People (otherwise known as Cabinet Takeover). This opportunity is one of a kind, so we wanted to make sure our points of discussion were nailed down beforehand.
We also travelled to a youth centre in Edinburgh and had the best time building structures with spaghetti and marshmallows!
We’ve spoken in Parliament on religious observance
On Tuesday (7 October), our own Louise Church MSYP, who represents Galloway and West Dumfries, gave evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on religious observance in schools. The discussions centred around whether young people should have the right to opt out of religious observance and education, and what that might look like in practice. Fantastic job, Louise!
We’ve taken part in an environmental panel in Inverness
On Thursday (9 October), two of our most talented Highlanders – Jake MacCulloch (MSYP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) and Jamie Dickson (MSYP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) – attended the Community Learning and Development Practitioners Network meeting to discuss the current climate crisis and the journey to Net Zero in the Highlands.
Jake and Jamie exchanged their views with people from NHS Scotland, Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, Change Mental Health, the Social Enterprise Academy, and the Highland Council’s Climate Change team.
We’ve championed sustainability
On Friday (10 October), our Learning for Sustainability Youth Leadership Group hosted a roundtable bringing together MSYPs and adults working on the Scottish Government’s Learning for Sustainability plans. At the event, we were represented by one of the best teams at SYP: Amna Ansar, Leia McKenzie, Rajsee Saraf, Mary-Martha Dickie, Dylan Welsh, Hamish Nott and Ella Quinn MSYPs!
We’ve met with decision-makers in Glasgow
Also on Friday (10 October), the talented Harvey Hare, MSYP for Glasgow Springburn and Maryhill, met with one of the MSPs for Glasgow, Sandesh Gulhane, to promote our 2026–2031 Manifesto: Dear Scotland’s Future. He emphasised how important it is to involve young people in decision-making, particularly around mental health policy.
We’ve trained our new group of leaders
Last Saturday (11 October), our newly elected Board Members, Conveners and Deputy Conveners gathered in our Edinburgh office to hone their public speaking skills as they take on their new roles. The vibe in the room was absolutely amazing, and we can’t wait to see what they get up to next.
We’ve delivered a guest lecture at Queen Margaret University
On Wednesday (15 October), Sophie Kerrigan MSYP and Jack Anderson MSYP delivered a guest lecture to Occupational Therapy students at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Musselburgh, joined online by over 50 students from the University of South Africa. They spoke about SYP’s work, The Right Way, and our new 2026–2031 Manifesto: Dear Scotland’s Future. Thank you to lecturers Elvin Williams and Janine Hackett for organising such an engaging session.
