The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is the second national partner in Synergy – a bold, five-year programme led by Youth Focus North West (YFNW) and powered by £1.5 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK’s largest community funder.
Starting in the North West of England and now reaching Scotland, this investment will strengthen youth voice, participation, and collaboration across the UK – all thanks to National Lottery Players.
Together with YFNW, we’ll provide training and support for adults supporting young people, while creating safe, inclusive spaces for young people to express their views, which will influence decisions that affect their lives.
This partnership builds on years of youth-led work in Scotland where young people have consistently advocated for their rights, communities, and the change they want to see. In line with this work, Synergy is set to provide partners with more tools, support, and opportunities to be heard and involved.
Ellie Craig, SYP Chair and MSYP for Glasgow Cathcart, said:
Since its foundation more than two decades ago, SYP has played a central role in making meaningful participation with young people a reality across Scotland, and was key to the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law in 2024. Since then, MSYPs have been working tirelessly, both locally and nationally, to make sure decision-makers truly understand how to apply the Lundy Model of Participation to their work.
We’re delighted to be taking part in the Synergy project to pass on all the experience and knowledge we’ve acquired over the years, while learning from other youth work organisations in the UK who are also passionate about giving children and young people a voice in the spaces that shape their lives.
Stuart Dunne, YFNW CEO, said:
This funding marks a major milestone – not just for our organisation, but for youth voice across the UK. For years, we’ve championed participation from training youth workers and building networks, to embedding the Lundy Model of Participation to ensure young people are meaningfully involved.
Synergy builds on that foundation. It strengthens our commitment to inclusive practice, sector collaboration, and youth-led change, ensuring young people are not only heard, but actively sharing the world around them.
Further information on the Synergy project can be found here.
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