SYP Welcome Franchise Bill

March 12th, 2013

SYP celebrate lowering of the voting age to 16Today, Tuesday 12th March, the Scottish Government has published the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill. This Bill paves the way for 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in the 2014 Referendum on Scottish Independence.

Speaking this morning, Andrew Deans MSYP, says:

“We are delighted to see the publication of a Bill which allows all 16 and 17-year-olds to vote on Scotland’s future. We believe the creation of a Register of Young Voters is an excellent start to this process and hope every effort will be made in the run up to the referendum to ensure it is as easy as possible for young people to register to vote, and they have every opportunity to do so.

“SYP has campaigned for over a decade for votes at 16. Whilst we welcome this Bill, we believe it should be seen as a stepping stone to allowing 16-year-olds to vote in all elections. If 16-year-olds in Scotland can marry, work, join the army, and now vote for our nation’s future then there’s no principled reason to pretend they’re not full citizens who should be allowed to vote in all elections. This Bill shows the practical objections to Votes at 16 can be overcome. That’s why we welcome today’s Bill, but we see it as a stage on the journey to Votes at 16.”

Deputy First Minister Launches SYP National Elections 2013

March 2nd, 2013

SYP celebrate lowering of the voting age to 16.

Today, Saturday March 2nd at 16:00, the Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, along with Scottish Youth Parliament Chair Grant Costello MSYP, and the full membership of the Scottish Youth Parliament, formally launched the SYP National Elections 2013 outside the Scottish Parliament.

 

These will be the biggest youth elections ever run in Scotland.  Candidates are standing in all 32 Scottish Local Authorities.  Over 280 young people will spend the next two weeks canvassing, campaigning, and convincing young people aged 12-25 across Scotland to vote for them as the voice of Scotland’s young people.  In the 2011 elections over 84,000 votes were cast – making this one of the largest youth participation events in Europe.

 

The elections will be launched immediately following the conclusion of the Scottish Youth Parliament’s 50th National Sitting – being held on the 1st-2nd of March at the Scottish Parliament.

 

Grant Costello MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, says

 

“The last two years have been the most successful in the history of the Scottish Youth Parliament.  We have taken the issues which matter to young people, on Equal Marriage, Votes at 16, and the Scottish Living Wage, and made Scotland’s leaders listen and act.

 

“It’s now time for a new membership to be elected.  For the first time MSYPs will be elected from every Local Authority in Scotland.  We’ve had more interest from young people than ever before, more candidates than ever before, and I am sure we’re going to have an even stronger membership elected this time.

 

“That’s crucial, because the challenges facing Scotland’s young people are enormous.  It’s the job of MSYPs to stand up for young people, both locally and nationally, to ensure their voice is heard.  That’s why, as we launch this election at the heart of Scottish democracy, I hope as many young people as possible take the time to vote, to ensure we have the best MSYPs, and can keep on standing up for Scotland’s young people.”

 

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

 

“It is through youth work and youth participation organisations like the Scottish Youth Parliament, that hundreds of thousands of young people across Scotland are accessing a wide range of activities that help them to build knowledge, capacity and skills in preparation for further learning and employment.

 

“We want to make sure that our young people today have the right to engage in Scotland’s democratic process.  We want to give them the right to voice their views  freely and confidently on all matters that affect them.  We believe 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote in all elections.  And we will be ensuring that they can vote in the referendum on Scotland’s future next year.

 

“With the launch today of the SYP National Elections, and voting due to take place all over Scotland until 15 March – it is an exciting dawn for many young people who will join as MSYPs  – and an exciting future for us all. ”

 

Candidate manifestos and more information can be found at http://www.syp.org.uk/elections-W21page-71-

Grant Costello – Closing Speech to #SYP50

March 2nd, 2013

I’d like to thank the Deputy First Minister very much for her kind words.  We really do appreciate the support we receive from the Scottish Government, and we don’t forget that so many of our successes are a result of the Government’s decision to legislate on issues which matter to Scotland’s young people.  I just hope our new membership will be as effective at convincing Nicola, as well as her colleagues in Government, of the merits of our policies and ideas.

That also brings an end to our sitting, and I think it’s been an enormous success.  As well as hearing from Nicola Sturgeon MSP, we’ve also heard from Lord McConnell, a plethora of elected politicians.  We’ve debated with the petitions committee, and with ourselves.  I think we’ve really taken advantage of this sitting, and hopefully laid the groundwork for even more work in the future.

One quick bit of housekeeping.  It’s really important you take the time to complete the Sitting evaluation forms.  These are the key feedback for the staff team in learning from this sitting, and ensuring we keep having these fantastic events in the future.

I hope you’ll have lots of constructive feedback because I believe this has been a fantastic sitting, and well worthy of being out 50th.  The range of speakers and opportunities has been brilliant – and I know it takes an enormous amount of work to make this happen.

That is down in no small measure to the enormous amount of work done by the staff here at the Parliament.  I know that in particular Lindsay Davey and her team have been working on this for at least six months – and we really appreciate her work.

I want to take a second here to also thank our staff team as well, who I know have worked incredibly hard to make this happen.  I know they all do a huge amount, but I want to take a moment to single out one member in particular.  I think Steven Kidd has now been involved with SYP for over a decade, in pretty much every role the organisation has had.  Steven is now moving across to a secondment with the Commonwealth Games – and this is definitely one of those occasions where their gain is our loss.  Steven, on behalf of myself, the SYP membership, and indeed all those past memberships you’ve worked with – thank you so much for everything you have done for SYP – we’ll miss you.

That brings an end to our session, and I want to end with a couple of thoughts about the future.

The last two years have been the most successful in the history of the Scottish Youth Parliament.  We have taken the issues which matter to young people, on Equal Marriage, Votes at 16, and the Scottish Living Wage, and made Scotland’s leaders listen and act.

It’s now time for a new membership to be elected.  For the first time MSYPs will be elected from every Local Authority in Scotland.  We’ve had more interest from young people than ever before, more candidates than ever before, and I am sure we are going to have an even stronger membership elected this time.

That’s crucial, because the challenges facing Scotland’s young people are enormous.  It’s the job of MSYPs to stand up for young people, both locally and nationally, to ensure their voice is heard.  That’s why, as we launch this election at the heart of Scottish democracy, I hope as many young people as possible take the time to vote, to ensure we have the best MSYPs, and can keep on standing up for Scotland’s young people.

#SYP50 – Kyle Thornton – Opening Speech Saturday

March 2nd, 2013

Good morning,

Welcome back to Day 2 of SYP’s 50th Sitting.

We had a fantastic first day yesterday and congratulations to all of last night’s award winners.

Over the last two years, we’ve achieved so much more than we could have ever imagined. MSYPs working hard across the country have been at the heart of delivering the change we want to see from getting the Scottish & UK Governments to support same-sex marriage, to helping thousands of Scotland’s lowest paid workers and to the crowning achievement of Votes at 16 in the referendum which will give, for the first time ever, thousands of young Scots their right to vote and hopefully will be the start of giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote in all UK elections and referendums. We’ve all been a part of these national achievements and we should be proud that we’re here two years later having made a massive impact on our country and having done what we promised those who voted for us we would do – make real change in Scotland.

For me personally, this term has been incredibly exciting. Going from Point of Order Lover and chief procedural nightmare to Vice Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament has been an absolute honour and I want to thank you all for your support throughout my term as Vice Chair. Leading an organisation of young people so committed to achieving real change has given me the motivation not just to work as hard as I can for SYP but to stand for re-election in my constituency and to be a lifelong campaigner for what I believe in. If that’s what SYP has done for me, imagine the inspiration and motivation that our work has given to young people across Scotland.

It’s not just nationally where we’ve achieved. As Vice Chair I’ve seen the fantastic work that goes in in local areas. I’ve been proud to recognise our Local Champions in the Vice Chair update and from my own local work in Glasgow, I’ve seen the real difference we can make in our local areas for the young people we represent.

Over the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of working with you all and I want to add my thank you for your dedication, hard work and friendship.

But we still have a whole day of activities left.

In a moment, I’m going to introduce Lord McConnell, but I just want to say that what we’ve done in our term is just the beginning and it’s our duty, whether re-elected or standing down, to continue to campaign for what we believe in and to continue to work together for a better Scotland for everyone.

Can I now welcome to the stage, Scotland’s former first minister….*INSERT JM BIO*…Lord McConnell.

Grant Costello – closing speech to day one of #SYP50

March 1st, 2013

That’s us half way through the sitting, and it’s been a fantastic day of debate and discussion.  Today has been a big day for SYP, a chance to engage directly with Scotland’s parliament, and to discuss some of the most serious issues facing Scotland today.  Once again I think we have met the challenge, and shown Scotland’s young people have a strong voice, and deserve to be listened to.

 

That’s something I want to speak about a little bit this evening.  Because of the format of today I didn’t speak earlier about what we have accomplished in the last four months, because the achievements deserve to be discussed in more depth.

 

Firstly I want to talk about votes at 16.  If SYP has a core principle, it’s that young people deserve to be listened to.  It’s that young people are articulate, intelligent, engaged, and deserve to be listened to.

That’s why we pushed so hard for 16-year-olds to be given the chance to vote in Scotland’s referendum.  This is a one-off opportunity, a chance to set Scotland’s constitutional direction for a generation.  That’s why it was so important for us to campaign.  And that’s why it was such an enormous success when it was announced as part of the Edinburgh agreement that we had been successful.

 

It was a fantastic achievement, and now gives us a real chance to show Scotland, and indeed the world, that young people want to be involved, are smart and informed enough to do so, and who deserve to be listened to.  Remember that you did this.  When people ask you ‘why bother with SYP’, or that ‘young people aren’t interested’ – remember you showed why young people mattered, and why young people deserve to be heard.  Because Scotland’s leaders are listening to us – and we’re making a difference.

 

We’ve been able to use our success on Votes at 16 as a springboard for the organisation.  With that voice, for the past year we have campaigned on the belief that no matter who you are or how old you are, you deserve the right to earn a wage based on how much it costs to live. Our One Fair Wage campaign has gathered tremendous support and we’ve at the heart of this campaign as it’s risen in the national consciousness. From the launch in September, through to being backed by Glasgow, and then Edinburgh City Council, before councils such as Fife and Highland, who had previously been non-committal also came on board.  We’ve also been backed by ministers, shadow ministers and MSPs from a range of Holyrood parties, and seen a motion submitted in the Scottish Parliament supporting our campaign.

 

But that isn’t all that has happened since we last met in October. The Staff team and I have been working in overdrive mode as the level of interest in who we are and the authority of what we say just continues to grow and grow. We were nominated for the Liberty Young Person of the year, for our amazing work with Love Equally, we held a youth employment summit attended by 6 Scottish Government Cabinet Ministers and the BBC, we expanded the WE-CTV project across Scotland, we undertook a massive program of Democracy Days, getting out into schools and empowering young people, we saw the House of Commons back a motion in favour of votes at 16 making our dream of enfranchisement that much closer and for the first time ever, we secured every single local authority for the 2013 SYP elections meaning that all of Scotland’s Young people will be represented in this Parliament!

 

So with that very very long list of successes, we deserve to take a little time to bask in our awesomeness.  That’s why I’m looking forward to our awards dinner tonight, kicking off at 19:30 back here at the Parliament.  Please remember to bring your badges along, or else you won’t be able to get back in.  It should be a great awards ceremony; and a chance to acknowledge some of the amazing work done by individual MSYPs.  This  has been a fantastic membership, and it is only right we should take some time at our final sitting to appreciate some of the individuals who have helped to make this happen.

 

Saturday we dive right back into the action where we’ll hear from the former First Minister, Jack McConnell, which will be a trememdous opportunity, and we’re definitely looking forward to it.

 

But aside from those two big set-piece events, there will also be some really amazing smaller sessions.  I know the conveners have been working very hard to set up some really special committee sessions – it says something very impressive when we can get Government Ministers to come and attend our committees.  Even the Scottish Parliament committees have to work to make that happen.

 

Then after lunch there are some really first rate development sessions – involving MSPs, our friends at NUS Scotland, some top-level youth-work leaders, and even some familiar faces as well.

 

For me this is the most impressive array of guests and speakers to have ever attended an SYP sitting, so let us use this opportunity to drive home to them that we know are important it young people.  I know we’ll have a great time at the awards tonight – and then tomorrow we can look forward to a brilliant final day of our final sitting as a membership –  kicking off at 10:00am .  See you later!

 

 

Committee take forward MSYP Petitions #SYP50

March 1st, 2013

ctte1Committee take forward MSYP Petitions

 

Today, Friday 1st March 2013, Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) presented three petitions to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee.

 

  • Petition PE1471 by Rachael McCully (MSYP for East Kilbride) on the establishment of young people’s wards in hospitals
  • Petition PE1467 by Andrew McGowan (MSYP      for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) on a scheme to recognise employers      who pay the living wage;
  • Petition PE1470 by Lauren King (MSYP      for Motherwell and Wishaw) which calls on the Scottish Government to      establish a young carers grant for carers in full-time education or under      the age of 18; and

Andrew Deans (MSYP for Angus North and Mearns) also gave evidence on use of discriminatory ‘Mosquito’ devices (PE1367).

 

The Petitions Committee discussed all four petitions in detail.  They agreed to take further evidence on all four petitions; and Convenor David Stewart praised all four petitioners for the presentations and evidence they put forward.

 

SYP
are delighted the committee will consider in more depth the petition from Andrew McGowan, for a Scottish Living Wage Recognition Scheme.  This is a key element of SYP’s National Campaign, One Fair Wage – and SYP believes its introduction can encourage many more businesses to pay their workers no less than the Scottish Living Wage.

 

Speaking after the committee meeting, Andrew McGowan MSYP, Lead Petitioner for the Scottish Living Wage Recognition Scheme, said:

“I’m very grateful to the Committee for taking the time to consider the Scottish Youth Parliament’s petition for a Scottish Living Wage Recognition Scheme, and for the positive reception the petition received.

“There is no doubt this scheme is required.  Despite the good work done on the Living Wage in the public sector, there are still tens of thousands of low-paid workers in the private sector.

“That’s why this Scottish Living Wage Recognition Scheme is so important.  We believe it will encourage good employers to adopt a Living Wage, provide a robust test to ensure employers really do pay these rates, and allow consumers to distinguish between employers who pay a fair wage and those who don’t.

 

“At a time where prices are rising, where employers hold all the aces on pay, and where many workers are just grateful to have a job, it’s up to the Scottish Government to do more.  This scheme could help thousands of low-paid Scots who deserve no less than the Scottish Living Wage.  That’s why we are so delighted the Petitions Committee are looking at this so seriously, and we hope will be able to progress this further in the future. ”

Scottish Youth Parliament hold 50th National Sitting at the Scottish Parliament #SYP50

February 28th, 2013

Tomorrow, Friday 1st of March and Saturday, 2nd March, the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) will be holding its 50th National Sitting at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.

This sitting will give Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) the chance to speak in, and directly engage with the Scottish Parliament.  On Friday morning three MSYPs will be presenting new petitions to the Public Petitions Committee :

  • Petition PE1471 by Rachael McCully (MSYP for East Kilbride) on the establishment of young people’s wards in hospitals
  • Petition PE1467 by Andrew McGowan (MSYP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) on a scheme to recognise employers who pay the living wage;
  • Petition PE1470 by Lauren King (MSYP for Motherwell and Wishaw) which calls on the Scottish Government to establish a young carers grant for carers in full-time education or under the age of 18; and

Andrew Deans (MSYP for Angus North and Mearns) will also be giving evidence on use of discriminatory ‘Mosquito’ devices (PE1367).

MSYPs will then debate what the priority steps should be for tackling Youth Employment.  After lunch there will be four debates by young people, discussing if prisoners should be given the right to vote, on the affordability of universal benefits, on whether Scotland’s state education system should be non-denominational, and whether marijuana should be legalised in Scotland.

On Saturday 2nd March in the morning MSYPs will hear from former First Minister Lord McConnell.  They will then hold subject committee meetings, and take part in a series of development and training sessions.  In the afternoon Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be giving the closing address, after which she will launch the Scottish Youth Parliament’s National Elections 2013 outside the Scottish Parliament.

Grant Costello MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, says:

“It’s absolutely brilliant that the Scottish Youth Parliament will celebrate its 50th National Sitting at the heart of Scottish democracy.  This sitting provides a chance for Scotland’s young representatives to hear from, and engage directly with, our political system.

“In particular the session with the Public Petitions Committee shows how SYP provides young people with the opportunity to bring forward proposals which can make a real difference to Scotland.  Of course we are also very much looking forward to hearing from Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Lord McConnell, and the other senior politicians and third sector leaders who are attending. However, what’s most important is this chance to show just how eager Scotland’s young people are to engage in discussing the key challenges facing Scotland today.”

 

 

Over 30,000 votes cast in national anti-knife crime project We-CTV 2012/13 #wectv

February 19th, 2013

Wectv Logo

NKBL

 

The Scottish Youth Parliament have today announced the ten finalists who will attend the We-CTV Premiere Awards Ceremony being held on the 20th of March in Glasgow’s Science Centre.

‘We-CTV’ is a project funded by No Knives, Better Lives and delivered by the Scottish Youth Parliament. The project sees young people aged between 11-16 produce their own two-minute films highlighting both the dangers of knife-crime and discouraging their peers from picking up a knife.

Now in its third year, We-CTV is a national competition with young people from all parts of Scotland encouraged to submit a story board with their ideas. Twenty successful groups from across Scotland were chosen to go through to the next stage of the project.

Those twenty films have now been assessed by the largest number of votes cast in the competitions history.  32,956 votes were cast by members of the public who chose their favourite films.  The films have collectively been viewed nearly 13,000 times on YouTube.  These facts show how We-CTV is continuing to go from strength to strength.

The five successful groups from Region 1 (North-East-Central) are:

Alva Academy; Auchmuty High School; Glenrothes High School;  St Aidan’s High School; The Ripple Project.

The five successful groups from Region 2 (West) are:

Castlehead High School; Irvine Royal Academy; Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School; St Andrew’s Academy; Stewarton Academy.

Speaking today, Scottish Youth Parliament Chair Grant Costello said:

“It’s fantastic to see so many people watching and voting on the great films produced for We-CTV 2012/13.  When I viewed the films I thought they were all of a very high quality, and I know the judges will have a very tough job selecting the best film from this incredibly impressive shortlist.

“Now in its third year, We-CTV is a fantastic youth-led project which is going from strength to strength. We-CTV gives young people the creative space and the tools they need, allowing them to get to grips with a serious issue which sadly that affects thousands of Scots every year.  I’m very excited by this year’s entries, and I can’t wait for the final next month.”

The Love Equally March one year on – the final steps down the aisle towards equal marriage

February 14th, 2013

SYP Equal Marriage March (Small)Today is not only the day when we declare our love for our girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or even our office colleague; it marks one year since the Love Equally March that took place in Edinburgh. This event saw young and old march in solidarity calling on the Scottish Parliament to extend marriage to same-sex couples. There has been much momentum on the campaign by organisations such as the Scottish Youth Parliament to see this important step for equality take place.

Last week we witnessed masses of MPs take to the floor of the archaic House of Commons and declare their support for same-sex couples to be given the right to marry. For supporters of equality it was a delight to watch and listen. Of course those opponents to the Bill made their stance very clear but this was merely a temporary fly in the ointment for the proposals were passed by a majority of 225 later in the day.

Now the attention falls back to us here in Scotland where the debate was first brought to the public forum. Looking at how Scottish MPs voted last week, it is clear that the argument is far from won in Scotland. Seven Labour MPs voted against the proposals and interestingly the former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was not present during the voting. This left Scotland close to Northern Ireland in terms of national representatives voting against same-sex marriage proposals.

Those advocates of equal marriage in Scotland cannot afford to become complacent, although the majority of MSPs have given their support to proposals; the debate is still very much on-going. This and with an ever mounting campaign from the Scotland for Marriage coalition there is still much work to be done. These proposals will of course be met with some opposition, but that is the nature of dealing with a sensitive topic such as marriage. Opponents will argue that this reason alone means that we should abandon any change, but this of course is incorrect as the concept of marriage, as well as laws relating to it has been ever changing throughout the centuries. However for those who support these changes, there is a real need to continue challenging the myths being peddled by opponents and win over the hearts and minds of the Scottish public at large.Supporters on the Love Equally march

One issue that has become the subject of debate in Scotland is how same-sex marriage should be taught about in schools. The Scottish Government is currently consulting the public on whether changes need to be made to the guidance about how marriage and stable relationships are approached in PSE and other subjects, as well as whether your parents should be able to withdraw you from classes if same-sex marriage might be mentioned. It’s vital that young people’s views are heard on this issue, and with that in mind, SYP would like to know what you think, so we can tell the Scottish Government how these issues should be tackled. If you’re aged between 14 and 25, please take a few moments of your time to give us your thoughts by taking part in our short survey on PSE, sex education and teaching same-sex marriage in schools by clicking here.

Yvette Cooper summed up the debate in the House of Commons in excellent style by declaring that, “We all love a good wedding… and for those who want to get married then they should be allowed to”. This is exactly what this debate essentially boils down to, this is not about altering any current marriages, it is about ensuring we preserve the institution of marriage by allowing those couples the exact same rights as other couples, plain and simple.

So when the a debate is finally put in front of our decision makers in Holyrood, let us hope that they show Scotland to be as forward thinking and progressive as we know it is by declaring “I do” to same-sex marriage.

SYP welcome passage of Equal Marriage Bill at Westminster

February 5th, 2013

Today, 5th February, Members of Parliament have voted to pass the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading stage.

Grant Costello MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, says:

“The Scottish Youth Parliament are delighted to see the House of Commons vote in favour of Equal Marriage.  Together with the Scottish Government’s Bill which is currently being consulted on, soon we can look forward to equal marriage being available across Britain.
“Equal marriage is incredibly important for young people in Scotland, and all the polling shows the same is true across Britain.  We welcome today’s vote, and hope both the UK and Scottish Governments get these bills on the statute book in the near future – giving same-sex couples the same right as mixed-sex couples to get married.”