Board Elections 09 - Candidates for Chair

Below are listed the candidates for Chair together with their candidate statements. The election will be held on Sunday 14nd June at the SYP AGM in Edinburgh.

Derek Couper (Livingston)

derek.couper.msyp@sypmail.org.uk

The role of Chair is best filled by a candidate who has the ability and passion to represent and articulate the concerns and issues of the membership. Individuals in such a position of responsibility should never prioritise pursuing individual issues and concerns over the collective wishes of MSYPs. This is why I believe I have the passion, ability and skills to effectively fulfil these roles in the Scottish Youth Parliament; my previous experience has taught me that I am able to organise and inspire others, through emphasis on teamwork and identifying collective goals.

My previous experience working at senior levels of local organisations has taught me that groups always work better united than they do divided. That is why my priorities as Chair would be to unite the SYP, through working together on common goals, and ensuring that all MSYPs have a say in a national agenda. The work of subject committees must be further promoted, as this is where the influence of individual MSYPs is most evident. These would be my priorities as Chair.

I've been involved in youth groups and orginisations for many years, gaining a cornucopia of experience in chairing, managing and working as part of a team. I've inspired new goals and projects for groups such as the West Lothian Youth Congress, of which I am Chairperson. As part of this work I communicate regularly with different orginisations and individuals. I am extremley proud to represent the young people in my area and always strive for clear and effective representation.

I do have a great deal of knowledge about working with other orginisations, both in the voluntary and public sectors. I've been involved with groups such as LGBT, Youthlink, Stonewall youth and Community Planning Partners amongst many others. I am confident and experienced in communicating with elected members, from Councillors, to MSP'S, MEP's and MP's. This of course is essential for any prospective chair of the SYP.

On a personal level I can honestly say that I am genuinley passionate about representing young people all over Scotland. I believe we, the SYP, have the opportunity to make a huge difference over the next year and I feel ready to be at the forefront of that challenge.

See you all on Saturday!

Sam Kerr (LGBT Youth Scotland)

sam.kerr.msyp@sypmail.org.uk

In my past I have worked with lots of different organisations but none as youth focused as SYP, which I think is a shame, as loads of organisations try to achieve what SYP has but fail to come close. From previous experience when I set up a youth group I learned commitment and passion are essential to making anything work, I have a great deal of commitment and passion for SYP which I have shown in the time I have been involved.

I have a good knowledge of current policy affecting young people, a lot of which I learned about when I was a participation assistant for LGBT Youth Scotland, my continuing work with the LGBT Youth Council and throughout my time in SYP.

Due to my involvement in the Youth Council and Dumfries and Galloway Youth activists, I had to learn a lot of the political goings on locally and nationally. I learned a lot about the processes followed and how best to negotiate the system. I also learned about how different local political structure and influences can sometimes be very different from national ones and sometimes you need a local person to help you get the best results in local political situations, this is why partnerships with local authority support workers is vital for SYP to retain buy-in from the local authorities.

I’ve been involved in the voluntary sector since I was 14 and have worked and volunteered in it. However through that involvement I have worked closely with the public and to a lesser extent the public sector, I feel I have a good knowledge of these but with a very in depth knowledge of voluntary sector.

I’ve worked with young people from all backgrounds with various organisations. Due to my Equalities background and last year being elected as Equal Opps Convener, I feel I have a good way with people from all different abilities and backgrounds and that I have displayed this particularly with SYP.

I very recently did leadership skills training and feel very comfortable knowing what is needed from a leader, how to be a good leader and how to get the best out of a team. I’m very much a people person and believe that everyone in a team can have a useful role if you help them get there.

Over the years with all the work I have done, time and time again without partnership work and networking projects and targets wouldn’t have been met or have happened at all. I feel I have a good experience of networking and partnerships.

I feel I have quite a good image within the organisation. I’ve always done what’s best for the organisation and the young people involved. I feel my time as Chair has been really positive and I would love the opportunity to continue for another year, as even although we have put huge changes in place in the organisation we still have to make them work.