SYP Weekly Update 118
6th November 2009
Find out more about what's happening in the SYP in our weekly updates, click on the section title to take you to more information for each of the articles...
List
Events
- MSYPs make waves at Westminster
Communications
UK and International
Policy
- No smoke without Danielle (Part 2!)
- Youth Alcohol Survey
General
- Fundraising for SYP
- Introducing Scottish Womens' Aid
- Youth Work Apprenticeships
- International Youth Arts Festival
- Summary of Key Board Decisions
FYI
- Julie and Keenan cover by-election
- Chelsea heads for Parliament
- Midlothian MSYPs take part in National Conversation
- SYP visits Northern Ireland
NOTE: Some of the opportunities mentioned in the Weekly Update may apply only to Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs). Please email rob.g@scottishyouthparliament.org.uk for guidance.
MSYPs make waves at Westminster
In a historic first, and in a strong show of support for young people, the UK Parliament threw open the doors of the House of Commons to young people from across the UK. This is the first occasion the famous green benches of Westminster have been occupied by anyone other than MPs, let alone young people. A group of MSYPs joined UK Youth Parliament members to represent Scotland’s young people and take part in a day filled with dynamic debate.
For more info about the day, check out Danielle Rowley MSYP's report available here on the site.
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"SYP News!" - Out now
The latest edition of our quarterly newsletter SYP News! has been hitting inboxes of MSYPs, support workers, politicians and loads of young people across Scotland. There’s loads of news about our Votes at 16 campaign, the Sitting in Aberdeenshire and some great local work!
Hard copies will be coming your way next week – keep your eye out for the postman! It’s available online now, so if you want a bit of a peek at it, head over to our ‘Newsletter’ section by clicking here.
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The Wave
On Saturday 5th December, ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, thousands of people from across Scotland, from all walks of life, will flow through the streets of Glasgow to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all. The Wave is organised by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.
Join The Wave - Scotland’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change! They want the UK Government to Share Scotland’s Ambition, Protect the Poorest and Act Fair & Fast. Click here to find out the key messages the Coalition wants to put across.
The organisers are looking for people to come along to the event – click here to sign up. If you want to get even more involved, they’re also looking for volunteers to:
- Invite 10 - simply invite 10 friends to come to The Wave and ask each of them to ask another 10
- Make sure everyone in your workplace/ class knows about The Wave
- Volunteer to be a Community Mobiliser in your area
- Join 'The Wave Scotland' Facebook group
- Organise a bus and fill it!
- Come along on the day and take part in the march - and bring all your family and friends!
- Volunteer to be a steward on the day
If you are able and willing to help out with any of these tasks please get in touch with Sarah Watson on 0141 285 8875 or sawatson@oxfam.org.uk. For more info check out www.the-wave.org.uk/scotland
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No smoke without Danielle (Part 2!)
The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill has been winging its way through Parliament, and the SYP has been telling MSPs what young people think of their proposals at every step of the way!
On Wednesday, Danielle Rowley MSYP met with the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee to tell them what young people have been saying about whether it should be a crime to buy cigarettes underage or for adults to buy tobacco products on their behalf, as well as whether the police should have the powers to take away cigarettes from young people they suspect are under 18.
Our response was based on the recent Roars not Whispers and Young Scot survey of hundreds of young people on the proposals. You can see read what the SYP’s response was by clicking here.
Danielle did a fantastic job of giving evidence to the Committee, and you can see all the action at Holyrood TV by clicking here – it’s the 4th November meeting, at the start.
The issue has also captured the media’s attention, and Danielle was interviewed live on BBC Two’s ‘Politics Scotland’ show. She did a great job of putting our points across and was complimented by host Catriona Renton! You can watch the show at BBC iPlayer by clicking here - Danielle’s appearance is about 52 minutes in.
A huge well done to Danielle – it’s not easy to go before a group of MSPs or a live TV audience, but you really did the SYP proud! We’ll keep you in the loop about any future developments before the Bill is passed, so keep your eye on the Weekly Update!
Youth Alcohol Survey
Those of you were at the Aberdeenshire Sitting will remember we had a session looking at Scotland’s relationship with Alcohol, led by the Youth Commissioners – they’ve now put together a survey on the subject and they want your views! Click here to take the survey and you could win a Nintendo Wii.
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Fundraising for SYP
Last week we told you about the arrival of our new Fundraising Intern, Katie Fowler, who's looking at how the organisation can diversify our funding - this week we're looking for your input! Katie's put together a short survey (10 questions) which we'd like all MSYPs to fill in by Monday 16th November at the latest. You can access the survey here.
Introducing Scottish Womens' Aid
With the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the UNCRC, and the commitment within SYP Manifesto that ‘Domestic abuse is completely unacceptable and community services should do more to prevent it.’, Scottish Women’s Aid are keen to introduce themselves to MSYPs and tell you a bit about their work.
Scottish Women’s Aid is the leading organisation in Scotland working towards the prevention of domestic abuse. They play a vital role in campaigning and lobbying for effective responses to domestic abuse.
Domestic and dating abuse is when one partner uses coercion, intimidation and fear to control their partner or ex partner in an intimate relationship. Children and young people living in a household with domestic abuse are directly affected by it. Most men are not abusive, but abuse is most often perpetrated by men, and it is mostly women who are the victims. Both domestic abuse and dating abuse can happen in same sex relationships and to men too.
Recent research published by the NSPCC suggests that as many as a third of teenage girls had suffered unwanted sexual acts in a relationship, and a quarter had experience physical violence. You can read the full report by clicking here.
Scottish Women's Aid work hard to ensure the voices of children and young people affected by domestic abuse are heard. The 2005 Listen Louder Campaign was instrumental in securing £6million for specialist services for children and young people affected by domestic abuse, and more recently, children and young people played a key role in the development of the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Plan, which aims to improve outcomes for children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
They are currently asking young people about their thoughts on Scotland’s shared approach to domestic abuse as well as how we raise awareness of dating abuse. Your voice matters to them, and they know many young people would like to know more about this issue which effects up to 1 in 4 children, young people and women in Scotland.
Scottish Women’s Aid are keen to run a session with MSYPs , so if you would like to find out more about domestic and dating abuse, and to talk about how we can work together to prevent it, please get in touch with Marie Macfarlane on 0131 313 2488 or marie.m@scottishyouthparliament.org.uk
For more info about Scottish Women’s Aid, head over to their website at www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk
Youth Work Apprenticeships
Are you 17 to 19 and interested in a career in Youth Work? The Youth of Today is giving 6 young people the opportunity to gain an apprenticeship in Youth Work, as well as several other exciting opportunities for young people aged 13-19.
The Youth of Today has been created to help young people become leaders of change in an increasingly complex world. It is funded and supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Communities and Local Government, and managed by a range of organisations including Changemakers, Prince’s Trust, British Youth Council, National Youth Agency, Citizenship Foundation, UK Youth Parliament and the Young Foundation. For more info check out www.theyouthoftoday.org
An apprenticeship in Youth Work with The Youth of Today will give you the opportunity - as a paid employee - to work within the charity sector, experience life with a local youth and community organisation and gain a range of qualifications including an NVQ Level 2 in Youth Work, with the support and expertise of the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London. To become an apprentice with The Youth of Today, you will need experience of working in a Youth Work setting on a paid or voluntary basis. Your role will be to assist in the planning and delivery of sessions and activities for children and young adults in the community, in accordance with the Youth Strategy - click here for more info; assist in undertaking outreach work in the community to promote youth activities and ensure maximum take-up; liaise appropriately with service users, parents, volunteers, staff and other professionals
and work alongside each of The Youth of Today consortium partners.
On top of this you will earn over £160 per week over an 18 month fixed-term, full-time contract, starting from November 2009.
If you think this is for you and you fit the criteria below, then please contact Changemakers for an application pack. You must:
- Be between 17 and 19 years of age, when starting the apprenticeship
- Be committed to a career in youth work
- Have basic IT skills including word processing
- Be self-motivated
- Be willing to participate in training to achieve qualifications in Youth Work
For more information please email apprenticeships@changemakers.org.uk or call 0845 60 50 240.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 11th November, with interviews being held week commencing 16th November. You will be required to attend a skills assessment and college and employer interviews. If you’re successful, the apprenticeship will begin on 30th November 2009
International Youth Arts Festival
After an incredibly successful launch year in 2009 the International Youth Arts Festival will be back in July 2010 with an even bigger programme showcasing the highest quality youth arts. This years programme will showcase the very best in youth theatre, dance, music, visual arts, site specific work, mixed media, carnival, film and a variety of other art forms from around the world.
The festival is created and produced by young people, giving young people opportunities not only as performers, but as event managers, producers, creators and innovators.
Applications to participate in IYAF 2010 are now open! They are currently searching for the highest quality youth arts work to fit into their programme for 2010. Guidelines and application forms are available at www.iyafestival.org.uk
Applications are open to any art form involving young people (i.e. up to 26). These may involve young people as performers, creators and artists or as producers and event managers. IYAF is also happy to receive applications for adult work which is specifically targeted at young people.
Summary of Key Board Decisions
The SYP Board have been meeting to make sure that the SYP is running like a well-oiled machine and the summary of the meeting of 14th September is now available online. To find out what was decided, head over to our Minutes and Records section to check it out by clicking here.
Back to List Julie and Keenan cover by-election
Next Thursday sees a by-election for the Glasgow North East constituency of the UK Parliament. Local MSYPs Julie Lennox and Keenan Alexander want to make sure young peoples’ views are at the heart of the campaign, so they’re currently tracking down all the candidates for the seat to interview them and ask why 18-25 year olds should vote for them.
They’ll also be interviewing young people across the constituency to find out what impact the by-election has had on them and whether it’s inspired them to go to the polls. The interviews will form an article for the local paper and www.syp.org.uk – so watch this space!
Chelsea heads for Parliament
The Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee recently organised an event for around 100 representatives from organisations with an interest in various equalities issues. Deputy Equalities Convener Chelsea Marshall MSYP represented the SYP at the event.
Chelsea told the Weekly Update that “in the debating chamber I got the chance to stand up and ask Margaret Mitchell, the Committee Convener, what she felt about the Scottish Youth Parliaments 'Votes at 16' campaign to which she gave a positive response to!
“There were lots of different topics raised including gypsy culture, young careers, equal pay and equalities within an institution. Through-out the rest of the event a lot of people were showing there agreement with the campaign to lower the voting age to 16. Later on in the day everyone was put into different groups and went into different subject committee rooms to discuss topics in future detail. I was part of the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture group were we spoke about the inequalities faced by some people within the work place, school and within different communities.”
Well done Chelsea, hopefully the Committee will put some of the ideas into action!
Midlothian MSYPs take part in National Conversation
Last week, young people from Midlothian Youth Platform including MSYPs Euan Archibald and Vikki Gibson, attended the National Conversation event at Dalkeith Schools Campus, where they heard from Alex Neil, Minister for Housing & Communities and Kenny MacAskill, Cabinet Secretary for Justice on the options for constitutional change.
This National Conversation event promoting debate on options for Scotland’s future, including independence is one of many meetings being held throughout Scotland to let the people of Scotland have their say. The Scottish Government are very keen to invite MSYPs along to the events and hear what young people have to say, so watch this space for news of any upcoming events near you!
During the open question and answer session after the presentations from the ministers of the Scottish Parliament, members of Midlothian Youth platform raised concerns around a number of matters, including: youth homelessness; the cost of higher education; lowering the voting age to 16 years and governmental support for youth participation and decision making.
Vikki told us that “this event was an excellent opportunity to find out more about what the Government would do with increased powers through independence. They responded well to our questions and listened to our views and supported the Scottish Youth Parliament’s current campaign ‘Votes at 16’.”
Well done folks! Keep your eyes on your emails for details of any National Conversation events in your area – they’re well worth a visit and a great opportunity to have your voice heard!
SYP visits Northern Ireland
The SYP is increasingly being recognised as a great example of how a youth parliament should be by decision-makers in Scotland and abroad – and they want to know the secrets of our success! Last week, SYP Chair Derek Couper, Vice Chair Liam Beattie and General Manager Ann Brown were invited across the water to Belfast by the Northern Ireland Executive to tell them about our work.
The trip to the beautiful Legislative Assembly buildings at Stormont got a very positive response, and the Executive are keen to use SYP as a good practice example for a potential future Northern Ireland Youth Assembly!
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