SYP Weekly Update 100
26th June 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
- MSYP Training Days
- Tell us what you thought about the June Sitting!
- Events and Procedures Groups - Places still available!
Communications
- Do your bit for the environment - become a paperless MSYP!
UK and International
Policy
General
- BYC Sex and Alcohol survey
- mPower 2010
- Young Peoples Mental Health - Voices of Experience
- SeeMe Photo Competition
FYI
- Happy 10th birthday SYP!
- Here's to 100 more Weekly Updates!
- Weekly Update Treasure Hunt
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.
MSYP Training Days
We are delighted to announce that SYP will be providing induction training for newly elected MSYPs! You may also be interested in this if you were elected during the last term but have not yet received initial training. The training day will be run twice in separate locations to give as many MSYPs as possible the opportunity to be involved. The options are as follows:
- Thursday 30th July, Glasgow
- Thursday 6th August, Perth
Both sessions will run from 10.30am-4.30pm. If you would like to attend either of the training sessions please get in touch with your support worker to discuss which will be the most suitable location for those coming from your local authority/voluntary organisation. You can only be registered for the event through your SYP support worker. Remember that it is the same session being run twice so you only need to come to one date!
Tell us what you thought about the June Sitting!
Hope you’ve recovered after the June Sitting! As we mentioned in the last Weekly Update the SYP's National Sittings are some of the biggest and most high profile things we do, as well as some of the only time where we get most of the membership under one roof. So it's really important that we make them the best and most youth-led experience for MSYPs we possibly can!
To do that we need to know what you think of them - so please give us 5 minutes of your time to take our short survey tell us how the Sitting was for you! So 26 MSYPs have taken part, which isn’t really enough for us to get a clear idea of what you thought! This is your chance to influence what happens at future Sittings so please take it!
MSYPs have been emailed a link to the survey in the email version of the Weekly Update. Go on, it’s super quick and will help us loads!
Events and Procedures Groups - Places still available!
In the last Weekly Update, we gave you the chance to sign up for the Events and Procedures Group will ensure that MSYPs are at the heart of planning events and activities. They’ll represent MSYPs, bring ideas forward and make recommendations to the SYP Board.
There's still a few places available in both groups. To join you’ll need to be an elected MSYP, have a commitment to attend meetings and be able to take forward small pieces of work agreed by the group.
The Events Group will be involved in the planning of Sitting agendas and activities, developing a schools programme…and much more! The Procedures Group will be working on things such as the new MSYP Handbook, disciplinary protocols, Investors in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation, the training programme and a review of National Voluntary Organisation membership.
To join the group, get in touch with Rob Gowans on 0131 313 2488 or rob.g@scottishyouthparliament.org.uk right away!
Back to List Do your bit for the environment - become a paperless MSYP!
At the Sitting we marched through the streets of Edinburgh for strong action on Climate Change. If you want to make a contribution to helping the environment, why not become a paperless MSYP?
While the Weekly Update and www.syp.org.uk bring you all the latest from the world of SYP, we do still send out some Sitting info out by post. You still get all the same info by email, so why not help us cut down on how much we print and post by becoming paperless?
What this basically means is that we won't send you stuff by snail mail any more. You won't miss out as we'll email you everything you need to know, and you'll help us help the environment at the same time!
To sign up to be a paperless MSYP, send an email to Rob Gowans at rob.g@scottishyouthparliament.org.uk with the word 'Paperless' in the email. Green and easy!
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Watch this space! There are no UK and International opportunities this week.
Back to List Climate Change success!
Scotland's world-leading legislation to tackle climate change has been passed by MSPs in the Parliament - with changes supported by the SYP!
We marched through the streets of Edinburgh at the Sitting in a high-profile march for a strong Bill, as well as working with our partners Roars not Whispers to petition the Scottish Parliament, and take part in several events to raise young peoples' voices on the issue.
The Bill sets a target of reducing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, including emissions from international aviation and shipping. It also sets an interim target for a 42 per cent cut in emissions by 2020.
Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson said:
"Scotland can be proud of this Bill, the most ambitious and comprehensive piece of climate change legislation anywhere in the world. As a country we are leading global action and expect others to follow our lead as we look to the international summit in Copenhagen this December.
"Achieving these targets will be challenging. But I am confident that Government, business and the people of Scotland are ready to rise to the challenge."
Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger also gave his backing to the Bill, as well as more than 21,000 responses from organisations and members of the public that were received to the Scottish Government's consultation on a draft Climate Change Bill.
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BYC Sex and Alcohol survey
The British Youth Council (BYC) is looking for the views of young people on sex, alcohol and the possible links between the two, to feed into a consultation with the Royal College of Physicians. They need as many people as possible to fill out this survey, in order to represent a realistic snapshot of the experiences of young people. This is an opportunity for young people to have their say and influence policy on issues relating to the sexual health of young people.
The survey will close on 29th June. You can take part by going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=iZ3YMoqdSUCBqWmeaZ9z3w_3d_3d
mPower 2010
The new project brought to you by macrobert in Stirling, mPOWER, is a project with ambition to change the face of the youth arts and culture at national level. Unparalleled in Scotland, the project is offering the opportunity for young people aged 12 to 17 from all over country to plan, programme and participate in their own festival. The festival will take place in August 2010 but they need you to start much sooner - this summer.
As part of the mPOWER team young people will have the opportunity to work with professionals from the creative industries; experiencing firsthand the various aspects of producing and directing an event which will include Theatre, Dance and Music.
So, whether an aspiring costume designer, trying a hand as a theatre technician, want to crack the music industry, interested in a go at marketing a festival or just want the chance to try something new and exciting then young people can get in touch now!
To get involved you need to be aged 12 to 17 and be able to give at least 2 hours each month. They will help with travel expenses. To find out more, get in touch with the mPower team on 01786 466668 or mpower@macrobert.org by Friday 10th July.
Young Peoples Mental Health - Voices of Experience
Are you 16 to 25 years old? Interested in having young peoples voices heard in relation to mental health?
VOX (Voice of Experience) is looking to form an interest group of young people who have or have had a lived experience of mental health to further strengthen the voice of young people and to lead on raising awareness of the issues that affect young people and mental health.
If you are interested or know someone who might be interested than please contact VOX for a chat about the group. Get in touch with John or Mahmud on mal-gailani@mhf.org.uk or 0141 5721663.
SeeMe Photo Competition
The 'see me' campaign has launched 'A Positive Frame of Mind 2009', our national photography competition. The competition will help 'see me' and our local partners to challenge the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health by inspiring creativity through photography.
The competition is being run in partnership with local 'hosts'. Each will hold local area competitions, with winners going forward to the national final, hosted online by 'see me'. If you are interested in being a host or would like to help us promote the competition, please get in touch via info@seemescotland.org to order some promotional posters, or to receive some prepared text for use in newsletters, websites etc.
This year's category for entry is 'Be there. Be Yourself'.
If you would like to take part in the competition please submit your photo to your nearest host before 18th September 2009. Hosts will hold exhibitions of all the entries they have received in October.
Log on to www.seemescotland.org/photography for a list of local area hosts and examples of the 2008 winners.
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Happy 10th birthday SYP!
As you'll know we celebrated the start of the SYP's tenth anniversary year in the evening of the Sitting. In case, you hadn't got it marked in your diary, this Tuesday (30th June) is the SYP's 10th birthday!
With great memories and real successes it's been a fantastic decade, and hopefully will be the start of an even better ten years. If you enjoyed the videos at the Sitting Anniversary Dinner, they'll be uploaded to the website soon, and we hope you have a great SYP birthday on Tuesday!
Here's to 100 more Weekly Updates!
As you'll notice from our special shiny banner, today marks a special edition of the Weekly Update. Our Friday friend is celebrating its 100th edition today, and SYP Trustee Directors Claire Ewing, Jodie Campbell, Aamir Riaz and Derek Couper popped into stately SYP manor to throw a party for the Weekly Update with cake!
The Weekly Update has come a long way from a collection of various email that used to get sent out round the membership. In the two years since its creation, the Update has been praised as good practice by HMIe, inspired several other organisations to create Weekly Updates of their own and most importantly, consistently being ranked as extremely useful by MSYPs!
With a lot of good feeling shown, and many inspiring articles submitted by MSYPs towards the Weekly Update, it makes editing it a real pleasure and we hope to be filling your inbox for many Fridays to come. We also put together a wee treasure hunt for Weekly Update fans which you can take part in below. We hope you enjoy reading it!
Weekly Update Treasure Hunt
To celebrate the 100th Weekly Update, we've put together a wee present for all the Weekly Update's many fans! It's a bit of a treasure hunt as most of the answers can be found in the previous 99 editions. You could win a prize by answering the following questions! Send your answers to Rob Gowans at rob.g@scottishyouthparliament.org.uk by next Friday - the person with the most correct answers will win!
- On what date did SYP Weekly Update 1 go out..?
- ...and what was the very first article about?
- The Weekly Update has six categories - Events, Communications, UK and International, Policy, General and FYI. Two have them have changed their names since the Weekly Update was launched, but which ones, and what were they originally called?
- The Weekly Update doen't go out over the festive period, as there's no-one around to send it. But on which other weeks is the Weekly Update not sent out?
- What was the hidden message in the email version of Weekly Update 95?
And a couple of tiebreaker questions for you to have a guess at...
- What is the MOST articles there has ever been in a single Weekly Update..?
- ...and what is the LEAST?
- Finally, as of Weekly Update 100, how many individual email addresses does the Weekly Update go out to?
Good luck and happy treasure hunting!
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