Partners
The Scottish Youth Parliament is a small organisation and couldn’t exist without its partners – even if we wanted to! The SYP works many different individuals and organisations, below you can find out a bit about some of the people we work with, together with links to their sites…
If you, your organisation or company are interested in working with the SYP, check out the Become a Partner section of the site for more information.
CIVICUS
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international alliance of members and partners which constitute an influential network of civil society organisations at the local, national, regional and international levels. CIVICUS has a vision of a global community of active, engaged citizens committed to the creation of a more just and equitable world. It acts as an advocate for citizen participation as an essential component of governance and democracy worldwide. CIVICUS has its global headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Scottish Youth Parliament has worked with CIVICUS on the delivery of the CIVICUS Youth Assembly events in 2007 and 2008 and Rajiv Joshi, former Chair of the SYP, was recently elected as the youngest ever director of the organisation. Their website is www.civicus.org.
Oxfam Scotland
Oxfam is a leading international NGO with a worldwide reputation for excellence in the delivery of aid and development work – their purpose is to work with other to overcome poverty and suffering. Over the last few years, the SYP has built a strong relationship with Oxfam in Scotland, resulting in our collaboration on the joint project Roars not Whispers. You can find out more about Oxfam at their website www.oxfam.org.uk.
Scottish Government
The devolved Government for Scotland is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport. It manages an annual budget of more than £30 billion in 2007-2008.
The Government was known as the Scottish Executive when it was established in 1999 following the first elections to the Scottish Parliament. The current administration was formed after elections in May 2007.
The Scottish Government is led by a First Minister who is nominated by the Parliament and in turn appoints the other Scottish Ministers who make up the Cabinet. Civil servants in Scotland are accountable to Scottish Ministers, who are themselves accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Almost since its inception, the Scottish Youth Parliament has been financially supported by the Scottish Government and they are currently our primary funder. You can find out more at www.scotland.gov.uk.
Scottish Local Authorities
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament are supported at a local level by their Local Authority - the SYP does not have the financial capacity to support everyone on a day-to-day basis and we are grateful to the Local Authorities with whom we work.
UK Youth Parliament
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) enables young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better. Run by young people for young people, UKYP provides opportunities for 11-18-year-olds from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to use their voice in creative ways to bring about social change. In Scotland the SYP is a partner organisation of UKYP. 64 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament between the ages of 14 and 18 have the opportunity to become Members of the UK Youth Parliament, to attend UK wide events and work on campaigns at a National and UK level. Check out the website at www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk.
Young Scot
Young Scot is the national youth information and citizenship charity. It provides young people, aged 11 - 26, with a mixture of information, ideas and incentives to help them become confident, informed and active citizens.
Young Scot and the Scottish Youth Parliament share offices and work very closely in partnership in a variety of different areas, especially around youth engagement and consultation. The two organisations have also worked together to facilitate the election of numerous MSYPs through the eVoting system and often share expertise and best practise when required. You can find out more at www.youngscot.net.
YouthLink Scotland
As the National Youth Work Agency in Scotland, YouthLink Scotland's mission is to be the collective voice of youth work, and to represent the needs and interests of the youth work sector with regard to policy and practice, to government, and other stakeholders. The cornerstones of their work are information, formation and partnership work, and they aim to promote a positive image of young people and the youth sector, and support the sector with funding, training and innovation. YouthLink also shares an office with SYP and we work together in a number of ways. Their website is available at www.youthlink-scotland.org
If you, your organisation or company are interested in working with the SYP, check out the Become a Partner section of the site for more information.