The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3655 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Scottish Youth Parliament Elections: just seven days left to cast your vote

You still have seven days to cast your vote in the Scottish Youth Parliament elections …

The Scottish Youth Parliament is a non-party political organisation made up of 150 young people representing every constituency in Scotland. It campaigns to highlight the views of Scotland’s young people on a national and international stage.

Its members meet three times each year at a range of different locations, including in the main chamber at Holyrood’s Scottish Parliament.

There are 12 seats representing Edinburgh open to candidates who receive the most votes at the elections in March. These are in six city areas: Central, Eastern, Northern & Leith, Pentlands, Southern and Western.

Anyone aged between 12 and 25 is eligible to vote – to get involved young people can log onto the Young Scot website and use their Young Scot number to vote (temporary numbers for voting are also available from a selection of schools and community venues across the city).

EDINBURGH NORTHERN & LEITH CANDIDATES

EILIDH MACKAY

SYP_Mani_EilidhMackay_UPDATED

Hello, I’m Eilidh, and I want to be your MSYP for Edinburgh North and Leith. Why Me?

 I am passionate about being a voice for young people in my area and across Scotland
 I think there are important changes that need to be made for the benefit of young people in our country
 I have been a member of the Youth Issues forum for 4 years, proving my enthusiasm and meaning I know what issues are important to young people in Edinburgh
 I have a lot of experience in public speaking so won’t be afraid to speak out about the issues that are important

MAIN ISSUES

 Votes at 16
This is something I feel very strongly about; we have a voice that deserves to be heard

 Sex Education
I feel that there is a serious lack of proper sex ed in schools. This is an issue I’ve heard from a lot of people and one I promise to take forward

 School Dinners
Everyone knows school dinners are awful, so why has nothing changed? There needs to be a proper look taken at the quality and healthiness of what we serve to school students.

Follow Me – @littlenerdyscot – and tweet me with any questions you may have. I Hope I Have Your Vote!

KIERAN REAPE

K__Reape_Manifesto_PDF

Why I’m Standing
I’m standing for Edinburgh Northern and Leith in the upcoming 2015 Scottish Youth Parliament elections to represent the young people in the
Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency.
What I will support and commit to as a Member of Scottish Youth Parliament:
– Votes at 16 (including all elections; UK and Scottish General Elections;
European Elections and Local Council Elections)
– Equality in Young People.
– Higher minimum wage for under-18’s and Modern Apprentices

I want Votes at 16 to become a reality across every type of election possible. This ties in with equality in young people. Young people should be able to Vote.

I also want Modern Apprentices and Under 18’s to be paid higher. The Modern Apprenticeship minimum wage is £2.73 per hour. Compare
that to the National Minimum of £6.50 per hour and you can see that the
gap is far too big.

A little bit about me
I’m 17 years old and born and raised in Edinburgh. I attended Drummond Community High School. After leaving in 5th year I ended up doing some work with the European Parliament shortly after I left school and eventually started a Certificate of Work Readiness at
the National Records of Scotland in January 2014 to March 2014.
I completed the certificate in March and achieved a Highly Commended SQA Star Award for my efforts there and my destination of work after the placement. After the placement I immediately started a one year modern apprenticeship for a SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration. I now work for the Scottish Government.

Like me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KieranReapeMSYP

Follow me on Twitter: @Keezor

Email me: K.L.Reape@gmail.com

Please note that due to the Code of the Civil Service, my influence on anything to do with the portfolio I will work in is extremely limited. It’s fortunate that each constituency actually has two MSYP’s. In the case of a portfolio topic, of where I work was to arise, I would plan to hand it over to the other MSYP of the constituency.

TERRI SMITH

SYP_Manifesto_Terri_Smith_Edinburgh_Northern_and_Leith

Past experience:
 I’ve been a MSYP since 2009
 Current Vice Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament
 Peer educator/mentor locally & nationally
 Youth Worker with disadvantaged young people
 Involved in 3 successful national campaigns
 Registered over 200 young people to vote in the referendum

Why vote for me?

 I have vast experience

 I’m hard working

 Great at public speaking

 I love working with young people

 I always throw in a bit of banter

 I’m committed to further representing you for another 2 years!

 I have a great working relationship with our politicians.

A vote for #TeamTerri is a vote for …

1. More support for LGBT young people
2. More knowledge and access to local and national opportunities
3. Engage and provide more support to the local youth forum and youth clubs/groups
4. Campaign to improve work experience
5. Tackle bullying In schools and provide further support for bullied young people
6. Continue to work with NUS Scotland to ensure college and university students aren’t facing further cuts to their education.

Police Chief: ‘Edinburgh is a safe city’

Chief Supt Mark Williams Responds to Recent Firearms Incidents in Edinburgh

Chief Supt Mark Williams, Divisional Commander for the City of Edinburgh (pictured above) said: “Over the past few days, officers across Edinburgh have been involved in investigating a number of incidents in the city involving firearms.

“These crimes are isolated and are not linked. We’ve got dedicated teams pursuing positive lines of inquiry into those we believe are involved and let me be clear, we will do all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Edinburgh is a safe city, violent crime is continuing to fall and incidents like these are thankfully rare.

“We would appeal to anyone who has information about these incidents to come forward and speak to us in complete confidence. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Jewellery robbery: Drylaw pair in custody

A man and a woman are being held in connection with an armed robbery at an Edinburgh jewellers yesterday. Police Scotland said a 27-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman have been detained.

An investigation was launched after a man robbed Laing the jewellers in Frederick Street at gunpoint and took watches to the value of £100,000. The robber subsequently hijacked a private hire car and was last seen in Pilton Drive North.

The couple were detained in North Edinburgh this afternoon following the search of a property in Easter Drylaw.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police in Edinburgh attended an address in Easter Drylaw earlier today (Tuesday) as part of their investigation into an armed robbery and investigations are ongoing.”

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or through Crimestoppers on 08000 555 111.

Funding for trainees in creative industries

£100,000 funding has been awarded through Creative Scotland to support ten full time, year-long traineeships across the arts, screen and creative industries, it was announced today.

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Hawthornvale will be one of the five capital-based organisations to offer traineeships.

The Traineeships Programme aims to support the employment prospects for people aged 20-30yrs interested in developing a career in arts and culture, by creating valuable work experience opportunities.

Traineeships will take place at Africa In Motion (AiM) Film Festival, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Media Education, Starcatchers and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) in Edinburgh; GMAC Film and Barrowland Ballet in Glasgow; Ayr Gaiety Theatre in Ayrshire; The Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, and with Jewellery designer Eileen Gatt in the Highlands.

Leonie Bell, Director of Arts & Engagement, Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is committed to supporting the creation of opportunities for young people to gain employment, work experience and vocational qualifications in the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland.

“These traineeships will offer young people the opportunity to develop the skills and professional experience needed to progress in their chosen profession by removing barriers to paid work experience.

“At the same time, organisations will benefit from fresh, innovative ideas and enthusiasm of the trainees.”

Traineeships will be offered across the following areas:

Visual Arts
Assistant Curator (Programme Team) – Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Gallery Programmes Trainee: Exhibitions, Learning & Digital (Curatorial and Education) – The Pier Arts Centre

Film
Shadow Curator – Africa In Motion (AiM) Film Festival
Online Film Content Developer – GMAC Film
Trainee Project Assistant / Member of Production Team – Media Education

Theatre and Dance
Starcatchers Trainee Associate Artist – Starcatchers Productions
Programme Officer (Programming Department) – Ayr Gaiety
Dance Participation Artist, Participation and Outreach Department – Barrowland Ballet

Craft
Eileen Gatt: Jewellery designer/maker

Literature
Digital and Language Resources Trainee – TRACS based at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

All Traineeships will be advertised on Creative Scotland’s Opportunities site.

Welcoming the announcement Irene Kernan, Director at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, said: “The Creative Scotland Traineeship will support Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s aims of developing talent and supporting young artists in their careers. Being able to employ a trainee for a full year provides a valuable opportunity for us to bring new approaches and skills to the staff team and further develop our public programme to connect with local audiences.”

Framing the art of science

His Excellency Rolando Drago, Chilean Ambassador to the UK, accepts the gift of a painting from award-winning botanical artist Gülnur Ekşi during the Royal Horticultural Society’s London Botanical Art Show last weekend.

Also in the photograph is botanist Paulina Hechenleitner – accompanied by daughter Martha – one of three authors of the forthcoming book Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile for which Gülnur has prepared 35 paintings.

The book – the first one of its kind in English – will be published by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in early October 2015.

Shots fired in West Pilton

Shots were fired at a house in West Pilton March in the early hours of this morning. The house in West Pilton March was targeted at around 1am but no one was injured in the attack.

Police Scotland have launched an investigation. A spokesman said: “Police in north Edinburgh are investigating a report of a firearm discharge at a house in West Pilton March.”

We will update this story as more information becomes available

Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlist announced

The Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2015 are on 4 March in Edinburgh. Check out who made this year’s shortlist:

http://bit.ly/SCBA_15.

The shortlisting panel also wanted to recommend the following titles as Highly Commended. When you’ve read the shortlist why not take a look at these too?

Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)

Lollipop and Grandpa’s Dinosaur Hunt by Penelope Harper, illustrated by Cate James

Share by Sally Anne Garland

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

The Day the World Went Loki by Robert J Harris

Winter’s Tales by Lari Don

Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom by William Sutcliffe

Older Readers (12-16 years)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Mind Blind by Lari Don

Afton Terrace intruders: man to appear in court

Last month a theft took place at an address in Afton Terrace during which the homeowner disturbed a male intruder in his house.

Following extensive enquiries police traced and interviewed a man who was subsequently charged with a number of offences including serious assault. He is due to appear at court today.

£6.5 million to support youth employment

‘additional resource to tailor to activity to local need as we progress work to ensure all of Scotland’s young people have the best possible chance of success.’ – Roseanna Cunningham

Scotland’s 32 local authorities will split £6.5 million from the Scottish Government to take forward a variety of programmes to support young people to find work. Edinburgh’s share of the fund is £463,000.

The funding has been put in place to support the implementation of the recommendations from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce which outlined a new blueprint for work-based training last year.

The funding will go towards initiatives to develop vocational and employment pathways for young people, strengthen links between schools and employers and help vulnerable groups become work ready.

Local authorities have now been informed of how much they will receive for 2014/15. Edinburgh’s share of the fund is topped only by Glasgow City, which will receive £692,850.

Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training Roseanna Cunningham said: “The latest trends on youth employment have been hugely encouraging but there is no room for complacency. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting more young women and men into jobs and published a new youth employment strategy in December.

“At the heart of our strategy is the report by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce. We will continue to work closely with our partners in local government and Scotland’s business community on its implementation as part of a seven year plan to create a new world-class system of work-based training that will work for both the economy and the job prospects of our young people.

“I am very pleased to be able to confirm funding for all of our local authorities that will give them additional resource to tailor activity to local need as we progress work to ensure all of Scotland’s young people have the best possible chance of success.”

Parents and people with disabilities hardest hit by welfare reforms

‘This latest evidence shows that some of those most in need of support, namely parents and disabled people are being hardest hit. For us to be in this situation in 21^st century Scotland is unacceptable.’ – Michael McMahon MSP

Parents and people with disabilities are being hit hardest by the UK Government’s programme of welfare reform according to new research commissioned by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee.

The report, published yesterday, represents the first time the impact of the UK Government’s welfare reform agenda on different household types in Scotland has been quantified.

The research for the Committee was conducted by Professors Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill of the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University.

The new evidence shows that in Scotland, it is estimated that couples with dependent children will lose an average of more than £1,400 a year, and lone parents with dependent children stand to lose an average of around £1,800 a year from their income stream.

In all, families with children will lose an estimated £960m a year – approaching two-thirds of the overall financial loss in Scotland.

Disabled claimants and those with health problems have also been shown to be disproportionately affected. Reductions in incapacity benefits are estimated to average £2,000 a year, and some of the same people also face big losses in Disability Living Allowance and reductions in other benefits.

Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP said: “The Welfare Reform Committee has amassed a growing volume of evidence documenting the impact of the welfare reform agenda on Scotland’s communities. This latest evidence shows that some of those most in need of support, namely parents and disabled people are being hardest hit. For us to be in this situation in 21^st century Scotland is unacceptable.”

The report also shows that almost half the reduction in benefits might be expected to fall on in-work households.

Deputy Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: “The Scottish Government is to be commended for introducing measures to alleviate some of the worst effects of the welfare reform agenda. New powers over a range of benefits are due to be given to Holyrood in the coming years and this research will help direct those new powers to help those most in need of support.”

Until now, there has been no way to assess the impact across the various benefits on different types of households. Because of the cumulative impact of people being affected by several different benefit streams, the overall impact of welfare reforms has been hidden.

The statistics are expected to become an essential tool for government and local authorities in shaping targeted responses and service delivery.

The research follows two previous reports which measured the financial impact of welfare reform on Scotland as a whole and by local authority area, and the impact down to ward level.

The Committee expects to hear oral evidence on this report at its meeting on 10 March.

Professor Steve Fothergill, of the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The figures demonstrate that the welfare reforms impact very unevenly. The very big impact on families with children, in particular, has previously been under the radar because it is the cumulative result of several individual reforms. Coalition ministers have argued that “we’re all in it together”. The impacts of welfare reform, documented in our report, show this is far from being the case.”