To check which Scottish Parliamentary constituency you are in, please visit https://boundaries.scot/ and enter your postcode.
What you can do
Please encourage young people you work with or are in contact with to vote for their preferred candidates. Every vote will count so it’s essential that we give as many young people as possible the opportunity to vote.
The Scottish Youth Parliament is the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people. Please help us to ensure that we have a good turnout in Edinburgh so that the successful candidates have a strong mandate to represent young people.
Are you 25 or under and passionate about issues such as climate change, equality, poverty and your community? Or do you know someone who is? If so, then you might be interested in the forthcoming elections for the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP).
The SYP represents Scotland’s young people and democratically elected members listen to and recognise the issues that are most important to young people, making sure their voices are heard by decision-makers. It is a highly rewarding role that requires passion, determination and, perhaps most importantly, commitment.
All young people aged between 14 and 25 can stand for election and anyone aged between 12 to 25 is eligible to vote.
This year’s elections will be held in November and applications are open until 31 July.
Before then, interested young people can find out more and begin the application process on the SYP website which is open until 31 July.
Information sessions will be held and there is support available from the SYP and from Edinburgh’s Youth Work Team.
Beau Johnston, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Edinburgh Central, said: “I felt so well supported and was pushed out of my comfort zone constantly – but in the best possible way.
“My confidence has improved, and I have learnt many new skills. I feel grateful to have met so many inspirational people throughout this process, and to have worked with them on issues that I am so passionate about.”
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for young people to join the Scottish Youth Parliament and make their voices heard.
“The Parliament has a proud history of delivering youth led campaigns that deliver meaningful change and have led to many improvements to the lives of young people not just here in Edinburgh but across Scotland. I would encourage anyone interested to apply and see if you can really make a difference.”
The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) represents Scotland’s young people.
Democratically elected members listen to and recognise the issues that are most important to young people, ensuring that their voices are heard by decision-makers. All young people aged between 14 and 25 years old can stand for election to the SYP.
Following on from last year’s successful SYP elections in Edinburgh, one seat remains unfilled in Northern and Leith. SYP rules state that the vacancy should be filled.
Where a seat is vacant, it can be filled through existing youth structures.
We are therefore asking young people involved in pupil/student councils or other youth structures such as participation groups in youth work agencies if they are interested in becoming a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Northern and Leith.
Interested young people must live, study (i.e. go to school or college) or work in the constituency.
A renewed commitment for young people to play a key role in Scottish politics has been made today by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament.
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, and the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), Josh Kennedy MYSP, signed the Working in Partnership agreement.
It will see both organisations working more closely together on a range of issues to increase young people’s representation and involvement in the work of the Parliament, with young people’s rights placed at the heart of the work being undertaken.
This will include the Scottish Parliament hosting a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament once every two years; developing relationships between Members of both Parliaments; ensuring young people can contribute to committee inquiries and providing opportunities for both staff teams to connect with each other to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone MSP, said:
“Young people across the world have shown what activism and having a strong voice can do. We want to harness this commitment to ensure the views of young people are better reflected within the work of the Parliament.”
Josh Kennedy MYSP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Last week the Scottish Youth Parliament welcomed 150 new Members following our 2021 elections. Throughout our elections young people highlighted the issues they want to see changed from mental health, to education, to the climate emergency.
“In signing this partnership, the Scottish Parliament and SYP are reaffirming our joint commitment to building a relationship between MSYPs, MSPs & Parliament. By supporting MSYPs and MSPs to work together we will ensure young people’s voices at the centre of decision making”
This Working in Partnership agreement signed today continues the work that started in 2018, which included a sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament in October 2019; closer working between Scottish Parliament committees and the SYP; and an ongoing programme of training and support for SYP members to engage meaningfully in the parliamentary processes.
The Scottish Youth Parliament election results 2021 were announced on Monday 22 November. Eleven new Members of the SYP will now represent young people in Edinburgh.
Ten of those elected are from state schools in the city, seven are young women and three are from a Black and Minority Ethnic background.
One remaining seat, in Northern and Leith, will be contested in the new year.
Edinburgh registered the highest number of expressions of interest in Scotland from potential candidates and fielded the most candidates (26) of any local authority.
We also achieved the highest voter turnout in Edinburgh since 2015, despite many of the usual campaigning activities being curtailed because of the pandemic.
Councillor Ellie Bird, Young People’s Champion, said: “I want to commend the astonishing achievements and contributions of all 26 candidates that stood across Edinburgh in the Scottish Youth Parliament election, and warmly welcome the eleven new MSYPs into our city’s elected member family.
“The success of this year’s election is a testament to the commitment and passion of everyone involved in prioritising the voice of young people, at a time when it’s never been more important.
“Due to the restricted access to schools, youth clubs and community centres, candidates have had to rely on their own ingenuity, creativity and sheer dogged persistence to get their message, and their vote, out.
“The determination that these young people have demonstrated in standing up for what they believe in by putting themselves forward for election and to be accountable to their electorate, especially during such a challenging period for young people, is nothing short of inspirational.
“I know they all have a lot to offer their communities and the causes they care about most, and I can’t wait to see what they do next and look forward to working with Edinburgh’s newest group of elected representatives to place young people at the heart of policy and decision making.”
For more information about the election and the successful candidates, please see @edinburghMSYPs
Children and young people from across Scotland are to take part in a nation-wide climate surgery with MSPs next month as part of a new initiative to ensure their voices are heard as part of the debate on the climate emergency.
Taking place on Friday 29 October, titled The Moment, it will be an opportunity for children and young people to engage with their elected representatives in places where they live, learn and play. It will allow them to communicate their expectations and hopes for their future.
Ahead of this, children and young people will be encouraged and supported to communicate their calls to action in tackling the climate emergency ahead of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. A number of new resources have been developed to enable children and young people to have their say.
The Children’s Parliament has developed a digital toolkit for children to explore climate issues and take part in creative activities to identify what issues they want to raise. The Scottish Youth Parliament has similarly developed resources to empower young people across Scotland to explore and raise issues.
The initiative is in partnership with Globe International and children and young people will also report on the commitments from the day at the international COP26 GLOBE Legislators’ Summit – one of the biggest online gatherings of international parliamentarians – being hosted at the Scottish Parliament on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th November.
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone MSP said: “As all eyes turn to Glasgow in November, this new initiative is a unique opportunity for parliamentarians to hear what is important to children and young people and what they can expect from their elected representatives on how we tackle the climate emergency.
“I am proud the Scottish Parliament can play its part in supporting and encouraging young people to feel part of this global debate on one of the most fundamental issues our world is currently facing.”
Member of Children’s Parliament, age 11, Highlands said:“We want to see more awareness of the climate emergency, and changes in our community.
“We think everyone should be involved to make changes for our planet. We need to talk about our ideas with adults that can make change.”
Cathy McCulloch, co-director of the Children’s Parliament, said: “A world free of climate disasters, where all children can be healthy, happy and safe without worry of losing their homes to flooding or their food to drought, is integral to their human rights.
“Since the establishment of Children’s Parliament in 1996. Children have consistently told us that they are passionate about the environment and concerned about their future.
“The Moment gives children and young people a unique opportunity to communicate their concerns and their calls to action to their elected representatives.
“By taking part in The Moment, children and young people continue to highlight critical climate and environmental issues that many adults are not yet fully engaged with but which we all need to take seriously.”
Wiktoria Orlicka MSYP, Trustee of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said:“We hope that COP26 in Glasgow will be a fantastic opportunity for the whole world to come together and commit to create a better, healthier, and more just future for us all.
“Our From Scotland’s Young People Manifesto described the climate emergency as an issue of climate justice. This has to be one of the most important themes at COP26, and ‘The Moment’ offers a genuine opportunity for young people to bring issues like this directly to Scotland’s decision makers.
“It’s always fantastic to see children and young people taking initiative to campaign for the environment, and I urge Scotland’s decision-makers to listen to children and young people at ‘The Moment’ and take our perspectives on board.”
A new study examining the impact of lockdowns on Scotland’s young people has revealed that over two-thirds (67%) feel positive about their current employment situation as lockdown eases, but only two-fifths of Scottish students are confident about securing future employment.
Commissioned by the Scottish Government and delivered by the Scottish Youth Parliament, YouthLink Scotland and Young Scot, the study of nearly 2,500 young people serves as a follow-up to previous surveys that explored young people’s concerns in response to the pandemic.
The latest LockdownLowdown research examines the lasting impact of lockdowns and comes as many young people return to in-person education and work as lockdown restrictions ease.
The results revealed that job satisfaction among young people has risen since last year, with 67% of young people feeling good about their current job situation – a 12% increase from the previous LockdownLowdown report in the winter.
However, positive sentiment waned when young people were asked about their confidence in finding a job in the future – with 2 in 5 (37%) of those currently in higher education concerned about securing graduate employment.
In general, employment and finances were leading worries among young people, with more than a third (36%) admitting that their work hours had been cut, while a fifth (22%) were placed on furlough, and 18% lost their job entirely. This comes when over a third (36%) don’t know where to access information on financial support.
The Lockdown Lowdown survey identified mental health as a further concern among young people, with over a third (35%) worried about their mental wellbeing and two fifths (40%) not confident about accessing information on mental health and wellbeing.
Following the reopening of schools and learning environments, over three quarters (76%) of young people have returned to in-person education – with 85% happy to be back. However, nearly half of respondents (44%) felt unprepared in the run-up to this year’s assessments, and only 2 in 5 (38%) were confident that the grades determined by their teachers would be delivered fairly.
Nearly 2,500 young people from across Scotland took part in the research that will be used by the Scottish Government and shared with stakeholders, including the NHS and local authorities.
Josh Kennedy MSYP, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said:“Meaningfully engaging with the views of young people is the only way to ensure that decisions are made with their views and needs at the centre.
“The latest LockdownLowdown report makes it very easy for decision-makers to find out what young people think about restrictions easing. Young people have had an incredibly challenging time over the last year and a half.
“I would encourage every decision-maker in Scotland to look at the views presented in this report and consider them when making decisions about how Scotland comes out of the Pandemic.”
Tim Frew, CEO of YouthLink Scotland, said:“As we strive to return our lives to normal after this really challenging period, it’s vital that government and other decision makers know where young people are at, and their thinking on the pandemic.
“In this latest survey there are very clear messages from young people around anxiety about future employment prospects, mental health remains a significant concern and there are clearly issues about the impact lockdown has had on assessments and results.
“As we continue to come through the pandemic, the voices of young people need to be listened to as we shape the way forward. The findings also show the importance of youth work to many young people, and demonstrates the incredible support youth workers have continued to offer in extremely difficult circumstances.”
Kirsten Urquhart, Interim CEO of Young Scot said: “Given the immense challenges young people have faced throughout the pandemic, it’s no surprise to see rising concern over future employment.
“While a surge in job satisfaction is cause for cautious optimism – we want to reassure young people that Young Scot is here to support every young person with their next steps as we begin to recover from the pandemic.”
After the launch of the first phase of our elections last week, we have another info session on Wednesday 21 April for any young people interested in becoming an MSYP!
Youth-led campaign aims to raise awareness of young carers to supermarkets during lockdown
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament have started a campaign on the issue of supermarket access for young carers and young adult carers during this Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
This campaign has been set up by Ilse Cuthbertson MSYP, Carers Trust Scotland and Aaran McDonald MSYP, Cunninghame South.
During lockdown, a significant and recurring issue raised by young carers is that some are still not getting access to supermarkets during protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups.
Young carers are facing age discriminationand refusal to access if they are accompanied by family members.
One young person got in touch with their MSYP, and said: “After waiting in the long queue, a member of staff said they were only allowing 2 people into the store per family. After explaining I am a young carer, the staff member still couldn’t understand why there needed to be two carers.
“I had to further explain my caring responsibilities for my brother and mum before the member of staff finally allowed us in. This was an emotional and frustrating situation and no young carer should need to go through this.”
There is also inconsistency of messaging by supermarkets across the UK, and even from store to store. Furthermore, a number of carers are struggling to get access to online shopping or difficulty meeting the minimum expenditure for online shopping. This issue also intertwines with carer identification.
#Supermarkets4Change aims to raise awareness of unpaid carers with local supermarkets and to include these young people in the protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups.
MSYPs have written to local supermarket stores on behalf of their constituents, raising awareness of who young carers are, and why it is important to include these young people in dedicated shopping times.
Ilse Cuthbertson, MSYP and Aaran McDonald, MSYP said: “We wanted to start #Supermarkets4Change as young carers and young adult carers have been approaching us due to the lack of understanding within supermarkets.
“We have learnt that this is not just an issue locally but nationally. This is an extremely important issue right now. We hope that supermarkets will start to understand the role that a young carer or young adult carer has.”
This campaign also aims to empower young people to take action. MSYPs have created a template letter and are sharing this with as many young people as possible.
If a young person is aware of this issue in their local community, they can use this template to write to the local store manager. Young people are encouraged to share this on social media using the hashtag #Supermarkets4Change so we can raise greater awareness!
Young people can also get in touch with Ilse and Aaran for support on this:
