Press Release
MSYPs report on 46th sitting of Youth Parliament
The 46th Scottish Youth Parliament sitting was hosted by the North Ayrshire Council on the 29th and 30th of October. It was set to be a motivating and inspiring weekend and lived up to all expectations. Shetland’s Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) Emily Shaw and Nicole Mouat travelled alongside their Support Worker, Martin Summers from Shetland Youth Services.
The busy weekend saw three key speakers, five members’ motions, consultation work on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and work for the Love Equally campaign as well as other small sessions.
On Saturday, the Real David Cameron kicked off the weekend with a motivating speech for MSYP’s encouraging them to be the change they want to see. This was followed by the weekend’s members’ motions, which showed the passion young people can feel for an issue and that they can move for the change discussed by Mr Cameron. Topics discussed were – unpaid internships; the funding of religious schools; the provision of education on first aid and disabilities in schools; support for young carers; and financial support for students. Each sparked debate, particularly the funding of religious schools, which was the only motion which was not passed by the membership.
A small consultation session was held on the Rights of Children and Young People in Scotland followed by the Rt. Hon. Michael Moore MP and Secretary of State for Scotland being welcomed for a question and answer session. This session gave MSYP’s the opportunity to question the Secretary on topics of their choice.
The evening entertainment was a Halloween themed disco. The majority of members and staff dressed up for the event and had a great time dancing around and playing fun Halloween games.
Sunday was back to business with a question and answer session with the Board of Trustees. Emily Shaw MSYP was elected during the last sitting as a Trustee and this was an opportunity to inform the membership about recent activities and answer any questions they had. Then it was time for subject committees. Emily sits on the Social Justice committee while Nicole is in Transport, Environment and Rural Affairs (TERA). The whole membership came back together after lunch to have an update on the current national campaign, Love Equally. Tim Hopkins, director of Equality Network, gave a speech explaining why equal marriage rights is such an important campaign for the LGBT community in Scotland. To end the weekend there was an interactive training session that provided MSYP’s with further information about marriage rights to enable them to successfully promote the campaign.
It was yet another successful sitting of debating and discussing a wide range of issues. As always it showed the dedication MSYP’s have for making sure young people throughout Scotland have a voice and can move towards making a difference.
For more information about the Scottish Youth Parliament visit www.syp.org.uk or to contact Emilyand Nicole please email shetlandmsyps@sypmail.org.uk