Scottish Youth Parliament

Scottish Youth Parliament The democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people.

✨ is here!February has been full on at SYP, and our MSYPs have been making sure young people’s voices are heard where ...
04/03/2026

✨ is here!

February has been full on at SYP, and our MSYPs have been making sure young people’s voices are heard where it matters most. 💬

Here’s a snapshot of what they’ve been doing:

📺 Speaking on TV about a proposed under-16s social media ban
🏛️ Sharing reflections on inclusion in the Scottish Parliament
🗳️ Leading conversations on voting and accessibility
📚 Breaking down education reform discussions into clear priorities
🏘️ Campaigning to keep Molendinar Community Centre open in Glasgow

Find out more on our website and keep an eye on our social media for the latest : https://bit.ly/4aKRfEP

🗳️ Democracy only works when everyone can take part.For young people, voting can be a stepping stone to being understood...
02/03/2026

🗳️ Democracy only works when everyone can take part.

For young people, voting can be a stepping stone to being understood. It’s a practical way to express their views and participate in spaces that are often dominated by adults.

Last month at the Scottish Parliament, Eilidh Morrison MSYP for RNIB Haggeye, shared that message during a discussion on voting and accessibility.

Voting systems must be accessible to everyone. Yet many young people, including those from seldom heard groups and disabled communities, still face barriers when exercising their right to vote independently and with dignity.

As we mark Women’s History Month, we’re proud to recognise the leadership of young women like Eilidh.

Alongside her work in Parliament, she has been campaigning to reduce the education attainment gap between blind and sighted students, championing equal opportunities in education and democratic participation alike.

Inclusion strengthens democracy — and young women are helping to lead that change.

Engaging with young people goes beyond inviting them to a meeting. It is about creating the right conditions, so they fe...
27/02/2026

Engaging with young people goes beyond inviting them to a meeting. It is about creating the right conditions, so they feel understood, valued and listened to.

Their lived experience brings insight that can genuinely shape better decisions.

That is why The Right Way resources were created by young people to guide organisations through meaningful youth participation, from planning agendas to creating youth-friendly spaces.

Check out these five tips to get started, and find out more about The Right Way training here: https://www.therightway.scot/

Last month, a group of MSYPs travelled to Dublin to take part in the Ireland UK Youth Forum, joining young people from a...
25/02/2026

Last month, a group of MSYPs travelled to Dublin to take part in the Ireland UK Youth Forum, joining young people from across the nations to discuss key issues affecting their lives, including mental health, the cost of living and education.

Working alongside delegates from Youth Scotland, they developed a series of recommendations for the Irish and UK Governments. These will be published in a report ahead of the UK-Ireland Leaders’ Summit later this year.

In our latest blog, Ella Quinn and Hamish Nott MSYP reflect on the experience, sharing insights from the forum and their time on the Youth Advisory Group, where they also met key decision makers, including the British Ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Kara Owen.

Read the full blog here: https://bit.ly/47ayfx0

After two years of working with young people across Scotland, the ‘Amplifying Child Safety Online’ project is now live!I...
11/02/2026

After two years of working with young people across Scotland, the ‘Amplifying Child Safety Online’ project is now live!

In partnership with the NSPCC, 10 Digital Safety Ambassadors used their lived experiences to create a practical toolkit covering topics like AI, misinformation, and online bullying - designed by young people, for young people.

Catriona Daw, MSYP for Falkirk East, said:

“Young people should be safe online, but this isn’t always the case… more needs to be done by tech companies and politicians to make sure children don’t see inappropriate content.”

Explore the resources here: https://bit.ly/4tll4CW

11/02/2026

The ‘Amplifying Child Safety Online’ project is now live! 📲

Over the last two years, we’ve worked closely with the NSPCC to make sure young people’s experiences in the online world are reflected in a toolkit that can be used by the wider youth community. The resources cover topics like AI (Artificial Intelligence), misinformation, online bullying… and so much more! 💙

We caught up with some of the Digital Safety Ambassadors (the young people involved in the project) to chat a little bit about the initiative. Here’s what they had to say!

To check out the resources, please visit our website — link in our bio!

10/02/2026

If you feel like all people talk about now is Artificial Intelligence (or AI for short), you’re right – AI is everywhere!

Today, we mark Safer Internet Day, with this year’s reflections based around the theme ‘Smart tech, safe choices – exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’. As AI becomes a more popular tool, it’s important that we’re aware of its pros and cons. Young people should be given the skills and confidence to make safe choices if they decide to use this technology.

We asked Lucy and Kristers what they think about AI. If you’d like to find out more about the topic, visit the Mind Yer Time website – the link is in our bio.

Young people are often blamed for anti-social behaviour on public transport, but this narrative ignores the reality many...
04/02/2026

Young people are often blamed for anti-social behaviour on public transport, but this narrative ignores the reality many young people experience.

Last summer, buses in Dundee were labelled ‘mobile gang huts’ simply because young people were using them to get around the city. Yet young people have consistently told us that they, too, often feel unsafe on public transport.

Proposals to withdraw concessionary travel passes, including for under-22s, won’t make public transport safer - they will only make it harder for young people to access education, work, and their communities.

In his latest blog, Marcus Flucker, MSYP for Angus South and Vice Chair of Scottish Youth Parliament, explains why removing access to affordable transport risks further marginalising young people who need support the most.

At SYP, we stand up for young people’s rights; our Manifesto sets out a clear, youth-led vision for decision-makers to deliver real change across Scotland.

Read the full blog here: https://bit.ly/4brXZIn

To meaningfully engage with young people, we need to understand their rights - and how to put them into practice.Article...
27/01/2026

To meaningfully engage with young people, we need to understand their rights - and how to put them into practice.

Article 12 of the UNCRC gives every child the right to have their views heard and considered in decisions that affect them.

To help make this practical, our Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) have created an online UNCRC Article 12 training, designed and delivered by young people themselves.

The course takes around 1.5–2 hours to complete and offers practical tools to support meaningful participation.

👉 Find out more here: https://bit.ly/45veUGf

Young people are aware of how politics affects their everyday lives, from education and transport to healthcare, employm...
19/01/2026

Young people are aware of how politics affects their everyday lives, from education and transport to healthcare, employment, and the economy.

Yet many feel powerless to influence decisions, even though they see clearly how politics impacts the people around them.

In partnership with Young Scot, we surveyed hundreds of young people across Scotland to find out what they really think about politics and misinformation.

The Young People and Politics report is now available on our website: https://bit.ly/4pFUuBC

Young people want a say but many don’t know where to start! Our latest research with Young Scot shows that most young p...
15/01/2026

Young people want a say but many don’t know where to start!

Our latest research with Young Scot shows that most young people in Scotland care about politics and feel it affects their lives.

But more than half don’t know how to get involved and many say it’s hard to know what information online can be trusted. Social media is where lots of young people get their news, but almost 6 in 10 say spotting what’s real or misleading is a challenge.

We believe young people deserve clear, trustworthy information to help them make informed decisions. What do you think?

Read the full Young People and Politics report here: https://bit.ly/4pFUuBC

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