Members of Scottish Youth Parliament
Register Your Interest - By Election
Cunninghame North
What are we looking for?
North Ayrshire Council is looking for nominations to become Members of the Scottish
Youth Parliament for March 2016 – March 2017. Young people will have to live in
North Ayrshires Cunninghame North area (Ardrossan, Garnock Valley, Arran, Largs
and North Shore and parts of Saltcoats and Stevenston) and be age 14-25 years old.
Two members will be elected to will represent Cunninghame North.
What does an MSYP do and what is SYP?
The Scottish Youth Parliament is the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s
young people. They are a young people’s parliament, designed by young people
and led by young people for the benefit of young people. They are committed to
ensuring young people are heard by the decision makers of Scotland and are
determined to campaign on the issues which matter most to Scotland’s youth.
The Scottish Youth Parliament is made up of 150 young people aged 14-25 years
from across Scotland who represents constituencies and national voluntary
organisations. They have two elected Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament
(MSYPs) per Scottish Parliamentary constituency, with another 50 from national
voluntary organisations.
The work of the SYP is designed to deliver five key objectives:
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Affecting Change: A nation that listens to the voices of its young people.
Diverse Representation: All of Scotland’s young people are able to
participate.
Positive about Young People: Young people are recognised as key
contributors to Scottish society.
Developing Leaders: Through access to opportunities and training, our
young people lead the way.
Celebrating Democracy: A strengthened relationship between young
citizens and their political structures.
MSYPs identify the views of young people from North Ayrshire and take these issues
to the Scottish Youth Parliament to ensure the voices of young people are heard
nationally.
Young people will be expected to meet up with the other three MSYP’s from North
Ayrshire monthly for one evening or afternoon to discuss what they have been doing
in their role as an MSYP.
There are also four MSYP sittings on the Executive Committee of North Ayrshire
Youth Council (once every four weeks) and attending our Cabinet meetings that take
place four times a year during school time, (permission is always granted from
schools to attend these meetings) as well as attend our full Youth Council three
times a year.
How to register your interest
Please contact Donna Anderson direct on danderson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk no later
than Friday 15th January 2016. We will arrange to meet all candidates the following
week and complete your manifestos.
What do young people get from it?
 Travel around Scotland
 Meet new people
 Campaign for issues that matter to you
 Get involved in national campaigns
 Increase self confidence
 Learn new skills
 Add to your CV
 Gain qualifications
 Become an active citizen
 Have fun
How much time will it take up?
On average it will take up about 5 hours per week attending meetings/sittings etc
and consulting with local young people.
How much does it cost?
It does not cost you anything apart from your time; all of your travel and
accommodation are paid for.
Where do the sittings take place?
All over Scotland, our recent sittings have been in Perth, Stirling, Dundee and there
has even been a sitting up in Shetland. You will be expected to attend theses
sittings which usually take place in March, June and October over a Saturday and
Sunday.
When do the elections happen?
The election takes place between 1st – 5th February 2016. The election results will be
announced at an evening on Friday 5th February 2016. All elections will be done
online.
If you have any other questions contact me at the email below and I will get back to
you as soon as possible with information.
For further details:
danderson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Donna Anderson
Information Officer