Youth parliament to meet at Holyrood

Showcase event for youth representatives

News, 23 March 2007

In a first for the Scottish Parliament, more than 100 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) will take their seats in the debating chamber this weekend, as part of a two-day general meeting.

The sitting will be opened in Holyrood’s main chamber by Presiding Officer George Reid MSP with a formal welcome from the Deputy First Minister, Nicol Stephen MSP.

The session will include a presentation from SYP Chair Rajiv Joshi MSYP outlining the achievements of the SYP over the past four years and their vision for the future. The Presiding Officer will then take questions from the delegates about the Scottish Parliament’s engagement with young people.

Launched in Edinburgh in 1999, the SYP is a group of around 150 elected young people aged between 14-25 years. It aims to be a collective national youth voice for all young people in Scotland.

Meeting four times a year, it aims to bring together MSYPs from across Scotland to debate issues of importance to young people and express their views to a cross-section of MSPs.

The second day of the sitting will be held in the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh.

Presiding Officer George Reid MSP said: "This meeting will showcase the hard work and commitment of all the members of the Scottish Youth Parliament and highlight the important role young people play in the democratic process.

"We look forward to hearing their ideas and taking part in some lively and stimulating debate.”

The SYP website is http://www.scottishyouthparliament.org.uk .