20th may 2010
Find out more about what's happening in the SYP in our weekly updates, click on the section title to take you to more information for each of the articles...
- SYP Board and Convener Elections 2010
- myIDEAS - 11 days to go!
- Youth Legacy Ambassadors
- Save the Foundation
- Latin American Youth Summit
- The Global Poverty Project presents 1.4 Billion Reasons
- Oxfam Youth Board
- Subject Committee Changes
- Just to say hello...
- The Road to A Living Wage Scotland Conference
- Big Challenge has launched!
- Kris and Angus speak up for healthy school meals
- Where is your Perfect Place?
NOTE: Some of the opportunities mentioned in the Weekly Update may apply only to Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs). Please email francesca.l@syp.org.uk for guidance.
Events
SYP Board and Convener Elections 2010
The SYP is a youth-led organisation and both our Board and Subject Committee Conveners are all MSYPs and are elected by the membership. This happens every year at the SYP AGM, which this year will be in Livingston on Sunday 27th June as part of the June Sitting.
Five of the six positions on the Board will be elected – Chair, Vice Chair and three Trustees. The fourth Trustee will be elected to represent the Conveners Group at their first meeting.
All ten Subject Committee Conveners will be elected, one for each Committee. There will also be Deputy Conveners elected for each.
So if you're an MSYP and you'd like to throw your hat into the ring, click here for everything you need to know about standing and voting. The close of nominations for all the positions is at 9am on Monday 7th June - no late applications will be accepted so make sure you don't miss out if you want to stand!
myIDEAS – 11 days to go!
We’ve had a great response from MSYPs with lots of great ideas that could be included in the Youth Manifesto. Tonight, the Conveners Group will decide which will be specifically debated as ‘Manifesto Motions’, but we’ve still got plenty of room for all your ideas for how Scotland could be changed for the better!
The deadline for sending in your idea is 31st May, so keep your ideas coming and your idea could be presented to Scotland’s politicians in the run up to the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections!
Send your ideas to myideas@syp.org.uk, post them on our Facebook Wall by clicking here or post them on Twitter including #syp in your tweet.
Please note that all ideas must be submitted by 31st May at the latest – to allow us to get down to a manageable number before the June Sitting, we won’t be accepting ideas at the Sitting itself. For more on how the Manifesto process works, click here.
Youth Legacy Ambassadors
The Commonwealth Games and other major sporting events are coming to Scotland and you don’t need to be an athlete to get involved! Become a Youth Legacy Ambassador and you can make a long-lasting, positive difference to your community.
SYP have teamed up with Young Scot and the Scottish Government and are looking for young people, aged 14-21, to become Youth Legacy Ambassadors, helping to promote the key themes of an active, sustainable, connected and flourishing Scotland in their communities. This is a great chance to get involved in a project that is going to last for a couple of years and will help inform the development and legacy of the Games, it is going to be a fun and important role!
The Youth Legacy Ambassadors will have a huge part to play in making sure everyone in Scotland gets the most out of hosting the Commonwealth Games and other major events such as International Children's Games 2011 and London 2012. If you're an MSYP we're particularly keen to hear from you, as community engagement is important in the role, and it's what MSYPs do best!
Get creative!
Youth Legacy Ambassadors will be encouraged to work creatively and imaginatively, with comprehensive training and support from Young Scot to develop their own skills and knowledge. Youth Legacy Ambassadors will work with other organisations to ensure young people have a voice and can influence how the games will benefit their communities. Youth Legacy Ambassadors will produce online articles, create innovative podcasts, blogs and videos, attend events and help everyone in Scotland get involved in Legacy themed activities!
Apply
If you would like to apply to become a Youth Legacy Ambassador, or want more information, visit www.youngscot.org/youthlegacy and download an application pack or contact the free Young Scot InfoLine on 0808 801 0338.
They'll be particularly keen to hear from you if you live in the following areas - Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Highland, Inverclyde, Moray, Orkney, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, Eilean Siar, West Lothian.
Save the Foundation
For 25 years The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland has invested in and supported communities across Scotland. Now it's our turn to support the Foundation.
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland is one of the largest independent funders in Scotland. To date, the Foundation has distributed nearly £85m to charities and voluntary organisations. This has been a huge investment in community projects throughout Scotland. The Foundation now faces closure at the hands of Lloyds Banking Group.
To show your support, sign the growing petition at www.savethefoundation.org or join the Save the Foundation Facebook group by clicking here.
UK and International
Latin American Youth Summit
As part of their Global Changemakers programme, the British Council are currently seeking to recruit four UK young people between 18-24 to attend the Latin American Youth Summit. This is being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 1st - 8th August and will bring 60 young people together from across the Latin America and Caribbean region as well as 10 from outside.
The Summit is a once in a lifetime opportunity for young people who are passionate about influencing decision-making at a global level and working together with others to achieve social change! Applications should be made directly to the British Council and applicants are asked to create a 2 minute YouTube video.
Click here to to register on the Global Change Makers website and apply online. Closing date for applications is Friday 4th June. Good luck!
The Global Poverty Project presents 1.4 Billion Reasons
As part of a UK wide tour the Global Poverty Project is bringing their groundbreaking presentation, 1.4 Billion Reasons, to Glasgow. Based on leading research, the 90 minute presentation clearly articulates the facts of extreme poverty and demonstrates that by making simple changes everyone can be a part of the solution.
Designed by those who ran the Make Poverty History Campaign in Australia, the presentation aims to invoke the optimism and enthusiasm that surrounded Make Poverty History to catalyse a movement to end extreme poverty within a generation. More information on the Global Poverty Project, including a trailer for 1.4 Billion Reasons, can be found at www.globalpovertyproject.com.
The presentation is open to all and will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 25th of May in the University of Glasgow’s Boyd Orr Lecture Theatre (in building D1 on the campus map). They're particularly keen to hear from MSYPs, so if you're interested in going along, click here to tell them you're coming!
Oxfam Youth Board
Oxfam is looking for people aged 16-18 to join its national Youth Board to represent Scotland. With an interest in global issues, you’ll play a key part in developing fun campaigning projects aimed at making a fairer world possible.
You don’t need to know anything about campaigning already. Just the enthusiasm to learn about it, and the get-up-and-go to put ideas into action. For an insider’s experience of a big UK charity, and the chance to meet likeminded people, check out this link for more!
Communications
Watch this space! There are no communications opportunities this week.
Policy
Subject Committee Changes
As regular readers of the Weekly Update will know, over the last few months the Conveners Group has been reviewing the SYP's policy and campaigning work, with a particular focus on Subject Committees. Based on what MSYPs have told us and what the SYP plans to do as an organisation, they've agreed some changes which will come into force over the next few months.
The changes will see Subject Committees holding meetings at Sittings with a defined time and purpose. All Committees will have time (likely to be around an hour on the Saturday afternoon) to hold one of three types of meetings. These would either be:
- Reactive – Dealing with a specific issue brought to SYP
- Special – Work identified by the Conveners Group which will benefit SYP; could include campaign work, organisational discussions, training etc.
- Consultation – Production of policy statement for SYP vote
The Conveners Group will agree before the Sitting what each Committee will do based on need. This will be influenced by what the SYP is doing at that particular time – for instance as the Manifesto process will be ongoing at October 2010 and March 2011, it isn’t intended to make new policy at Sittings, so the ‘Consultation’ meeting wouldn’t be an option at that time.
There will not be any Subject Committee activity between Sittings unless specifically requested by the Conveners Group. There will be no change to the number, names or remits of the Subject Committees at this stage, but this will be reviewed after the new system has bedded in.
Click here for full details of the changes, how they came about and a picture to explain them in a more visual way.
Just to say hello...
Following the UK General Election and formation of a coalition Government, we've been getting to work making links with Scotland's new MPs and UK Government Ministers with responsibility for issues that affect Scotland. Last week, SYP Chair Derek Couper wrote to them to congratulate them on their new posts and introduce them to the exciting world of SYP! We've had some very positive replies so far and will hopefully be able to bring you news on opportunities that flow out of it soon!
The Road to A Living Wage Scotland Conference
Increasing numbers of employers in Scotland are becoming living wage employers recognising that paying their employees a living wage is good for business, good for workers and good for the economy. Living wage campaigns are gaining increasing prominence across the UK taking inspiration from the successes of London, Glasgow and Oxford. Living wage has also featured as an issue in the 2010 election campaign.
Those of you who took part in the Poverty Alliance’s workshop at the March Sitting will remember finding out about the issue, and if you hear about the development of living wage campaigns and take part in workshops on organising your own living wage campaign, limited free places are available at the Scottish Living Wage Campaign’s “The Road to A Living Wage Scotland” conference.
It’ll be held on 27th May from 10am-3.30pm at the STUC buildings, Woodlands Road, Glasgow. The conference is free to attend, and the organisers are willing to assist with travel expenses. For a booking form get in touch with Rob Gowans at rob.g@syp.org.uk or 0131 313 2488.
General
Big Challenge has launched!
The Big Challenge competition for 16-25 year olds is open for applications now. Be in with a chance of winning a share of £65 000 along with support to set up your own community project. Your project just needs to inspire other young people and involve volunteers so think big and get involved now!
Check out www.bigchallenge.org.uk for full details and the online application. You can also find the Big Challenge on YouTube by clicking here.
IMAGINE, INVOLVE, INSPIRE
IT’S YOUR TURN!
The deadline is 6th July 2010.
Big Challenge is a youth-led competition run by UnLtd in partnership with Changemakers and with funding from Vodafone and v. They are part of Live UnLtd www.liveunltd.com where you can find more opportunities like this for young people.
Kris and Angus speak up for healthy school meals
This week, External Affairs Convener Kris Sinclair MSYP appeared on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Call Kaye' programme to speak up for young people in the debate over how school pupils can be encouraged to eat healthy school meals. Kris gave a good account of why young people should be listened to help schools provide attractive choices at lunchtime. His fellow MSYP, Dunfermline East's Angus Duncan called into the show to share his views on the subject too!
Well done lads! You can listen to the clip by clicking here.
Where is your Perfect Place?
'My Perfect Place' is a national art competition from young people up to the age of 18 presented by Children in Scotland. It's a chance for Scotland’s children and young people to let international architects, planners, policymakers and designers know about your perfect place and why you like to spend time there, through drawing, painting, collage or photography.
This national art competition is part of Making Space 2010, a programme of events focusing on the importance of creating innovative and inspiring environments in which children and young people can learn and live. It is vital children and young people are involved in and contribute to the design of any space that they will subsequently use.
For more info and details of how to enter, check out the competition website here, or find My Perfect Place on Facebook by clicking here. The closing date for all entries is Monday 12th July.