Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) are 14 – 25 year olds from every part of Scotland who have been elected to represent Scotland’s young people and campaign for positive change.
MSYPs are elected every two years and the most recent elections concluded on 26th November.
Who Cares? Scotland is a partner of the Scottish Youth Parliament with two seats for Care Experienced members as MSYPs. Although other local authority MSYPs may also have experience of care, these two seats ensure that Care Experienced young people are always represented in the biggest youth forum in Scotland.
My name’s Marissa, and i’m aged 24 and have been a member of WC?S since 2018. I hope to have a positive impact in my role as an MSYP by working towards influencing change nationally that will benefit the care experienced community. I will do this by listening to care experienced young people, and taking their aspirations to the youth parliament.
I have previously been an MSYP for Renfrewshire South and I have been a member of The Collective and the National Representative Body where I represented WC?S members. I am a member of my local Champions Board.Somethings that are important to me are Youth Work, Equalities and Education.
Activism surrounding care experience in general is something that I have grown to become very passionate about. I was told that “love is not guaranteed within the care system” and this impacted me greatly. All of our Care Experienced youth have the right to feel equal, respected, and most importantly, to feel loved. It’s important that the issues of those impacted by the care system should be looked at.
I plan to be actively involved in the local organisations around me, taking part in groups such as Articulate Cultural Trust, and Who Cares? Scotland and linking in with the Champions Board, including other organisations and groups created like the East Renfrewshire equalities committee.
As a creative, intuitive, and versatile individual, no issue will be overlooked. I have a deep and personal connection with issues surrounding care experience, so it’s my goal to leave a legacy for future generations.
Applications to stand in the Scottish Youth Parliament’s 2023 elections are now open.
We are looking to hear from members aged 14-25 who are interested in representing Who Cares? Scotland and the Care Experienced community at a national level.
Candidates do not need to have political knowledge – they must simply demonstrate a passion for making change and speaking up about issues facing Care Experienced children and young people.
We’d like to encourage members from any part of Scotland to consider expressing an interest. We will support them with travel to and from sittings and events, and otherwise they must be able to communicate regularly with their support worker, SYP staff and other MSYPs via video conferencing, messaging and calls.
All those interested in becoming a Who Cares? Scotland MSYP must also be willing to become a member of our National Representative Body (NRB). Once elected as a MSYP you will be automatically placed on the NRB. This includes attending and supporting local groups, attending Regional Forums and abiding by our Volunteer Agreement and Code of Conduct, alongside SYP’s Codes of Conduct. You can find out more about the NRB here.
As with the NRB, you are asked to commit on average at least 4 hours a week to working alongside your regional team and other Representatives, including attending SYP events. Some weeks will require more commitment than others depending on planned activity, in particular, the three national sittings a year. You should also be able to commit to the role for the two-year term.
We’re hosting three online information sessions for interested members to find out more. These are:
You can sign up for any of the above sessions by filling out this form.
If you can’t make the information session but have a few questions, please contact the Policy & Public Affairs team at policy@whocaresscotland.org.
You can find out more about the SYP and the 2023 elections on their website.
Prospective candidates have until Friday 30th June to register their interest in standing to become a MSYP.
You can register your interest by completing a short survey here.
You will then receive training to help develop your skills over the summer before launching their election campaigns in autumn.
Across Scotland, Who Cares? Scotland’s members will then cast their ballots to choose who they want to represent them for the next two years between Monday 6th to Sunday 19th November.
If you need to access this information or any of the application forms in a more accessible format, please contact comms@whocaresscotland.org.
Care Experienced member Charles attended the Conference of Youth 16 as Scotland’s first ever representative!
