by Kerry-Lee Dalgleish MSYP

I’m excited to introduce myself as one of the new members of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Glasgow Anniesland.

Following my election in January, I can now officially say I am a representative of all the young people in my area.

But what exactly is the Scottish Youth Parliament? SYP is an entirely youth-led, rights-based organisation, which strives to give young people aged 12-25 a say in decision-making. SYP values youth participation and ensures that we’re actively listened to by the government, on a local and national scale. We also recently marked our 20th birthday on the first day of the National Sitting in Clackmannanshire.

We met at Alva Academy where we had our first opportunity to participate in mock debates, training workshops and voting. We selected this year’s national campaign - it was a difficult choice.

Between raising the minimum wage, youth work, transport, the environment, and youth reintegration, environmental protection was crowned the winner, and it will become a key focus for MSYPs up and down the country. Over the coming weeks, I hope to be able to listen to any suggestions my constituents have on how this campaign can be delivered locally.

We also had a chance to meet our new committee members, and vote for the new convener and deputy convener. Conveners are responsible for overseeing the general work of the committee and planning events.

I joined the education and lifelong learning (ELL) committee with my fellow Anniesland member Ross McArthur. We had our first chance to set campaign targets for ourselves. We spoke about helping students with additional support needs, continuing the “No Wrong Path” campaign, and increasing STEM participation among high school students. There’s a bright future ahead for the ELL committee.

Sunday morning marked the beginning of the AGM, where we were given the opportunity to vote for our new board members, including the chair and vice chair. The results of the UK Youth Parliament elections were also announced - a massive congratulations to Ross, who was duly elected as an MYP for the City of Glasgow.

As I can now officially say I’m an MSYP, I will be working closely with nearby youth clubs and attending as many events as I can in the local area. The next National Sitting will take place from the October 26-27 in Dunfermline.

It’s safe to say I’ll be counting down the days.

Constituents can contact me on Twitter

@kerryleeMSYP

or by email on kerry-lee.dalgleish.msyp@sypmail.org.uk.