The elections for members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) run from 8 to 21 November 2021.
We spoke to Cllr Ellie Bird who is the Young People’s Champion and who is very much involved with the process. Listen to the podcast here
Cllr Bird said: “I think what I’ve really enjoyed about the run up to the Youth Parliament elections is just the energy with the renewed drive of young people coming out of the pandemic.
“There is a feeling of a kind of hope, and looking forward again, and getting back together again. And I think the SYP elections, for me have been a real chance to kind of get my teeth into my role as young people’s champion in the city.
“We got a huge take up actually in the proposed candidate phase. When people were coming forward for candidacies we had a record number. I think we had about 76 originally, but understandably, that number goes down when we actually come to the confirmed candidacy phase.
“But I think again, that was that was a record, both locally and nationally, this year. We’ve only got six constituencies in the city, and four contests for constituencies but you know, Edinburg is such a young place. It’s a place where really, we celebrate the youth voice. I think we’ve really captured and grasped that over the last few years. A lot of work has gone in both with the council and wider partners and Children’s Parliament to work on things like What kind of Edinburgh? and other policies really to centre children and young people’s voice in policy and decision making.
“I think really we can only take heart from this – that the next generation are this engaged and really driving policy from the get go.”
The voting takes place online through the Young Scot voting platform and young people casting their vote either need their own Young Scot card or will be issued with a temporary number.
These constituencies are those in Edinburgh where there is a contest and where voting will take place: Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Southern, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Central and Edinburgh Western. (You can read a profile for each candidate on the SYP website at the links.)
In Edinburgh Eastern there are two candidates and this constituency is uncontested.
Anyone from S1 to age 25 can vote. The vote will take place online, using Young Scot’s voting platform (young people either need a Young Scot card to vote or a temporary number will be issued to those who do not have one.
https://elections.syp.org.uk/elections/7/
There are 28 confirmed candidates in Edinburgh.
https://elections.youngscot.org/Election/SelectConstituencyGroup/scottish-youth-parliament-2021
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
