The Scottish Youth Parliament bids to take on poverty with its latest campaign
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) have poverty in their sights as part of a major new campaign.
They launched their new drive called POVERTY: See It, Change It at the Fuse Youth Café in Glasgow.
The campaign aims to raise awareness among young people and wider society about child and youth poverty and to combat popular negative stigmas and speak about the reality of poverty in Scotland.
SYP also wants to challenge elected leaders and key decision makers to work together to end child poverty by 2020.
It is unacceptable that one in five of our children and young people in Scotland live in poverty
More than one in five of Scotland’s children are considered to be living in poverty. This is much higher than in many other European countries.
In 1999, the UK Government made the commitment to tackle child poverty in the nation by 2020. The UK Child Poverty Act 2010 made this commitment into law.
With only five years to go until 2020, the SYP hopes its campaign will send the message that now is the time to seriously act.
Louise Cameron MSYP, chair of the SYP, said: “It is unacceptable that one in five of our children and young people in Scotland live in poverty. Many young people in Scotland are simply robbed of their childhood. They are robbed of the opportunity to use their passion and talents to create a better and more prosperous future for themselves.
“I believe it is time that we recognise the reality of poverty in Scotland, and make it our priority to work together to challenge the common misconceptions and negative stigmas it entails.
“This issue transcends party politics and goes to the very heart of who we are, and who we want to be as a nation. By working together, we can strive to ensure elected leaders uphold the commitment to tackle child poverty in Scotland and the UK by the year 2020. With five years to go, now is the time to seriously act.”
Nairn McDonald MSYP put forward proposals for the campaign to the SYP membership in October 2014. He said: “Our MSYPs voted to campaign on this issue because that is what the young people in their areas asked us to do. The young people of Scotland have told us that this is a major issue for them, and there must be change. As the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people, we have a responsibility to stand up and be the drivers of that change.
“For me, I grew up surrounded by poverty, and I have seen the devastating impact it can have on a young person’s future and their quality of life. I am delighted that POVERTY: See It Change It is the SYP’s campaign for 2015, and I hope that MSYPs can inspire young people all over Scotland to get involved and champion its aims.”
