Three of the board’s four new trustees come from island communities.
New board members at the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) are well placed to represent all the nation’s young people, the body has said.
Three of the board’s four new trustees come from rural, island communities, while two female MSYPs have been appointed to the senior positions of chair and vice chair.
Taking the helm of the SYP is chair Amy Lee Fraioli, MSYP for Rutherglen. Amy Lee, a student at Stirling University, has been an SYP member since 2013 and was voted MSYP of the Year in March.
Her vice chair will be Suki Wan, MSYP for Glasgow Shettleston. Suki served as an MSYP for two years from 2015-17, and currently serves as the sole young person on the Joint Strategic Board of the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe programme tackling gender-based discrimination and violence.
SYP continues to be diverse and representative of young people in this country
The four new trustees are: Jack Norquoy, MSYP for the Orkney Islands; Jamie Murray, MSYP for Argyll and Bute; Sonny Thomason, MSYP for the Shetland Islands; and Thomas McEachan, MSYP for Glasgow Pollock.
Amy Lee said: “I’m delighted to have been elected to lead the Scottish Youth Parliament at a very exciting time in the charity’s history. The fact that the board is comprised of MSYPs hailing from all over Scotland – including three island-based members - is evidence that SYP continues to be diverse and representative of young people in this country.
“SYP has so much to be proud of, and I’m looking forward to getting to work to ensure the voices of Scotland’s young people are heard, loud and clear, by our decision-makers.”
Meanwhile, SYP census information suggested that its new membership for 2017-19 is not only diverse, but largely representative of Scotland’s young people.
Figures show 29% of MSYPs identify with a sexuality other than heterosexual – slightly more than the 26% national average of 16-24-year-olds.
The census also revealed that more than 14% of MSYPs are non-white and a similar percentage consider themselves to have a disability.
One in ten have some experience of the care system, a number significantly higher than the national average for this age group.
Amy Lee continued: “All too often, the rights of young people are infringed upon – particularly in more vulnerable sections of society such as the disabled, LGBTQI+, and ethnic minorities.
“With young people’s rights being the focus of SYP’s next campaign, I am confident our new and diverse membership will be able to speak on the behalf of underrepresented groups of society, to ensure their voices are heard by those in positions of power.”
