The programme follows three teenagers campaigning for the Coatbridge and Chryston seat.
A documentary focusing on three teenagers running for membership of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is to be aired tonight on CBBC.
The 30-minute programme, Our Big Vote, follows three candidates running for the Coatbridge and Chryston seat in the SYP’s 2019 elections.
Part of the award-winning My Life series, the film documents the journeys of Mairi, 16, and 14-year-olds Elena and Jodi as they campaign for votes between January and March this year.
During the election period, 70,953 young people aged 12-25 voted to elect local MSYPs, and on 29 March 2019, the new membership for 2019-21 was announced. The new MSYPs took up office at SYP’s 69th National Sitting in June, coinciding with the organisation’s 20th birthday.
SYP chair Jack Dudgeon MSYP praised all three candidates and said he was delighted that the BBC had chosen to showcase their stories in the documentary.
“Our Big Vote is an inspirational film about young people getting involved in political decision making and ensuring their voices are at the forefront of shaping the decisions which affect them,” he said.
“Elena, Jodi and Mairi were incredibly dedicated candidates during the SYP elections, and their passion really shines through in this programme.”
Maree Todd MSP, children and young people’s minister, added: “I’m so impressed by Elena, Jodi and Mairi’s confidence in expressing their views, and their determination, at ages 14 and 16, to have a real impact on Scotland’s political landscape.
“Our Big Vote shows the incredible potential of the next generation of new voices that the Scottish Youth Parliament fosters.”
Ms Todd said the SYP was an example of the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots Law.
“The Scottish Youth Parliament is a fantastic example of young people exercising their right to be at the heart of decisions which affect them and other children and young people in Scotland,” she said.
“We hope that on the 30th anniversary year of the UNCRC, even more young people will be encouraged to make their voices heard.”
Our Big Voice will be broadcast at 6pm on Monday on the CBBC channel.
