On Saturday I will be voting for Marriage Equality to be our national campaign. Why? I think it is the most particle campaign that we can make a real difference in and something I personally believe in.
This campaign is something that needs strong backing. I believe that with the SYP's strong links with Holyrood we can lobby MSPs and persuade them to vote for it. Form what I can gather the 3 main parties will allow the MSPs in the party group to vote how they wish and will not be forced to vote one way or another. This gives us a great opportunity to change Scottish society forever and put the SYP right out there in every community.
The other campaigns are also very important and I don't see why MSYPs would not campaign on these issues too. We have 49 manifesto commitments and we need to work hard to implement as many as possible so if a campaign does not make it through to become the national campaign it doesn't mean it has been forgotten about. If elected Chair I would ensure that we do not become a one issue organisation just based on the national campaign.
I am very much looking forward to debating this issues and listening to a wide range of opinion on the subject of marriage equality but as it stands I am convinced it is the right campaign with the right circumstances that will allow us to move the SYP onto the next level.
We can only do this by working together. Together we can make the SYP better.
On Sunday, Vote Austin Sheridan for SYP Chair and SYP Trustee.
Austin Sheridan for Chair: Number 1
Austin Sheridan for Trustee: Number 1
If you have any questions or suggestions please email me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk
Thanks,
Austin.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Building stronger links for youth empowerment
Hello fellow MSYPs,
I strongly believe that the Scottish Youth Parliament has to help young people build links from council level to Westminster level.
The Scottish Youth Parliament over the past few years has managed to build up a strong relationship with the Scottish Parliament and the parties within it. This is an ongoing process which has to be improved on all the time and something that I am strongly committed to but in these difficult times we need to build up stronger links elsewhere.
In this blog article I would like to look the relationship between Aberdeenshire Youth Council and Aberdeenshire Council as an example of how councils and young people can work together successfully ensuring that young people have the chance to shape council policy. The Aberdeenshire Youth Council has places on the Aberdeenshire Council committees that have importance to young people. This means that when decisions and recommendations are being made at committee level young people are in attendance ensuring they have a meaningful input.
I think that all MSYPs and Youth Councils would benefit from this set up if it was set up in all 32 local authorities. It would also help implement SYP manifesto policies. For example, the Scottish Government have given local authorities the right to raise the age of buying alcohol in off sales if they wish. The SYP should and will continue to lobby the Scottish Government to reverse this policy but wouldn't it be good in the short term to lobby local councils asking them not to enforce their new right? This would help MSYPs and Youth Councillors across the country do just that.
I would like to work with MSYPs to write up an agreement, using the Aberdeen Youth Council set up as an example, that would ask local councils to allow their local youth councils and/or MSYPs to sit on committees that have importance to young people. Once the agreement has been written up we should use our strong relationship with Holyrood to ask the Scottish Government and other parties to endorse the document. If Aberdeenshire Council and other councils can do this I don't see why others wouldn't if we push hard enough. Together as a Youth Parliament we should try and achieve this.
Local issues are very important to me, but we also need a strong lobby over the UK Government if we are going to defend Scotland's young people from as many cuts as possible. That is why I believe that the SYP needs to rebuild it's relationship with the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP), which has a good relationship with the UK Government, to ensure that we have access to UK Ministers which would allow us to lobby them on youth issues. In my opinion it is very important that we join up with young people across the UK to create a stronger voice for young people against damaging cuts that young people face but to also encourage good policies that will help young people.
We don't have this kind of relationship at the moment but I see it as a top priority and something that I will push for strongly if you elect me as the SYP Chair. I attended a meeting in Leeds with UKYP where we discussed what benefit Scottish young people would get out of the SYP being involved with UKYP again. I am not going to say that they offer a perfect deal but what I can say is that they really want to work hard to reach an agreement and see Scotland become involved with UKYP again. I agree that we should be involved and confident that if elected as Chair the SYP will be re-involved with UKYP before the end of this year. It is a big challenge but one that I believe is achievable. The relationship between the SYP and UKYP has not been great for around 3 years now but UKYP is now being run by BYC who have a different approach towards Scotland and the other smaller Nations within the UK. That is why I believe now is the right time to become involved again.
I hope you will back up these plans by voting for me on Sunday. It is of great importance to me and something that I believe will help move the SYP onto the next level.
Vote Austin Sheridan for Chair & Trustee of the SYP
Austin Sheridan for Chair: Number 1
Austin Sheridan for Trustee: Number 1
If you have any questions or suggestions for my campaign for SYP Chair please email me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk I would be happy to hear from you.
Austin.
I strongly believe that the Scottish Youth Parliament has to help young people build links from council level to Westminster level.
The Scottish Youth Parliament over the past few years has managed to build up a strong relationship with the Scottish Parliament and the parties within it. This is an ongoing process which has to be improved on all the time and something that I am strongly committed to but in these difficult times we need to build up stronger links elsewhere.
In this blog article I would like to look the relationship between Aberdeenshire Youth Council and Aberdeenshire Council as an example of how councils and young people can work together successfully ensuring that young people have the chance to shape council policy. The Aberdeenshire Youth Council has places on the Aberdeenshire Council committees that have importance to young people. This means that when decisions and recommendations are being made at committee level young people are in attendance ensuring they have a meaningful input.
I think that all MSYPs and Youth Councils would benefit from this set up if it was set up in all 32 local authorities. It would also help implement SYP manifesto policies. For example, the Scottish Government have given local authorities the right to raise the age of buying alcohol in off sales if they wish. The SYP should and will continue to lobby the Scottish Government to reverse this policy but wouldn't it be good in the short term to lobby local councils asking them not to enforce their new right? This would help MSYPs and Youth Councillors across the country do just that.
I would like to work with MSYPs to write up an agreement, using the Aberdeen Youth Council set up as an example, that would ask local councils to allow their local youth councils and/or MSYPs to sit on committees that have importance to young people. Once the agreement has been written up we should use our strong relationship with Holyrood to ask the Scottish Government and other parties to endorse the document. If Aberdeenshire Council and other councils can do this I don't see why others wouldn't if we push hard enough. Together as a Youth Parliament we should try and achieve this.
Local issues are very important to me, but we also need a strong lobby over the UK Government if we are going to defend Scotland's young people from as many cuts as possible. That is why I believe that the SYP needs to rebuild it's relationship with the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP), which has a good relationship with the UK Government, to ensure that we have access to UK Ministers which would allow us to lobby them on youth issues. In my opinion it is very important that we join up with young people across the UK to create a stronger voice for young people against damaging cuts that young people face but to also encourage good policies that will help young people.
We don't have this kind of relationship at the moment but I see it as a top priority and something that I will push for strongly if you elect me as the SYP Chair. I attended a meeting in Leeds with UKYP where we discussed what benefit Scottish young people would get out of the SYP being involved with UKYP again. I am not going to say that they offer a perfect deal but what I can say is that they really want to work hard to reach an agreement and see Scotland become involved with UKYP again. I agree that we should be involved and confident that if elected as Chair the SYP will be re-involved with UKYP before the end of this year. It is a big challenge but one that I believe is achievable. The relationship between the SYP and UKYP has not been great for around 3 years now but UKYP is now being run by BYC who have a different approach towards Scotland and the other smaller Nations within the UK. That is why I believe now is the right time to become involved again.
I hope you will back up these plans by voting for me on Sunday. It is of great importance to me and something that I believe will help move the SYP onto the next level.
Vote Austin Sheridan for Chair & Trustee of the SYP
Austin Sheridan for Chair: Number 1
Austin Sheridan for Trustee: Number 1
If you have any questions or suggestions for my campaign for SYP Chair please email me at: austin.sheridan.msyp@sypmail.org.uk I would be happy to hear from you.
Austin.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
My Vision for the Scottish Youth Parliament
Hello.
My name is Austin Sheridan and I am running for chair of the SYP. I will be using this blog to tell MSYPs about the vision I have for the SYP and inform MSYPs about changes that I think are necessary.
The SYP has been moving from strength to strength since it was created in 1999. I am running for chair to ensure that the good work continues.
Since I was elected in 2009 I have seen massive changes within the SYP. The SYP has become more efficient internally and the structure is much better but make no mistake it could be improved even more.
Now that the SYP has been reformed from the inside by MSYPs now is the time to change our image in Scotland and even the world. My main goal is to make the SYP known to most young people by 2013. We can do this by working with the media and taking part in more high profile campaigns.
The Scottish Youth Parliament has a fantastic manifesto. This sets out the vision for the SYP that MSYPs and young people across Scotland have agreed. Now that the Scottish Government has a majority we need to work even harder to ensure that the young people are heard. We also need to protect young people from UK Government cuts. I have lead the debates against the VAT rise that damages young people, against the 'Big Society' that would see young people forced to work for free and take advantage of charities such as the SYP. I have been leading the way on the side of the majority of MSYPs and young people. It is a shame that not every candidate in these elections can say the same.
I want to work with organisations such as the National Union for Students (NUS), trade unions and political parties, especially the youth wings of political parties, to ensure that pressure is being put on all politicians from all parties to deliver the best deal for the young people of Scotland and stop the butchering of youth services which are at the heart of the cuts. The SYP should also highlight where politicians break promises they have made that would have benefited young people.
Even the SYP could be cut in the future. We really don't know what can happen to funding even though we have had an assurance that it will continue. That is why I will look at new sources of funding for the SYP if elected Chair such as more corporate funding to ensure that the SYP is protected from any cuts that we may face. Protecting and sourcing new funding is an obligation that any Chair and Trustee has to look at and act on. I am the one that wants to take action sooner rather than later so that we are already prepared for the worst scenario if it happens.
I will do my best to ensure that all MSYPs are informed and consulted on important decisions being made. I will not allow major decisions to be made without the consent of MSYPs. That will be the first thing scrapped.
If you elect me as Chair, I will not dominate the organisation with my own agenda. The SYP Manifesto is the SYPs agenda and we need to make sure that we don't go off track. If you choose me to become Chair of the SYP I will do my very best to promote and implement as much of the manifesto as possible by working with the Scottish Government, UK Government and political parties.
The SYP is at a turning point and we need to make sure we get it right. Stand up and be counted on June 12 and elect me as your chair that will work for you.
Vote Austin Sheridan Number 1 on both Chair & Trustee ballot papers.
Austin Sheridan for Chair: 1
Austin Sheridan for Trustee: 1
Thanks,
Austin.
My name is Austin Sheridan and I am running for chair of the SYP. I will be using this blog to tell MSYPs about the vision I have for the SYP and inform MSYPs about changes that I think are necessary.
The SYP has been moving from strength to strength since it was created in 1999. I am running for chair to ensure that the good work continues.
Since I was elected in 2009 I have seen massive changes within the SYP. The SYP has become more efficient internally and the structure is much better but make no mistake it could be improved even more.
Now that the SYP has been reformed from the inside by MSYPs now is the time to change our image in Scotland and even the world. My main goal is to make the SYP known to most young people by 2013. We can do this by working with the media and taking part in more high profile campaigns.
The Scottish Youth Parliament has a fantastic manifesto. This sets out the vision for the SYP that MSYPs and young people across Scotland have agreed. Now that the Scottish Government has a majority we need to work even harder to ensure that the young people are heard. We also need to protect young people from UK Government cuts. I have lead the debates against the VAT rise that damages young people, against the 'Big Society' that would see young people forced to work for free and take advantage of charities such as the SYP. I have been leading the way on the side of the majority of MSYPs and young people. It is a shame that not every candidate in these elections can say the same.
I want to work with organisations such as the National Union for Students (NUS), trade unions and political parties, especially the youth wings of political parties, to ensure that pressure is being put on all politicians from all parties to deliver the best deal for the young people of Scotland and stop the butchering of youth services which are at the heart of the cuts. The SYP should also highlight where politicians break promises they have made that would have benefited young people.
Even the SYP could be cut in the future. We really don't know what can happen to funding even though we have had an assurance that it will continue. That is why I will look at new sources of funding for the SYP if elected Chair such as more corporate funding to ensure that the SYP is protected from any cuts that we may face. Protecting and sourcing new funding is an obligation that any Chair and Trustee has to look at and act on. I am the one that wants to take action sooner rather than later so that we are already prepared for the worst scenario if it happens.
I will do my best to ensure that all MSYPs are informed and consulted on important decisions being made. I will not allow major decisions to be made without the consent of MSYPs. That will be the first thing scrapped.
If you elect me as Chair, I will not dominate the organisation with my own agenda. The SYP Manifesto is the SYPs agenda and we need to make sure that we don't go off track. If you choose me to become Chair of the SYP I will do my very best to promote and implement as much of the manifesto as possible by working with the Scottish Government, UK Government and political parties.
The SYP is at a turning point and we need to make sure we get it right. Stand up and be counted on June 12 and elect me as your chair that will work for you.
Vote Austin Sheridan Number 1 on both Chair & Trustee ballot papers.
Austin Sheridan for Chair: 1
Austin Sheridan for Trustee: 1
Thanks,
Austin.
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