This was the last sitting for elected MSYPs for the Highland area, Phi Macdonald of Inverness, Gillian Slider of Ullapool and Jessica Sweeney of Beauly, who have all been very active members and have worked hard through the last two years of the parliament.

Four other young people who are interested in standing for the parliament were also given the opportunity to attend the sitting. Magnus Monahan from Dornoch, Esther Richards from Scourie, Siobhan McCulloch from Ullapool and Fraser Thomson from Cromarty all got the chance to see what the SYP is all about. The group were involved in planning a session in a local shopping centre where young people from the SYP offered older people cups of tea and a chat about being young and old.

Magnus Monahan of Dornoch said: "I thought the weekend sparked many interesting debates.

"The campaign on 'Being Young is not a Crime' is an excellent idea and I'm sure it will be a great success."

Esther Richards from Scourie said "The Scottish Youth Parliament is very active and they actually do things rather than just talk about doing things. The sitting was friendly with a wide range of things to do in it. There are lots of dedicated people involved. I thought it was worthwhile going to, and I will stand for election."

Siobhan McCulloch from Ullapool said: "I think SYP is a good idea and should be continued as it gets young people involved in their community and also teaches them skills they will need in later life, things like speaking in front of a large group of people with confidence."

Fraser Thomson from Cromarty said: "I had a fantastic weekend and now plan to stand as an MSYP."

Highland Council youth development officer for Ullapool, Yvonne Boa, has been supporting young people in the SYP for the past two years. She said: "It has been great working with Gillian, Phi and Jessica and getting to know them and I hope they will stay in touch and come to some sittings in the future. Also well done to Gillian Slider, who was the previous Highland Youth Convener, on gaining an award to 'The Fellowship of SYP' for all her hard work."

 

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