Scottish Youth Parliament Election results announced!
Posted on 6 Feb 2024
Four new Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MYSP) have been elected to represent the constituencies of Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South.
A total of eight candidates aged between 14 and 25 put forward their manifestos to prospective voters, outlining their policies.
Since Autumn 2023, young people (aged between 12 and 25) from across North Ayrshire have been voting for the peers they wanted to represent them at the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP).
The newest batch of young change makers have been announced this evening (Monday 5 February) by North Ayrshire’s Returning Officer, Craig Hatton, at a dedicated SYP results announcement event at Saltcoats Town Hall.
The winners:
Adam Johnson of Saltcoats (Largs Academy) and Rhyan Gorrie of Kilbirnie (Garnock Campus) have been elected to represent the views of young people in the Cunninghame North constituency.
And Emma Burns of Irvine (Irvine Royal) and Freya Fitzsimmons of Kilwinning (St Matthews) have been elected to represent the views of young constituents in Cunninghame South.
In their roles as MSYPs over the next two years, Adam, Rhyan, Emma and Freya will take part in local youth forums, attend bi-annual Youth Joint Cabinet meetings, engage with communities, support community events, consult with their peers on a range of issues, attend and support youth work and youth participation training sessions and most importantly, lobby senior politicians on things that matter most to young people in their constituencies.
North Ayrshire’s Returning Officer, Craig Hatton, said: “Congratulations to our new Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament representing young people from North Ayrshire.
“It is fantastic to see so many passionate young people up for the challenge, who all have the drive and determination to make things better for their peers.
“I am confident our new MSYPs will do a great job in representing North Ayrshire’s young people over the next two years.
“And, it doesn’t end here for our other candidates who were in the running, as these inspiring and confident individuals are committed to continuing to work hard representing our young people’s voice in North Ayrshire through structures in their schools, youth forums, Executive Youth Council and more…
“This is true youth participation and empowerment in action and I am really looking forward to getting to know our new MSYPs better and hearing their ideas.”
North Ayrshire’s Young People’s Champion, Councillor Chloe Robertson, who was previously an MSYP herself added: “The Scottish Youth Parliament plays such an important role in North Ayrshire, providing the Council with a clear way to engage with and listen to young people’s point of view and what matters most to them.
“We have such an active and engaged community of young people here in North Ayrshire and it comes as no surprise to me just how enthusiastic the candidates for North Ayrshire have been in the democratic process.
“This is just the beginning. Well done to the successful candidates and thank you once again to all of the young people who voted for them. Over 4,200 votes were cast across our six localities – this was a brilliant result!
“Finally, I would like to share a special thank you to the dedication of our current MSYPs – Mais Al Diri, Pyper Quayle, Justin Jones and Logan Gilmour. This evening was also a celebration of their hard work and achievements over their two year-tenure and I am sure the audience was as humbled as I was to learn of the difference they have made in their constituencies. As they pass the baton on now to the new candidates, I wish them all the best of luck for the future.”