Contents
- Time for Reflection
- Topical Question Time
- Urgent Question
- Ukraine (Humanitarian Response)
- Low Income and Debt (Report)
- Point of Order
- Business Motion
- Decision Time
- World Menopause Month
Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Sophie Reid, member and chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament.
Thank you for inviting me to speak to Parliament. I was elected to the Scottish Youth Parliament, as one of the MSYPs for Girlguiding Scotland, when I was 14 years old. I am now 19 years old and, in those five years, everything has changed.
From the Covid pandemic to the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, the world has become a much more hostile and scary place. At times like these, it can be even more difficult for those of us outwith the political system, who are not members of the Scottish Parliament, to have our voice heard. We know all too well that, often, the views of those who most need to be heard are not listened to or are crowded out by the more powerful, louder voices.
It was a daunting and intimidating experience for me, as a newly elected MSYP at 14, to step into political spaces. Even now, at 19, as a young woman in political spaces that are often occupied by older men, I still sometimes feel alienated or ignored when those spaces do not have young people at their centre and do not demonstrate that everyone’s voice counts.
Within the Scottish Youth Parliament, I was able to find my voice and build my confidence in an environment that nurtured and supported me to do so. That is why I am so proud of our youth-led structure at SYP and to be in this position as chair. Now I am able to work with and support other young people like me, who would otherwise find it difficult to have their voice heard.
That is the request that I now want to make of each of you. The challenges facing us all, and all of you in your work in this building, are immense, but, if we work together, collaborate and engage meaningfully, they are not insurmountable. In your role as MSPs, I urge you to make every effort to listen to and hear the quieter voices and to nurture them, cherish them and empower them. I urge you to listen to the voices of young carers, young people with disabilities, young people from ethnic minorities, and children and young people who are care experienced. Listen to the quieter voices in the room, like mine at 14. If you listen carefully, the things that you hear may surprise you.