The project, developed by the Parliament’s Education and Community Partnerships Team, works with disability rights organisations, difficult-to-reach young people, and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to help them get involved with and influence the activities of the Parliament.
The aim of the project is to build confidence on the part of external organisations by:
- Strengthening their understanding and awareness of the Parliament, its role and its processes
- Enhancing their ability to take positive action through parliamentary processes.
- Facilitating meaningful engagement by each partner organisation in the parliamentary process
Importantly, the project is driven by the partner organisations themselves. Partners bring their energy, vision and commitment to the project, and will ensure that their specific campaign and awareness needs are considered within the parliamentary engagement process.
The organisations which took part in the second phase of the Community Partnerships Project, were:
South Ayrshire Youth Forum
SAYF is a youth-led organisation, which aims to ensure that the voices of young people are heard in issues affecting the local communities throughout South Ayrshire. The Forum is co-ordinated by South Ayrshire Council (Community Learning and Development Service). Representatives of SAYF also sit on the local community planning partnership, and play a key role in ensuring that the voice of local youth is taken seriously in local planning and regeneration matters. At least one current member of SAYF is also a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. For more information visit the SAYF website
Mid Argyll Youth Project
Based in Lochgilphead, MAYP prides itself on being more than a youth club. It is a Youth Development Centre - a youth led and orientated scheme which aims to involve young people in the mid Argyll area in community focused activities. MAYP runs creative and innovative youth schemes such as film-making and nature-based projects. MAYP is already working in close partnership with organisations such as Scottish Natural Heritage and Careers Scotland in skilling up local young people to become positive citizens in what can be a difficult environment due to geographic and rural isolation.
Ownership Options in Scotland
Ownership Options' primary aim is to ensure that disabled people have access to suitable housing in the tenure of their choice. Originally established to promote equality of access to the owner occupied sector, since 2008 OOiS has recognised that gaining access to owner-occupation is increasingly difficult. OOiS continues to pioneer new approaches to funding and facilitating the home buying process. OOiS specialises in participatory action research, learning about the housing problems disabled people face by directly assisting them, and using the knowledge they gain to effect changes in policies and practice. For more information visit the OOiS website
During 2010-11, the groups themselves determined what issues they would like to have addressed and worked with Parliament staff and MSPs to determine how to bring this issue to the Scottish Parliament. This could be a public petition, an event, an art project – any method that the group believe can effectively communicate their issue to parliamentarians.