20/08/2010
Day four of the Festival of Politics sees a number of young people from across the country participate in a series of lively and interactive events, aimed at addressing issues facing young people in Scotland and across the globe.
The day opens with The Environment: Politics or Peace? - where a group of young people discuss threats to the environment. Specialists in the field will present local & international case studies, inviting the young people to challenge them in debate, and raise any issues of their own. This event takes place in Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline.
Later in the day there promises to be a lively discussion on Where Young People Get Their Political News, with the traditional dominance of 'old media', such as newspapers and television programmes being challenged by the rise of 'new media', such as internet blogs and social networking sites.
In the afternoon the festival takes an international perspective with an event on Young People and Conflict, with John Watson of Amnesty International; and Nick Hutching of charity group, War Child. They will be examining the impact of conflict on young people, and the current situation in conflict-affected fragile states. They will also be discussing what young people in the UK can do to help.
The last event of the young people’s programme is Hear Me! which invites young people from across the country to get on a soapbox and propose a ‘2 minute manifesto’, identifying changes they think could benefit their lives and the lives of other young people in Scotland. Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, takes the chair.
Other events on day four of the Festival include:
Do Newspapers Have a Future? Can newspapers survive the internet and compete with broadcast media websites? As blogging, citizen journalism, and crowdsourcing grow, will good journalism be supplanted by content providers? Chaired by Cathie Peattie MSP, this event features a panel including NUJ Scotland's Paul Hollero, and Jim Raeburn of the Scottish Newspaper Society.
Engaging Politics? This event will examine how politicians and political institutions are seeking to engage with the public in an age of increasing political cynicism. Chaired by the Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson MSP .
Full details of all nine events today at the Festival of Politics can be found at www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
Background
The Festival, which runs from 17-21 August, presents a diverse programme of events bringing together politics, media and the arts through performance, discussion and debate. On their way to and from events, visitors will be able to view one of the largest and most prestigious photographic exhibitions - the 53rd World Press Photo exhibition. Striking images taken by the world’s leading photojournalists that depict dramatic, life-changing events from around the world, line the public entrance to the Scottish Parliament. Photographic events for the public will take place alongside this year’s Festival sessions.
Programme availability and tickets:
- Online from www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
- By telephone: 0131 473 2000 (calls via RNID Typetalk: 18001 0131 473 2000)
- By post: to the Festival of Politics, Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE.
- In person: The Scottish Parliament or The Hub.
Full details of the festival programme are available from www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
Festival Partners
This year’s Festival of Politics is delivered in formal partnership with:
- Carnegie UK Trust and the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust
- The Law Society of Scotland
- The Scotsman
You can now get in touch with the Parliament by text message. Our interactive service enables you to get the name of your MSP by sending your postcode, lets you ask questions about the Parliament and its work, and enables you to request a selection of free leaflets. The number to take advantage of is 07786 209888. Texts are charged at standard network rates. More details can be found on our Text Service page.