The work of the Awards Network in recognising achievements of young people and encouraging volunteering has been recognised and praised in a Parliamentary Debate to mark the forthcoming Year of Young People 2018.
In her first speech to Parliament as Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Maree Todd MSP proposed the Motion ‘That the Parliament recognises that 2018 has been designated as Scotland’s Year of Young People; notes that it will provide an opportunity to showcase the achievements and talents of all young people in Scotland and to ensure that their views are heard and acted on; welcomes that the themes for the year have been designed and agreed by young people themselves, and agrees that the Parliament has a key role to play in celebrating the contribution that Scotland’s young people make to society and their communities.’
An amendment to the Motion from Iain Gray MSP, inserted the following which was unanimously endorsed by the Parliament:
“; welcomes the work being done by the Awards Network in recognising young people’s achievements; recognises that there are barriers in society that prevent some young people being able to fully participate in volunteering opportunities, and calls on the Scottish Government to work with educational bodies, employers and the young people themselves to build on the network to ensure that these awards are recognised to be as valuable as traditional qualifications, as a legacy for Scotland’s Year of Young People.”
The Minister advanced that “Changing attitudes is perhaps the single biggest ambition we can have for 2018. We can do that by celebrating young people’s achievements.”
Responding to a suggestion from Iain Gray that a mechanism is found to “pull together every young person’s achievements …. (and that) Such a mechanism would include exams, which are already respected and recognised, and place alongside them with the same esteem those other experiences and achievements”, John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, confirmed “the Government’s willingness to engage constructively on how we can use the year of young people to better record and capture (such wider achievements) for the benefit of young people and society”
The Awards Network will mark the start of Year of Young People 2018 with a Parliamentary Reception on 23rd January 2018. Young people will illustrate the impact of youth awards on their life chances and choices in presentations of their own awards journeys. The Parliamentary Reception is sponsored by Jenny Gilruth MSP, with Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science as a keynote speaker. Further details available from contact@awardsnetwork.org
