As part of this year’s Festival, we shall be hosting a whole day of events dedicated to examining political issues relevant to young people, in our Young People’s Festival of Politics. This will culminate in Hear Me! – an event held in the Scottish Parliament’s Chamber, and chaired by Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People – Tam Baillie, which will allow young people from across Scotland to debate the issues that would make a difference to their lives. In advance of this event, we asked Tam Baillie to share his views on why it is so important to listen to the opinions of children and young people on what would make Scotland a better place for them.
This year as I travel around the country meeting with children and young people as part of my consultation ‘a RIGHT blether’ I’m taking the time to ask them about their lives and what they would like to see change in their lives and the lives of their peers.
Sometimes as part of the visits I ask everyone to stand up and imagine they are holding up a magic wand. They are to wish for one thing that they would like to see change for children and young people and then to share that wish with the person standing next to them. It is a great way to start the conversation and to see the wealth of ideas and views in every group. It’s of course not as simple as waving a magic wand and things will be ‘fixed’ and there’s certainly no genie granting three wishes, we’d all love that; but that simple approach is I think, a significant first step in firing imagination.
All too often we as adults can be guilty of looking at what is possible to change, rather than what needs to change, regardless of how difficult or impossible the task it seems. Children and young people are the experts in their own lives, and we need to nurture spaces in which they can share their experiences and ideas, and we need to commit to really listening.
This year, as part of a RIGHT blether, my team has created a series of Rights Workshops to help children and young people explore their rights; where they live, where they learn, in their community and in Scotland. I’m also going to have what I hope will be a massive vote for all children and young people in Scotland in November. My ambition is for tens of thousands of children and young people to tell us all what they think we need to take action on in Scotland to make it a country in which children and young people can grow up in safe and happy. We may think we know all the answers but every child and young person has their own magical views and opinions to share. I look forward to learning and listening.
Young People’s Festival of Politics will take place on Friday 20 August 2010. Full details are available on our website:
