A LOCAL Community Councillor, who was recently elected Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament of the Year, is to speak in the House of Lords next Friday (May 2) on issues close to his heart.
This is no mean feat for 16 year old Inverurie Academy pupil Conor McKay, who loves to influence and implement change for the good.
The event is likely to be recorded, with photographers and film crews present - and the fact that the event may be t
elevised on BBC Parliament will make the occasion all the more awe-inspiring.
Conor said: "It is a great privilege to speak in the House of Lords, one shouldn't take it lightly. There will be people from all over the UK there and it is likely to be broadcast, so it will be a very big day."
In preparation, Conor and other elected Youth Parliament speakers - 18 regional representatives in all - travelled to London earlier this week to take part in a course on public speaking, House of Lords etiquette, an insight into how the day happens and to meet with the Lord Speaker The Right Honorable Baroness Hayman.
It all began a few years ago when a Youth Forum meeting for Aberdeenshire was held at Garioch Community Centre, and Conor just decided to go along.
He explained: "There wasn't a Youth Forum in Inverurie at the time, so we set one up and now it's going strong. I first got involved three years ago and I joined the Youth Parliament about a year and a half ago. I was nominated by Aberdeenshire Youth Forum and elected. There are six seats in Aberdeenshire - two in Gordon - and you serve a two-year term.
Local Authorities in Scotland have thus far been misaligned in terms of the voting process, but this will be rectified in 2009 when there will be an election throughout Scotland where every youth between the age of 14 and 25 who wishes to vote will do so at the same time.
Young people's issues are fed in through the Youth Forum and get a wider platform through the local elected MSYP.
Conor elaborated: "My job is to engage with decision makers to try and resolve the issues. You get involved in the democratic process at all levels, from local Community Council to Holyrood, to Westminster and even the European Union."
There are ten different committees within the Youth Parliament covering a full gamut of topics including culture, education, equal opportunities, health, justice, sport and leisure, transport, environment and rural affairs.
Education and Lifelong Learning are Conor's main area of interest, and, working closely with Education Secretary, Fiona Hislop, he is driving several issues forward including sex education in schools.
He said: "There is no national curriculum, every school does it differently and what there is doesn't cover relationships. There is no consensus so we are trying to establish a website - an online resource that teachers and pupils can access. We will make sure all the information is accurate and we will involve charities such as the Terrance Higgins Trust. We are aiming to deliver good quality sex and relationship education, addressing pupils' specific needs and lifestyles."
Another issue currently being driven forward is to influence the implementation of a law that stipulates that all schools should have a Pupil Council, and to find a standard format that works well. Currently some schools have them, some don't and while some work well, this is not the case with others.
The Scotland-wide Education Committee, on which Conor sits, has implemented a pilot scheme in schools within Perth and Kinross, which are looking at a successful way of running Pupil Councils across the board. When a successful system has been found, the committee will take it back to Parliament, with the ultimate goal of getting a Pupil Council that works well into every school.
Explaining the abolition of the Graduate Endowment Fee, Conor said: "We've had some part to play in the abolition of the graduate endowment fee. The £2,000 fee was scrapped in March 2008. It was announced at a Youth Parliament sitting by Education Minister, Fiona Hyslop."
On a local level, and as a result of lobbying the council, the proposed Youth Café is now firmly in the Town Plan – it is just a matter of finding a suitable site.
Conor said: "Alex Salmond has already said that he would support a Youth Café in Inverurie. We have invited him to the Youth Form this summer to hear about our issues and he has agreed in principle. We just need to arrange a date."
He concluded: "I think it is good to see change happen. I enjoy doing it and it is a good chance to influence change for the good. In the Youth Forum I've met people from all walks of life. I've met councillors and the Scottish Cabinet – also Alex Salmond is our local MSP and First Minister – I've worked with him several times."
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