What's the Biggest Issue?

As an advanced part of the process for a Youth Politics event at this year’s Festival of Politics, this poll will lead to guaranteed action at the Scottish Parliament based on the outcomes of the event.

The entire process is youth-led, beginning with young people involved at the CIVICUS Youth Assembly in mid-June, taking in the online poll and eventually finalised at the one-day event taking place on Saturday 23rd August.

As well as being hosted here on our site, the poll is also available on www.sccyp.org.uk and www.youngscot.org with all results combined to give the Youth Politics Festival its shortlist of 4 topics.  The poll will be live from 4 - 14 July. 

The Youth Politics Festival: Think Global; Speak Local (Saturday 23 August 10:30-16:00) will be a dual-campus event, hosted concurrently in Carnegie College in Dunfermline and in the Scottish Parliament, joined together by video-link technology.  To register an interest in attending the event, young people should contact info@carnegiefestival.com

The poll and the event are strongly supported by the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Alex Fergusson MSP.  Speaking on Friday as the poll went live, the Presiding Officer said:

 “This is an exciting opportunity for young people to put the issues that matter to them to the top of the political agenda. Festivals are about new ideas and new experiences and I would encourage as many young people as possible to log on and join in the debate.”

Charlie McConnell, CEO Carnegie UK Trust said:

“Helping to give young a voice has been at the heart of much of our work over the past decade through the Carnegie Young People Initiative and the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust’s  local grant programmes.  We have had longstanding links with Young Scot, Youth Link and the Scottish Youth Parliament and are delighted to be working in partnership  with them  to deliver the  2008 Youth Politics Festival . We encourage all young scots to join in the debate."

The Youth Festival is a joint project between the Festival of Politics, the Carnegie Festival, Youth Link Scotland, Scottish Youth Parliament, Roars not Whispers, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People and Young Scot.

The Festival of Politics programme 2008 is available on the Scottish Parliament’s website www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk and the Carnegie Festival Programme will be launched on 17 July www.carnegiefestival.org.uk

Vote Now!

The Poll has now closed.  Votes cast on this site, together with all other methods of voting will now be added together and a final four topics chosen for the event.  Watch this space!