A Youth Voice Network for Scotland
About the project
On behalf of the Electoral Commission, Children in Scotland is running the Youth Voice Network for Scotland. This group is working to increase the knowledge and understanding of democracy and politics amongst young people, while supporting consistency in political education.
The project is running from October 2023 until 2026, with the group meeting around four times per year. The group review programmes created by the Electoral Commission and presenting new ideas for projects they develop. The group will create resources for the UK Parliament general election and the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
June 2025: Recruiting new members
From June to September 2025, Children in Scotland put out the call for new applications from young people aged 12 – 18 who are keen to share their views about what would help encourage more young people to participate in local and national democracy.
The group meets during online and in-person sessions where members can meet new people, develop new skills and help make a difference in encouraging more young people to participate in Scotland’s democracy.
Our current members have shared some of the qualities that would make a good addition to the group:
You should have open mind and be to hear out other opinions and points of views.
Being able to commit to sessions as much as you can.
Be a welcoming and friendly person who is keen to share their view on things that matter!
2024 General Election
Ahead of the registration deadline, members of the group created fantastic resources encouraging people to register to vote in the 2024 General Election. Download video.
Welcome To Your Vote Week 2025
The Youth Voice Network for Scotland helped to celebrate and raise awareness of the Welcome To Your Vote Week campaign 2025 which encourages young people across the UK to get involved and learn about voting and democracy.
The Youth Voice Network helped to set the theme for this year’s campaign – ‘Get Informed and Get Involved’. The theme encouraged young people to seek out information from reliable sources about how to vote and who you want to vote for.
Members of the Youth Voice Network helped to develop social media content, school posters and lesson plans to support Welcome To Your Vote Week.
Meeting Alison Thewliss
To mark Welcome To Your Vote week, the Youth Voice Network arranged an online meeting with former MP for Glasgow Central, Alison Thewlis.
The group asked Alison questions about what it’s like being an MP, the role of young people in elected politics and why accessible and reliable information is important to all voters in the UK.
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The Electoral CommissionThe independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UKFind Out More
