Author Archives: amelina

SYP mental health research ‘Our generation’s epidemic’ – how aware are young people about what support and info is out there?⤴

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Terri Smith – Edinburgh Northern and Leith2“Every generation’s experiences are different from the one before it, and every generation has its own unique struggles. For my generation, one of the biggest struggles appears to be mental health”. Terri Smith – MSYP Edinburgh Northern and Leith2
 
MSYP Terri Smith couldn’t have put it better when talking about the Scottish Youth Parliament‘s latest research in the Continue reading →

Exclusive! Our interview with Author Sophie Kinsella – “Anything is possible”.⤴

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Sophie_©JOHN SWANNELLAuthor Sophie Kinsella, best known for her book ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’, was in town for the Edinburgh International Book Festival recently, to promote her latest offering – her first books for teens. Called ‘Finding Audrey’, the book is about a girl suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder. Audrey has been badly bullied at school, and as a result she doesn’t want to Continue reading →

What can I do about bullying? New Respectme film has good tips⤴

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The Enquire team has been really enjoying this film from the Respectme crew. It looks at different options to try out if you, or someone you know, is being bullied.
When you’re coping with being bullied, what works for you might be different from what works for someone else. The film gives you ideas for things you could try that might make the bullying stop, or might just help you feel a bit better and more in control.
 

Cyberbullying – 3 things you can do to help you feel better, and the Oor Bullie comic scooping up first prize⤴

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Huge congratulations to Gallowhill Primary who have just scooped up Scottish School of the Year Prize in the NSPCC Childhood Champions Awards.
Pupils at Gallowhill won the prize for the comic ‘Oor Bullie’ that they made. The pupils were inspired after the NSPCC came to their school to tell them about ChildLine and issues around cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying, also called online bullying, is when someone uses the internet, email, or social media to bully you. No one has the right to call you names or Continue reading →

Young voters in EU Referendum – improve politics education in schools so we can make more informed choices⤴

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With thousands of young voters in Scotland able to take part in today’s EU Referendum, making sure young people have the political education they need to make informed choices has never been so important. In this blog, MSYP Amy Perry, who sits on the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee, argues that PSHE lessons – Personal, Social and Health Education – is a perfect opportunity to engage pupils in politics. 
SYP_LogoContinue reading →

Charity of the Year Saheliya: girls’ top 5 school issues for minority ethnic pupils⤴

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saheliyaHUGE congratulations to Saheliya for scooping the Charity of the Year award at the Scottish Charity Awards. Saheliya does some amazing work to support the mental wellbeing of black and minority ethnic girls in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Charity awards
Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of the Saheliya girls to find Continue reading →

Pupils’ views: what schools can do to help our mental wellbeing. Enquire conference.⤴

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Here’s the film made about our recent event in Stirling on supporting good mental health in schools. Watching it I am reminded how awesome all the young people were who took part. Zoe and Caitlin, whose volunteering efforts for See Me and Aye Mind have attracted the attention of the royals Kate and Wills, spoke about how digital media impacts on young people’s mental health. We also heard from Gennifer, who created the website SOAR after one of her closest friends at school died of cancer. Continue reading →

Your Voice on Education – Scottish Youth Parliament guest blog⤴

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Another fab blog from MSYP Aqeel, the young Convener of the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee for the Scottish Youth Parliament. Thanks for keeping us in the loop Aqeel!
SYP Education Committee Jan 2016 blog
AQEEL: “The Education Committee has been busy over the last couple of months. At our last committee meeting, at SYP’s 59th National Sitting, in the Scottish Borders, we discussed our initial Additional Support for Learning research results, our recent Continue reading →

School of thought – 5 ways the new government could make schools better for young people in Scotland⤴

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The Scottish Elections are coming up next week, and if you’re 16 years old or over then you have the right to vote. This is such an exciting chance for you to use your voice and have a say in how Scotland should be run!
There are lots of youth orgs with manifestos that set out goals for the new government that will make life better for young people in Scotland. A lot of the manifestos call for politicians to do more to make sure that all young people in Scotland get Continue reading →

New film about one girl’s story of being bullied for having problems reading⤴

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Did you know that Albert Einstein the genius scientist was considered dyslexic?  Just one of the things I learnt from watching a wonderful new film called Judged, by I am me Scotland. The film is about one girl’s story of what it’s like to have dyslexia and get bullied at school for not being able to read out loud in class. “I was always scared I would get picked. You see, being dyslexic doesn’t mean I’m stupid. I’m actually really clever…it Continue reading →