HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Scottish Young Greens (SYG) is the independent
youth wing A youth wing is a subsidiary, autonomous, or independently allied front of a larger organization (usually a political party but occasionally another type of organization) that is formed in order to rally support for that organization from members ...
of the
Scottish Greens The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 20 ...
. SYG campaign on
green politics Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It b ...
and
youth politics Youth politics is a category of issues which distinctly involve, affect or otherwise impact youth. It encompasses youth policy that specifically has an impact on young people (for example, education, housing, employment, leisure) and how young peop ...
. Membership of the Scottish Young Greens is open to anyone aged 12 to 30 years old, and any student enrolled in higher or further education, so long as they are not members of a rival political party. The Scottish Young Greens have a close working relationship with the party's other representative and interest groups, and are a Member Organisation of the
Federation of Young European Greens The Federation of Young European Greens, often referred to as FYEG ( ), is an umbrella organisation that gathers young green movements and organisations across Europe with 40,000 members. FYEG's aim is to defend climate and social justice on the ...
.


History

Scottish Young Greens formally, and amicably, split from the
Young Greens of England and Wales The Young Greens of England and Wales (YGEW) is the official youth branch of the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). All members of the GPEW who are under 30 years old and/or full or part-time students are members of the Young Greens and a ...
in 2003, more than ten years after the Scottish Green Party and the
Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW; cy, Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr, kw, Party Gwer Pow an Sowson ha Kembra, often simply the Green Party or Greens) is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021, Carla ...
had similarly split. To this day, the two youth wings remain independent organisations. Scottish Young Greens have variously campaigned for the Scottish and UK Climate Bills, Fairtrade Universities,
Votes at 16 Votes at 16 is a campaign in the United Kingdom which argues in favour of the reduction of the voting age to 16 for all public elections. The campaign espouses several principles in favour of lowering the voting age. Votes at 16 Coalition The Vo ...
, a Free, Fair and Funded Education System, and against HMO Quotas. In 2007, they revealed that the University of Edinburgh invested substantially in TOTAL Oil, the biggest financial supporters of the Burmese Junta. Scottish Young Greens were also central to the preparations for the protests at the 2005 G8 Summit in Scotland. Following the
2014 Scottish independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...
, a significant increase in the membership of the Scottish Green Party resulted in an influx of many new Young Greens. In 2015, they launched their own manifesto ahead of the 2015 general election, including calls for the removal of benefit sanctions and the abolition of the so-called
Bedroom tax The under-occupancy penalty (also known as the under occupation penalty, under-occupancy charge, under-occupation charge or size criteria) results from a provision of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 whereby tenants living in public housing (a ...
. During
COP26 The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...
in November 2021, the Scottish Young Greens hosted a number of events at a Youth Hub, working closely with the Global Young Greens and the
Federation of Young European Greens The Federation of Young European Greens, often referred to as FYEG ( ), is an umbrella organisation that gathers young green movements and organisations across Europe with 40,000 members. FYEG's aim is to defend climate and social justice on the ...
.


National Council

The day-to-day running of the Scottish Young Greens is managed by the Scottish Young Greens National Council. National Council meets monthly and is led by the two Co-Convenors, who chair Council meetings, lead the SYG as a whole, and help to organise and support the rest of Council. National Council is elected annually at an Annual General Meeting in the summer, and nominations are open to any members of the Scottish Young Greens. As of 2022, there are currently 14 full members of Council, The 2022-23 National council consists of: Co-Convenors: Sophie Brodie & Alyson Mackay Secretary Welfare Officer: Harry Quinn Elections & Campaigns Officer: Niall McGeechan Social Media Officer: Amy Kettyles Website & Content Officer: Neil Watson Membership Secretary: Evan Macdonald Equality & Inclusion Officer: Heather Gilda International Officer: Cameron Garrett Policy Officer: Ryan Kelly Events Officer: Eryn Browning Ordinary Members: Stewart Rooney & Kaelan Donnachie ''alongside ex-officio members from each of the local area groups and affiliated student groups.''


Sub-Groups

The Scottish Young Greens currently have six local area groups: * Glasgow & West Young Greens * Highlands & Islands Young Greens * Lothian Young Greens * Mid-Scot, Fife & Central Young Greens * North East Young Greens * South Scotland Young Greens Additionally, a number of universities and colleges across Scotland have student groups affiliated with the Scottish Young Greens: * Abertay Greens * Edinburgh University Young Greens * Strathclyde Greens * UofG Greens * UWS Greens In 2021, the Scottish Young Greens officially launched Young Green Women - a project in collaboration with the Scottish Green Party Women's Network.


Notable members

A number of Scottish Young Greens have been elected to public office.
Ross Greer Ross John Greer (born 1 June 1994) is a Scottish politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Greens, he was the youngest MSP elected in the 2016 election ...
became the youngest MSP ever elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2016 elections, representing the West Scotland region, and in the
2021 Scottish Parliament election The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The ele ...
, former Scottish Young Greens co-convener
Gillian Mackay Gillian Audrey Mackay (born 1991) is a Scottish Green politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. She is the first Green MSP ever to be ele ...
was elected as the first ever Scottish Greens MSP for Central Scotland. In the 2017 local elections, 16% of Scottish Green Party candidates were Young Greens. Three were elected as councillors, out of a total of 19 Green councillors across Scotland, all to
Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...
- Kim Long, Christy Mearns, and Allan Young. In the 2022 local elections, nearly a third of all elected Scottish Green Party councillors were Young Greens, with eleven Scottish Young Greens members elected in total. Scottish Young Greens have also had a certain amount of success in student politics. Former
Rector of the University of Edinburgh The Lord Rector of The University of Edinburgh is elected every three years by the students and staff at The University of Edinburgh. Seldom referred to as ''Lord Rector'', the incumbent is more commonly known just as the ''Rector''. Role Th ...
Peter McColl Peter McColl (born 9 May 1980) is a political campaigner and writer who was Rector of the University of Edinburgh 2012–2015. He has been involved with charity work and is editor of the progressive blog Bright Green. Early life McColl was ed ...
was Convener of the Young Greens between 2008 and 2010, and the Scottish Young Greens led the successful election campaign of
Mark Ballard Mark Ballard (born 27 June 1971) is a former Scottish Green Party politician. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region from 2003 to 2007, and co-convener of the Edinburgh Green Party from 2007 to 2010. He was ...
as Rector of Edinburgh University. A number of current and former Presidents and Vice Presidents of students' associations including UWS Students' Union, Stirling Students' Union,
Edinburgh University Students' Association Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of ...
,
Aberdeen University Students' Association Aberdeen University Students' Association (often referred to as AUSA) is the students' association of the University of Aberdeen, an ancient university in the city of Aberdeen in North East Scotland. It organises recreational activities; provide ...
and Glasgow University SRC have been Young Greens. The 2004–2005 Deputy President of
NUS Scotland The National Union of Students Scotland ( gd, Aonadh Nàiseanta na Oileanaich na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Union o Collegianers Scotland) is an autonomous body within the National Union of Students. It is the national representative body of aro ...
, Phyl Meyer, was also a Young Green, as was 2011–2013 NUS Scotland President Robin Parker. In 2022, Ellie Gomersall became the first incumbent Co-Convenor of the Scottish Young Greens to be elected NUS Scotland President when she was elected for a two-year term. A number of Scottish Young Greens members have been Members of the
Scottish Youth Parliament The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is a youth-led, democratic organisation which aims to represent the young people of Scotland. The SYP is made up of around 166 democratically-elected representatives aged 14–25 from across Scotland. Represe ...
, including James Smyth and Ross Greer (2011–2013), and former Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, Jack Dudgeon (2019–2020).


References


External links


Scottish Young Greens official website

Scottish Green Party

Federation of Young European Greens
{{British political youth organisations Scottish Green Party Youth wings of green parties in Europe Greens