FE Students attend "Your Parliament" Conference at Scottish Parliament

On Friday 24th March four of our FE students flew to Edinburgh to spend a day in the Scottish Parliament.

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Wilhelm Riel, Teresa Jane Harrold, Kellyanne McIndoe and Megan Williamson visiting Holyrood

The event was ‘Your Scottish Parliament’ conference being held on Friday 24th March at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Students from every college in Scotland, from Shetland to Dumfries and from the Western Isles to Fraserburgh were welcomed to an exciting day which was aimed at both inspiring and informing them on how parliament can work for them.

The event was called ‘Your Scottish Parliament’ for a good reason. It was all about students What is important to students what their views were on different issues and what they want parliament to know about their lives.

Students took part in a live Q&A session in the Debating Chamber and a focus group on why people do or don’t vote in elections, they also took part in a quiz to test their knowledge on the parliament, government and information on MSP’s etc.. Many students spoke about real issues which they have faced and continue to face them in education. Bullying and Cyberbullying were well debated issues which had prevented some students from attending colleges.

There were workshops in the afternoon on subjects such as:

  • Moving from school to college
  • Internet related crimes
  • Personal safety issues
  • How to meet Scotland's climate Change Targets
  • Bullying and harassment in schools
  • Getting into the world of work
  • How will the workforce look in the future?

Staff member Anne Hill accompanied the group on the trip.

The group flew to Edinburgh and took a tram to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood then flew back in the evening flight. For some of the group it was the first time they had flown and been on a tram. All in all it was a great experience and they did a fantastic job in representing Orkney College UHI.