The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
Young people & the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a ground breaking set of global goals that cover just about every major problem facing humanity today, from tackling the climate crisis to ensuring good employment and healthcare for all.
In 2016 almost every country in the world committed to tackling these issues together by 2030. This is a HUGE deal. If we reach the goals it would be an amazing achievement for all humanity. Imagine a world with no poverty, with gender equality and prosperity. This is the world the goals could lead to. However, although this sounds excellently John Lennon-y there is a lot that could stop that happening. The SDGs aren’t legally binding, they rely on individual governments to turn promises into effective policies. This means that for the goals to be a success, we need to make them a success.
We need to make sure that the voices of people who are passionate about affecting change in these areas, who are personally affected by the issues or who have ideas for a better future, are heard loud and clear and incorporated into policy.
On a National level as well, young people are often absent from the rooms where decisions are made. The average age of MSPs is 49, for MPs, it’s 50 and the House of Lords averages 123 (joking, it’s a spritely 70). Whilst this doesn’t necessarily make them bad representatives, it does mean that they are less likely to be personally affected by the issues facing young people. Young people straightforwardly have a very different experience when it comes to jobs, mental health, education, and many other issues, compared to the people representing us.
This is why it’s so important that young people’s voices are heard on these issues, we need to get into these rooms. If this is where the future is being decided then everyone needs to be a part of it.
SCVO is working with Project Scotland to find 30 volunteers, aged 16-24 to be part of a project aimed at bringing the voice of young people to the heart of government.
If you are interested in getting involved we want to hear from you! Click here for more info or to sign up.
If you have any questions please contact Matt.Sellar@projectscotland.co.uk