Gary Seath 2 years ago
Young people visited the Scottish Parliament to meet Deputy Presiding Officer, Annabelle Ewing MSP earlier this month, to share their unique lived experiences as young carers from armed forces and veteran families in Fife.
The visit proved an important first step to ensuring elected representatives hear directly from this group of young people to better understand their lived experiences, their unique support needs, and the importance of their voice being heard in future policymaking.
The young people talked about working directly with the charity to launch their Ignite Project, which involved a poster/social media-led campaign to raise awareness and encourage peers with caring responsibilities to seek support in Fife Schools.
The visit provided an opportunity to share unique challenges faced by armed forces and veteran families, such as coping with parental deployment, caring for parents living with life-changing physical and psychological wounds, and much more.
Having described unique challenges faced, attention turned to the positive impact of support they had received from Forces Children Scotland, which included participation in projects, mental health and wellbeing support and receiving financial grants.
Annabelle Ewing MSP said:
“It was a real pleasure to meet with young people from armed forces and veteran families from Fife, who had a lot to say about their lived experiences and aspirations, making it clear to me how important it is to ensure that they get the support that they need. It is therefore vital that policymakers listen to their voices and I commend the work that this group does to that end.”
Forces Children Scotland’s Deputy CEO & Policy Lead, Carly Elliott, said:
“Many children and young people have told Forces Children Scotland that they feel their voice is seldom-heard in policymaking. That’s why it is critical that elected representatives take the time to listen to this group and we are thankful to Annabelle Ewing MSP for this meeting. We look forward to amplifying their lived experiences further, ensuring Scotland lives up to its ambition to become a leader in the protection of the human rights of all children.”
Ends
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For more information about Forces Children Scotland please contact Gary Seath,
Marketing, Communications, and Development Manager: (gary.seath@forceschildrenscotland.org.uk)
Website: Children & Young People – Forces Children Scotland
Twitter: Forces Children Scotland (@ForcesChildScot) / Twitter
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