Supporting children and young people across West Lothian to have their voices heard.
Community Learning and Development (CLD) Youth Services are committed to ensuring children and young people across West Lothian have meaningful opportunities to have their voices heard, share their views and influence decisions that affect them.
Through youth participation and children's rights approaches, we support young people to build confidence, develop leadership skills and play an active role in shaping their communities and services.
Youth Voice and Participation
We support a range of opportunities for children and young people to get involved, including:
The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is the national organisation responsible for representing the voices of young people across Scotland.
CLD Youth Services support young people in West Lothian to become involved with the Scottish Youth Parliament by supporting the recruitment and election process for Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs). We also provide ongoing support to MSYPs, helping them engage with other young people and represent their views on issues that matter to them.
Find out more about the Scottish Youth Parliament:
The West Lothian Children's Rights Network provides opportunities for children and young people to understand and exercise their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The network brings together children, young people, services and partners to promote children's rights, listen to young people's experiences and work together to improve outcomes across West Lothian.
Find out more about the Children's Rights Network:
We work to embed meaningful participation across our services, ensuring children and young people are listened to, valued and supported to have an influence on matters that are important to them. We use a range of approaches to gather views, encourage involvement and ensure young people's experiences help inform planning and decision-making.
