Zac Mickel, aged 16 from Stirling High School and Sophie Kerrigan, aged 16 from Wallace High School were elected out of nine candidates to represent the Stirling constituency.
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, also known as MSYPs, are aged between 14 and 25. They are democratically elected every two years.
'Doing our best for Stirling's young people'
Commenting on their election, Zac said: “I’m so delighted to have been elected – especially up against such impressive competition. I’m looking forward to the next two years with the Scottish Youth Parliament and I’m 100% positive that Sophie and I will make sure that no voice is left unheard. We are absolutely committed to doing our very best for Stirling’s young people.”
Sophie added: “I’m so happy that I get to embark on this journey and I am excited as well as eager on what’s to come next.”
The successful candidates will act as MSYP Elects until Thursday 1 February 2024 when they will transition to Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament as their new membership term begins.
Following this, MSYPs will undergo a period of training and development in early 2024 before going on to select their national campaign priorities for the 2024/25 term. They replace Fraser Cronin and Matthew Crossan who were previously elected for the Stirling constituency in 2021.
'Young people taking an interest in politics'
Children and Young People Convener, Cllr Margaret Brisley said: “It’s always very heartening to see bright and talented young people taking an interest in politics as a vehicle for change for their communities.
“We value the hard work and dedication shown by our MSYPs in serving the area and advocating for young people in Stirling on the issues that matter to them. I’d like to thank Fraser and Matthew for their efforts as MSYPs over the last two years and wish Zac and Sophie the very best for their upcoming term.”
Since 1999, MSYPs have successfully campaigned for change for Scotland’s children and young people in their mission to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.
Previous campaign successes have included free bus travel, campaigning to bring the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, and calling for 16 and 17 years old to be able to vote in all Scottish elections.