Josh Kennedy gives youngsters a voice at Holyrood

Josh Kennedy, from Bishopton, got the top job last week following an online vote.

He leads a group of 160 elected members, aged 14 to 25, who sit three times a year across Scotland to discuss pressing issues affecting young people.

One of 18-year-old Josh’s main responsibilities will be attending a full cabinet meeting once a year at Bute House, in Edinburgh, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Every two years, he will chair a debate of the Scottish Youth Parliament at Holyrood, where young members will sit in the seats reserved for senior MSPs.

The Scottish Youth Parliament was established in 1999, at the same time as the Scottish Parliament.

Josh, a former pupil of Trinity High School, in Renfrew, was first elected as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) in 2017 at the tender age of 15.

He told The Gazette: “It’s a tremendous honour to get the chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and I hope I can carry on the good work of my predecessors.

“The parliament discusses issues that affect young people and finds out what their priorities are and how we can influence government policy.

“We regularly meet with government officials and ministers, particularly the education secretary John Swinney, to discuss major issues that affect young people today.”

Josh, who is studying Law and Politics at Glasgow University, is MSYP for Renfrewshire North and West.

Meetings of the youth parliament are often attended by council leaders and, on occasion, members of the Scottish Government.

Josh added: “These meetings with government officials are our main opportunity to get over our message.

“I get to sit once a year with the First Minister, her deputy John Swinney and the rest of the Cabinet.”

Josh, who is from Erskine but lives in Bishopton, first became interested in politics in 2014, during the Scottish independence referendum.

He said: “MSYPs are elected to ensure the views of young people we represent are listened to by decision makers.”