Young people to scrutinise Nicola Sturgeon at special edition of First Minister’s Questions

First Minister’s Question Time Next Generation team - Image credit: Alan Rennie

Children and young people are being offered the chance to hold the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to account at a special edition of First Minister’s Questions.

One hundred children and young people will make up the audience for First Minister’s Question Time Next Generation, which will be recorded in Glasgow in September and broadcast on STV’s Scotland Tonight.

The event has been funded by the Scottish Government as part of Year of Young People 2018 and designed in partnership with a team of 19 children and young people, who have been involved in decision-making throughout the project, from the choice of venue to visuals to the questions that will be put to the First Minister.

One design team member, Josh, 13, said: “I wanted to get involved because I wanted to make sure that not just my voice, but my generation’s voice, was not just being heard but being listened to and taken into consideration, as the decisions being made will not affect the decision-makers in the long run, they will affect us.”

First Minister’s Question Time Next Generation builds on participation work by charities Children in Scotland and YouthLink Scotland that aims put children and young people at the heart of policymaking and the decisions that affect them.

It is hoped that it will become a regular occurrence. 

Jackie Brock, chief executive of Children in Scotland, said: : “Our vision is for a dedicated First Minister’s Question Time for children and young people that will become part of the landscape of children and young people’s participation for years to come – whatever party is in power and whoever is first minister.”

Nicola Sturgeon said: “As a government, we are committed to ensuring that children and young people are at the heart of decisions that affect them as set out in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

 “It states that when adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account.

 “In this Year of Young People, and through this dedicated Question Time, I hope to offer a platform for children and young people to bring those opinions directly to me.”

The programme will be recorded on Wednesday 12 September and broadcast on Scotland Tonight on Thursday 13 September. It will also be available to view afterwards on the STV Player.

Children and young people can apply to be part of the audience by emailing events@childreninscotland.org.uk.