Eastwood MSP, Jackson Carlaw, has committed himself to take up the challenge of completing the new Scouts Scotland Youth Advocacy Award following a meeting with Scouts Scotland CEO Katie Docherty.
This follows Mr Carlaw raising the concerns of a local Scout leader about the ongoing recruitment of volunteers within local Eastwood Scouting groups.
In the same way that Scouts earn their badges, Jackson Carlaw MSP will earn the award by completing a number of actions that were chosen by young people in Scouting to help MSPs develop the amazing skills for life that Scouting offers.
The award celebrates and highlights MSPs who are raising issues related to young people within the Scottish Parliament, and includes the options to learn a skill, raise issues relating to young people in the parliament or in the media, and visit a local Scout group.
To complete his award Mr Carlaw intends to continue to engage with local Scouting groups in Eastwood amongst various other activities.
Commenting Jackson Carlaw MSP said:
“I’m delighted to be taking part in the Scouts Scotland Youth Advocacy Award over the coming months."
"Scouting makes a huge difference across Eastwood, in helping young people develop skills for life."
"I’m really looking forward to working together with young people in Scouting to achieve my badge”
Tudor Westwood, Chair of the National Youth Advisory Group for Scouts Scotland said:
"The exciting thing is that this badge encourages politicians to see and engage with, first-hand, the extraordinary work Scouts Scotland does every single day in Scotland."
"Each week, we give almost 40,000 young people in Scotland the opportunity to enjoy fun and adventure while developing the skills they need to succeed and I believe this advocacy award will help to inspire more of our young people to engage with democracy and work towards social change.”