Councillors and representatives from parties standing in the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections have taken part in a panel event with school pupils from across Edinburgh.
Students from seven local secondary schools put their questions forward to political representatives at the hustings on Monday 30 March.
Monday’s event, ‘The Future Speaks’, enabled school pupils to raise points on issues that matter to them most with local candidates ahead of the Scottish elections in May.
Hustings are open meetings where political representatives hear directly from people in their community, answer questions and explain their party’s policies.
Councillors from seven political parties were challenged by the audience of 16–18-year-olds on a range of topics including sustainability, artificial intelligence, social media and disinformation, climate change, the just transition to net zero and the biodiversity crisis.
More than 100 young students attended the event, chaired by Professor Jen Ross, Professor of Digital Culture and Education Futures and co-director of the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport.
The event was organised by James Gillespie’s High School science teacher Callum MacLellan, in partnership with Sandra Mackenzie from the University’s Edinburgh Futures Institute and Jen Ross from Moray House School of Education and Sport.
I found the event really eye-opening to the range of views from different political parties and really enjoyed having the opportunity to ask politicians a few extra questions at the end of the event. I got to see different viewpoints regarding important present-day topics.
– Emmy Anagnostou, School pupil
A unique opportunity to pose questions that don’t always have clear cut answers or a one-size-fits-all solution, whether it be on economic models, food production or employment.
– Annie McDowellSchool pupil
Civic commitments
Part of the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Futures Institute is a future-focused space for learning, research, and innovation, designed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing global challenges.
The Institute plays a central role in the University’s civic responsibilities, helping it create meaningful connections between communities, organisations and industries to make an impact for the common good.
The times that we live in are full of bad news and ominous trends. The Future Speaks is a platform to explore how politicians might use their power in order to move towards sustainability, fairness and safety. It is important, in the face of cynicism and negativity, that we continue to believe that politics can be a force for good. I have been so impressed by how positive and knowledgeable these pupils are and I hope their example will inspire the candidates to act now for a better future.
– Callum MacLellanTeacher of Science through Gaelic, James Gillespie’s High School
It’s incredibly important that that young people have a platform to connect with politicians and take part in debates on key subjects that will affect their future. We are really pleased that Edinburgh Futures Institute was able facilitate this event. It enabled young people to input on issues that matter to them and see how involvement in democratic deliberation can positively shape the future.
– Professor Jen Ross, Professor of Digital Culture and Education Futures, Co-director of the Centre for Research in Digital Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport and Edinburgh Futures Institute
