Midlothian Youth Platform - MYP would like your views on your local community, services and concerns so they can bring them to Midlothian Coucil and key Service providers.  Please give 5 minutes of your time to complete the survey.  Your views matter to us!

If you are aged 12 - 26 years, please click here to take survey!

Once you have completed the survey, please email your name and telephone number to clare.taylor-brown@midlothian.gov.uk<mailto:clare.taylor-brown@midlothian.gov.uk> so that you can be added to the prize draw for the £25.00 gift voucher of your choice!

Thank you for sharing your views.  Good Luck!

WOW is Young Scot's brand new youth opportunity search engine.

Designed and built for young people in Scotland. The site helps you to find out what's happening in their local area - we're talking sport, music, youth clubs, cinemas and drama groups.

Check out Young Scot WOW - www.youngscotwow.org

Good news for 16-18-year-olds living in Midlothian! You can now receive a discount on bus and rail travel throughout the whole of Scotland through your National Entitlement Card.

The Scottish Government has launched the National Entitlement Card (NEC) scheme, which means that young people in the qualifying age group will be able to claim a third off single bus fares across the country and a third off rail travel throughout Scotland. Those who do not have their card yet can go along to their local library and register there for their National Entitlement Cards.

Anyone aged 16 or over will receive their card in 3- 4 weeks of being registered. Anyone not yet 16 will receive their card on their 16th birthday. Any students from Midlothian studying at university or college in another local authority area should look out for information on how they can access the National Entitlement Card.

If you have any problems using your card on a bus or train or were refused a Young Scot discount when you tried to use the card then let us know email: clare.taylor-brown@midlothian.gov.uk

If you want help or information on anything from arts, health, housing, benefits, money (and everything else in between!) then why not call Young Scot InfoLine.

It's confidential, and free from landlines and most mobile networks. They can give you useful information on these topics to set you on your way.

Phone: 0808 801 0338 (open Mon to Fri 10am - 6pm)

Take a look at the website where you can download some Info Sheets

Get your work published!

The Lab section over on the right is a section open to all of you bright young things in Midlothian. Its a chance for you to unlock your creative skills!

If you have any jokes, funny stories, music/film reviews or anything else you think the young people of Midlothian would like to read then simply send them to clare.taylor-brown@midlothian.gov.uk.

If you would like to set up a group for young budding e-journalists in your community, email clare.taylor-brown|@midlothian.gov.uk or give clare a call on 0131 271 3714.

We're looking forward to hearing from and or reading your articles!

Midlothian MSYP - Danielle Rowley delivers speech on the Tobacco Bill at the Holyrood magazine conference

On Wednesday the 23^rd of September 2009, Danielle Rowley, Midlothian Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament presented a speech on the views of the young people of Scotland on the Tobacco Bill.  She also participated in the Question and Answer panel.  If you would like to read her speech, and a report on politics Scotland.

Please click here to go to Features

more on features

Midlothian MSYP, Danielle Rowley travelled to London to join 300 members of the UK Youth Parliament who made history at the House of Commons on Friday the 30th October 2009.  She said "“It was an amazing opportunity.  I was really delighted that I was chosen to go and it was great be part of the history of Britain and Young People and hopefully this will be a key event in ensuring the government listen to young”. 

Click here to find out more!

At the Scottish Youth parliament sitting in Aberdeenshire, Midlothian MSYPs - Vikki Gibson, Euan Archibald and Danielle Rowley got to work on the latest national SYP campaign to press the Scottish and UK Governments to lower the voting age to 16.

MSYP Danielle Rowley at the Take One: Action Film Festival On Friday 18th of September, Danielle Rowley Midlothian MSYP with SYP Chair Derek Couper, and Roars Not Whispers Peer Leader Keith Dryburgh took part in the Take One Action Film Festival www.takeoneaction.org.ukin Edinburgh.

Newly elected Midlothian Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament MSYPs Viiki Gibson, Euan Archibald and Danielle Rowley attended their first sitting on the last weekend of June at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh.

The Community Voices Programme supports a variety of community groups and organisations, and looks to support individuals to become more involved in their community.

It also provides training events and workshops to help representatives and residents build up their knowledge and confidence to participate in regeneration activities.

Click here to visit their website:

Visit: http://www.midlothiancvp.org.uk/

If the answer is YES, and you want to work with other young people to  make a difference, then why not join your local area youth forum.  There are 4 local area youth forums in Midlothian:

Dalkeith Youth Forum - DYF

Lasswade Youth Forum - LYF

Penicuik Youth Forum - PYF

Newbattle Youth Forum - NYF

All the local area youth forums meet monthly where they discuss issues, make plans and decision.  Each year the forums elect 4 members to sit on Midlothian youth council known as Midlothian Youth Platform - MYP.  To find out more about the youth forum in your local area or Midlothian Youth Platform, click on the  appropriate abbreviation!

If you would like to discuss joining, why not contact Clare Taylor-Brown on 0131 271 3714 or email clare.taylor-brown@midlothian.gov.uk

"My mother taught me to walk proud and tall 'as if the world was mine'".

Sophia Loren. born 1934

A woman rushed to see her doctor, looking very much worried and all strung out. She rattles off: "Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my hair all wiry and frazzled up, my skin was all wrinkled and pasty, my eyes were bloodshot and bugging out, and I had this corpse-like look on my face! What's WRONG with me, Doctor!?"

The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, then calmly says: "Well, I can tell you that there ain't nothing wrong with your eyesight."

_FaCt Of ThE _wEeK!!

Midlothian Youth Platform

"TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFRENCE!!"

MYP has a new bebo site.

to get the link Click here.

On Tuesday evening the 27^th October seven members of MYP-Midlothian Youth Platform involved in the PEST programme focusing on researching the aspirations and support needs of young people with disabilities at the transition stage of leaving school and moving into the world beyond,met with 4 members of ForwardMID, a group who focus on issues of equality and equal rights for individuals affected by physical disability to learn more about disability issues, services and rights.

Click here to see full articel

On Thursday the 26^th November, 26 members of MYP attended the Young Scots Sounds Right to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UN’S Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The show is Broadcast To Midlothian & South Edinburgh Every Monday to Friday From 6pm to 7pm on Black Diamond 107.8 FM. see more on fetures Click Here

The Midlothian Youth Platforum went to meet the first misister Alex Salmond at the Young Scot Futurama National Conversation on the 12th on November 2008.

Find out more about the Midlothian Local Conversation Findings in the Features section.

This is the lastest Report on the Midlothian Youth Representation residential which took place in  October 2008 read the whole report Click here

• Midlothian Council

To get involved, send us a story for the website, find out more information about Young Scot and Youth Participation initiatives or tell us if there is something you would like to see on the Midlothian pages please contact:

Clare Taylor-Brown, Youth Participation Worker on 0131 271 3714 or e-mail Clare.Taylor-Brown@midlothian.gov.uk

Candice Tait, Youth and Children's Work Team Leader on 0131 271 3710 or e-mail candice.tait@midlothian.gov.uk