Youth & Schools
- 98% of those attending Youth & Schools Forums said they had helped strengthen their link with Malawi
- 95% of SMP members believe the SMP has supported continued visible and meaningful youth engagement and youth leadership in the bilateral relationship
"In these challenging times, it is a comfort to know that the expertise which the SMP provides, allows for the development of our schools partnership. We have benefitted from the networking opportunities which the SMP facilitate to find other methods of maintaining our partnership work with our friends in Malawi." Ian Mitchell, Beath High School .
"Up to date information, a reading of the pulse in Malawi, if you will. SMP is vital now as all countries come out of the pandemic. Malawi needs visitors to help continue to build and the SMP sharing others’ experience is vital to make this happen" Michael O’Regan, Watson’s Malawi Partnership.
“Genuinely has been a massive part of my life. Move from school (loads of opportunities) to after was a real contrast (no opportunities at all!), so the SMP Youth Committee really filled that void. Really wanted to find a strong link, and this was it. the amount of freedom we were given really helped. We weren’t given a list of options, not like we were being used as a random panel. Getting feedback from ‘up top’ shows they actually listened and understood.”
“I have had a really great time on the youth committee. I have felt very respected and encouraged by the SMP staff and the other youth committee members. I feel like I have been exposed to opportunities I otherwise might not have been and have learned a lot.”
“Great opportunity to get involved at a younger level in the workings of an organisation such as this and opportunity to work closely with other like-minded young people as well.”
“Really enjoyed my time in the youth committee - been able to meet other young people who share similar beliefs and thoughts as my own and work with them one exciting projects.”
“Being on this committee has led me to some of the best opportunities I have ever had. Being able to engage with other people with similar views and interests is an incredible thing to be able to do. When I was in school, no one ever really understood my interest and that made me feel quite insecure but being part of this committee has changed that a lot. It has helped me gain a lot of confidence and I am thankful to the SMP for that. I am also glad I have had the opportunity to grow and develop my social media skills and these skills have now been crucial to me both in my uni degree and with another project.”
In March 2022, the SMP published an updated edition of its Schools Partnership Practical Guide, for which Hon. Agnes Nyalonje, Malawi’s Minister of Education provided the Foreword. In this the Minister wrote:
“Having previously lived and worked in Edinburgh with my family, I have long been involved in the bilateral relationship and actively engaged in both MaSP and the SMP. I know from this experience that these are values-driven networks: their work is about celebrating, supporting and developing civic partnerships which are underpinned by mutual respect, human solidarity and dignified partnership. Although Scotland is a donor to Malawi, it views Malawi primarily as a friend and a partner. This approach, and these values, are clear throughout this updated Guide…. It is clear how committed the SMP and MaSP are to further developing the relationship between Malawi and Scotland by challenging negative stereotypes and actively addressing power imbalances where they appear….
“I am keen to thank not only MaSP and the SMP but also the Scottish Government as, without their core funding of both networks, none of this work would have been possible. The intergovernmental links between our two nations are important and highly valued but they are just one component of the diverse and varied bilateral relationship. Our contemporary governmental and parliamentary links sit on a rich history of civic cooperation between churches, universities, colleges, hospitals, communities and, of course, schools and youth groups. With over 200 civic-led educational partnerships between our two nations, this is perhaps the lifeblood of our nation-to-nation friendship. MaSP and SMP play a crucial role in supporting all these wider links.
“The SMP and MaSP are two sides of the same coin: each is set up to coordinate, represent and support the bilateral relationship in their own nation; each brings their own cultural knowledge and understanding; and each holds the other to account. This is an innovative and inspiring model which I hope continues to grow and develop for many years to come.”
Launching the new Partnership Guide at the SMP’s Youth and Schools Forum, 31st March 2022, Hon. Nyalonje said:
“I would like to start by congratulating the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) and the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) teams for being proactive and responsive in updating the Youth and Schools Partnership Guide. ...This work demonstrates the high level of commitment that the SMP and the MaSP have towards ensuring that nothing stops the youth and schools from serving as the centres for productive cultural exchange, ethical human development, and strengthening of historical ties between our two countries. This level of collaboration between the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) network in Scotland, and the Malawi Scotland Partnership network (MaSP) in Malawi is commendable for being both productive and progressive, in that it has seen many of our youth and schools benefit through exchange events over the past 150 years.”
In our #COP26Voices campaign we challenged 26 young climate leaders in Malawi and Scotland to make 1-minute videos of themselves sharing their climate priorities: what climate change impacts they are already seeing and what do they wanted to come out of COP26.
We released 26 of these youth videos in the run up to COP26 to help amplify the voice of young Malawians. #COP26Voices | Scotland Malawi Partnership (scotland-malawipartnership.org)
During the visit of President Chakwera, the First Lady and Ministers of the Governments of Malawi and Scotland on November 4th, we live-linked to the COP26 Youth Hub in Lilongwe.
As part of the President’s visit, we had an inspiring ‘youth take over’, with young Scots and young Malawians taking the stage to direct proceedings. We were able to listen directly to young Malawian Climate Leaders in Malawi on their priorities and then everyone in the event was able to share their views digitally through their phones. Click here to read the really inspiring messages we received live at the event from attendees against three questions:
- What would you like to see from COP26 – that reflects the priorities of Malawi?
- How would you like the SMP to work towards climate justice?
- What message would you like to send to the young Climate Leaders Hub in Lilongwe?