The SMP Youth Committee is recruiting!

28 May 2020

Find out how to apply to be a member on the Youth Committee and hear from one of Committee members on why they think you should be involved.

The Youth Committee was created in 2018 to create, plan and coordinate events, activities and competitions to help promote and develop the historic links between young people here in Scotland and in Malawi. The Committee does this by getting involved in decision making on matters that concern them as well as co-designing things like events with the SMP staff team.

We have a few open spots on the Youth Committee and we’re looking for young people aged between 14-24 with an interest in Malawi and who currently stay in Scotland to get involved! Here’s a short piece from our Committee member Rachel on her experience with the Youth Committee.

How to apply

If this sounds like your cup of tea, head to the Youth Committee page to find out how to apply and to hear more from other Committee members on their experiences!

Why being on the SMP Youth Committee has helped me grow as a person

by Rachel Cameron

Just some of the things I can say I have done since I joined the Scotland Malawi Partnership’s Youth Committee include developing skills, building my confidence and meeting royalty!

After watching a video from the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) about recruiting young people to join their Youth Committee, I decided to apply. The video encouraged me to apply as it told me I would gain new skills and meet new people with similar interests - Malawi! Almost 2 years later I can definitely say this was true!

Within a month of being on the Youth Committee I had gained a new skill, how to speak to politicians! At the AGM in October 2018, I stood up in a room full of people and asked Ben MacPherson, former Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development in the Scottish Government, how the government was helping girls in Malawi to go to school. By doing this I also gained more confidence in myself and my ability to speak to people in authority. This opportunity highlighted another great thing about being on the Committee - being able to use our own personal interests. For me this is girls’ education and gender equality, and everyone is very respectful of each other and their own interests and values.

In February 2019, our Youth Committee organised and ran the 2019 Youth Congress at McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh. This took a lot of teamwork, a skill I’ve always struggled with but one I can now say I’ve improved by being on the Youth Committee as we all had to work together to make this event work and run smoothly.

At the SMP Member Awards in September 2019, four of us from the Youth Committee attended the awards and met the Princess Royal. I’ve always been an anxious person and so meeting such a high-profile person naturally made me feel very nervous. However, being on the Youth Committee has allowed me to gain the skills to calm my nerves for high profile events so I can come across as professional and communicate efficiently and effectively.

I would really encourage any young person, ranging from those with the smallest interest in Malawi to the those with a developed link of 5 years, to apply to join us on our Youth Committee. I’ve personally gained so many skills from it, grown in so much confidence and been given fantastic opportunities. I love working with the people who are already on the Committee as everyone is very respectful of each other and we all treat each other with kindness. It’s fascinating hearing about everyone’s own experiences with Malawi and I can’t wait to meet all the new people who join us and hear about their links and interests too.

It will be fantastic to have more people on board and with all the exciting opportunities coming up soon it will be great to have more people involved with it!

Gemma Youth Committee AGM 2018