Spring 2003
| What
is the rocket? The rocket represents the power that young people can have when they work together. |
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| Where
is the rocket going? To the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive and on to the wider Scottish population. |
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| How
far will it go? This will depend on the enthusiasm and commitment of S2 pupils throughout Scotland! |
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| The
next step These messages are examples of what matters to young people. Some important discoveries have been made on this first trip: 1. it is possible for young people to deliver their message directly to the Scottish Parliament and to the Executive. 2. pupils can use the media to get their views across locally and nationally. You can now build on this experience and explore the exciting potential of peer pressure - when young people come together to voice their opinions about issues which affect them. |
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|
What do S2 pupils in Scotland think about school?
'Rocket Talk' was organised by North Lanarkshire Council, The Anti-Bullying Network and The Scottish Schools Ethos Network. Talking to a Parliatmentary Committee
|
In
November last year, over a hundred S2 pupils from all over Scotland
came together at a conference in Bellshill, to launch their views
about their school experience. The title of the day (suggested by
a pupil) was 'Rocket Talk' and the idea was to share the views and
ideas of S2 pupils with a wide audience throughout Scotland. As
promised, pupils took their key messages to the Scottish Parliament
and Executive in February of this year. In a presentation to the
Education, Culture and Sport Committee, a group of pupils from the
conference told the MSPs what it's really like to be an S2 pupil.
In this newsletter, Karen 
Gillon,
who is Convener of the Committee, describes the positive and powerful
impression the young people made. The pupils have also been able
to get some of their points across in the local and national media
and now, with this newsletter, which is being sent to every S2 pupil
in Scotland other pupils are being invited to climb on board and
participate in the debate about what S2 pupils want from their schools.
For
many pupils it was probably the first time they'd been inside the
Scottish Parliament buildings, let alone addressed a Parliamentary
Committee! Nevertheless, the pupils calmly delivered the key messages
from the Rocket Talk conference to members of the Education, Culture
and Sport Committee. This was a unique opportunity for pupils to
tell the people who influence and create educational policies, what
they like and don't like about schools today and also to suggest
ways in which things could be improved. The pupils themselves had
decided how they would get their points across - some using role-play
and others directly talking to the MSPs about the issues. The presentation
was followed by an interesting question and answer session, when
members of the Committee asked pupils about the issues they'd raised.
It was hard not to be impressed by the sincerity and enthusiasm
of all the pupils involved.