Anne at Young Scots for Independence (YSI) International Conference!

It's been a while, but over the weekend of 14-16 April, Anne attended the YSI International Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. Anne was invited to this on behalf of DWARS. She wrote a short report about it!

I attended this international conference, organised by the Young Scots for Independence (YSI), on behalf of DWARS. The YSI is the youth organisation of the SNP, the Scottish National Party. This is the party of Humza Yousaf, the First Minister (prime minister) of Scotland. Certainly the youth organisation has a left-wing and social political bent.

Many people will be aware of the drama unfolding with the Brexit. For years there have been doubts, would enough people vote for it? When would it take place? What will Britain's role within Europe be? While it is probably no longer a big topic for many of us, many young people in Scotland are still dealing with it on a daily basis. 62% of Scots opposed the Brexit, and among young voters this number is much higher.

The YSI obviously puts a lot of focus on Scotland's independence within Britain, but it is not a one-issue party. At the conference, there were an awful lot of lectures and workshops on themes that we also do a lot of work on. How should the European Union combat climate change? How can we support Ukraine? What role do far-right political parties play within our country? How do we want to shape the economy in the coming years?

It was a great opportunity to connect with both green and red PJOs. Besides the workshops, where we could share our opinions and brainstorm together, each PJO was also given the garland to give a presentation. During these, they could then talk a bit about national politics and their own organisation. Even though we might not agree with each other on all topics, we can learn a lot from each other.