| Scottish Young Liberals | |
| Chairperson: | Leo Dempster |
| Policy Officer: | Arran Hibbert |
| Honorary President: | Christine Jardine MP |
| Founded: | 2008 (refounded) |
| Headquarters: | 4 Clifton Terrace, Edinburgh, Scotland EH12 5DR |
| Mother Party: | Liberal Democrats (Scottish) |
| National: | Young Liberals |
| International: | International Federation of Liberal and Radical Youth |
| Regional1 Type: | European |
| Regional1 Name: | European Liberal Youth |
Scottish Young Liberals (formerly referred to as Liberal Youth Scotland or LYS) is the youth wing and student wing of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Reformed from the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats in 2008 and Liberal Youth Scotland in 2017, the organisation has taken a prominent role in party conferences.[1] [2] Its membership is open to any member of the Liberal Democrats living, working or studying in Scotland and is either under 30 years of age or in full or part-time education above that age.[3]
SYL has branches across Scotland including various Universities, and seeks to promote the work and campaigning of the party and SYL. It is also a part of the UK Federal Young Liberals. The current Chair is Leo Dempster.
In Spring 2008, the Liberal Democrat Youth and Students was relaunched as Liberal Youth.[4] As such the Scottish Liberal Democrats' youth wing was renamed to Liberal Youth Scotland.
In late 2009, Liberal Youth Scotland and their federal counterparts campaigned against the Student Loans Company, the organisation who are responsible for allocating funding to students from England and Wales. The SLC failed to pay thousands of students, leaving University hardship funds depleted, and many students having no money to fund their studies. Liberal Youth Scotland held a protest outside the organisation's HQ in Glasgow, and succeeded in the campaign for resignations from some of the senior figures[5]
In 2017 Liberal Youth Scotland changed its name to Scottish Young Liberals.
At the 2019 Scottish Liberal Democrats Federal Conference in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scottish Young Liberals proposed their Trans Rights are Human Rights motion. The motion covered the Gender Recognition Act and ensuring that transphobic organisations are not given platforms in the media. This was passed by the conference.[6]