Madeleine Burns, Scotland Young Thinker of the Year

Paper on women in Islam wins Madeleine Scotland Young Thinker title

The first of the year's Young Scotland Programmes was held concurrently with the annual All-Ireland Programme at Stranraer, in south-west Scotland, from 3-7 June.
     The Scottish programme was won by Madeleine Burns of the Scottish Refugee Council, whose paper was praised by the adjudicator as 'a subtle, thought-provoking analysis of women's rights in the Islamic societies of the Middle East'. The runner-up, Katrina Marsden of RSPB Scotland, gave a paper of 'considerable authority' on the conservation implications of the global food crisis.
     Madeleine and Katrina will go forward to the final of the Young UK and Ireland Programme early next year.
     Forty-seven delegates – 24 from Scotland and 23 from Ireland and Northern Ireland – took part in the joint programme at Stranraer.

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Registration is now open for the autumn course of the Young Scotland Programme at Stranraer in late November.
[click here] for brochure
[click here] to book online

Islay's new job at ICS

Assistant Director appointment

Islay McLeod has been appointed Assistant Director of the Institute of Contemporary Scotland and takes up her new post on 1 July 2008.
     Islay, 27, joined ICS as Administrative Assistant in July 2006 and was promoted to the role of Administrator last year. She is a regular co-chair at the Young Scotland Programme, a leading member of the organising team at courses of the Young UK and Ireland Programme south of the border, and a familiar figure at Institute events such as the Academy of Merit and the Young Scot of the Year.

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Site updated 24 July 2008