Voices for Scotland, a new non-party, civic organisation campaigning for Scottish independence, launches today. It has been set up by the Scottish Independence Convention and is focused on engaging with people who are undecided about independence or are having doubts about their support for the UK.
Its aim is to facilitate big, open conversations about Scotland’s future through discussion and engagement. The organisation is non-political and will seek to engage with people using a different voice – with the aim of listening to what people need to help them become supportive of independence, as well as to persuade them of its merits.
Voices for Scotland will give people from all walks of life the opportunity to tell their stories and have their voices heard about the country they want to live in. There’s particular intent to listen to people who haven’t made up their minds about Scottish independence or who support the union but have had their faith undermined by recent events.
Voices for Scotland must not, and does not, assume it knows what matters to all the people of Scotland and their fears or hopes for the future. Neither can it assume what sort of country we want to build. We want to act as a catalyst for wider conversations about Scotland’s future, and how we can make our country a better, fairer, happier place to live.
The grassroots organisation has been funded by many, mainly small, donations from members of the public and will be headed by Chris Hegarty who has been appointed as its Coordinator. A small team will be hired to develop and run campaigns, carry out research and to support and facilitate the many grassroots independence organisations across Scotland.