Refonding Labour-Young Labour (UK)

7/31/2019 Refonding Labour-Young Labour (UK)

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Refounding Labour

What it means for young membersReounding Labour means an exciting set o changes to how our party works at every level. This booklet outlines

what young members can expect to see as we implement the changes that members have decided upon. A strong

and active youth movement is essential or the uture o our Party, and so we hope everyone will play their part in

building a Party that delivers or young people.

For more inormation about making Reounding Labour a reality in your area you can contact the National Youth Ocer by

emailing [email protected]

An accessible partyor all young members

We will ensure that our party is accessible or young

members at every level. In order to achieve this we will

be making a number o changes:

Regular and innovative communication

Regular and innovative communication is essential i we are

to mobilise the thousands o new young members that have

joined our party since the last General Election.

We are delighted to say that you will be hearing a lot morerom Young Labour over the coming months and years! You

can visit our new website younglabour.org.uk, ollow us

on Twitter (@YoungLabourUK) or visit out Facebook page:

acebook.com/YoungLabourUK

We will also be investing in a new online platorm or young

members. This will act as a hub or activity where young

members can nd out inormation, communicate with each

other and access resources. It will also acilitate

communication between young members at all levels rom

CLP Youth Ocers and Young Labour Groups to Young

Labour nationally.

Improved communication is particularly important in

mobilising new members, who are oten eager to get more

involved but unsure how to do so. Thereore we will develop

a welcome pack or new young members over the coming

months. The pack will be a comprehensive guide or young

members on the diferent ways they can get involved. This

is something done very well by other organisations and is

essential i we are to increase the number o active young

members.

Best practice:

New members welcome packs

Hastings and Rye CLP have produced a new young

members welcome pack to provide inormation about

how to get involved. The eedback rom young members

has been extremely positive and it has led to a signicant

increase in activity in the local party.


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New training and mentoring schemes

Training the next generation o activists and leaders

is essential or the uture o our Party. Many Young

Labour Groups currently put on training events and

across the country the practice o inormal training is

well established but we will be doing a lot more over thecoming years.

Two particular areas identied as priorities or young

members are assistance in getting more involved in the

party and in getting more involved in public lie. Working

closely with the Training Academy and Future Candidates

Programme, we will be looking at ways to help young

members gain the necessary skills and experience to

become the activists and leaders o the uture.

Aordable membership ees

The Youth Rate or the frst year o membership has

proven extremely successul with thousands o new

young members joining our party. However, throughout

the Reounding Labour process many young members

highlighted that the current system o higher ees ater

the frst year o membership can be a barrier to continued

involvement. In order to ensure that fnance is never a

barrier to being a member o our Party, a new system o

youth rates will be introduced or all young members.

For those aged 14-19: a minimum o 1 per year

For those aged 19-27: a minimum o 1 per month

While young members who can aford to do so will be able

and encouraged to give more, this will ensure there are no

nancial barriers to membership or those young people on

lower or no incomes.

We will retain the rate o 1 per year o study or those inull-time education.

Best practice:

London Young Labour New Members Events and Phonebanks

London Young Labour have been holding incredibly successul meetings or new members. In the build up to events,

currently active members arranged a phonebank o new members to welcome them to the party, give them essential

inormation on ways they can get involved and invite them to the event. The most recent event in February was attended

by over 100 new young members who met with senior politicians, including Ken Livingstone and Stella Creasy MP.


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Full recognition o the work o young members

It is vital that we recognise and reward the crucial work

that young members do or our Party. We will be working

on ways to recognise and reward good practice by both

individual young members and Young Labour groups.

Accessible events and conerencesAttending events and conerences is an important way

that many young people frst get involved in our party

and is oten the frst step or many young members in

becoming more active. Events or young members will be

a lot more requent, varied and accessible in the coming

years.

Young Labours presence at Annual Conerence has already

greatly expanded and we hope to continue this should

this years Youth Days prove successul. There will also

be events held specically or young members at every

regional conerence alongside at least one other youthevent per year in every region. Recognising the importance

o making sure all Labour Party events are accessible to

young members, special youth rates or Annual Conerence

and regional conerences will be introduced.

Ater the success o the most recent event, the currently

bi-annual Youth Conerence will become an annual event.

Youth Conerence will be the centrepiece o the Young

Labour calendar and in addition to the normal ormat o

speakers, workshops, caucuses and socials, it will also be

the event where Young Labour policy is decided.

A simplifed. streamlined and airer process

or Young Labour elections

In order to ensure that every young member has the

opportunity to ully participate in our youth wing, the

complicated processes o nominations and elections

previously used or Young Labour elections will be

replaced by a simplifed and streamlined process.

All young members will be notied well in advance o

any elections and the new process will include simplied

nomination process o either sel-nomination or nomination

by a certain number o individual young members. Job

descriptions will be drawn up or all positions in order that

all potential candidates understand what will be expected o

them i they are elected. The new process will also maintain

our commitment to gender equality while also providing

opportunities or every member to get involved in some

way.

In order to ensure the Young Labour National Committee is

a ully representative body and to increase the amount o

opportunities or young members to get involved, a number

o new posts will be created and elected by young members

at Youth Conerence. This will include a representative or

members under the age o 19 and an International Ocer to

lead on relations with our sister parties across the world and

two ordinary representatives.

Best practice:

Kent Young Labour Launch Event

The newly ormed Kent Young Labour held their launch

day in July 2011. The event was a antastic success with

the young members attending getting hearing rom the

Shadow Justice Secretary, Sadiq Khan MP and National

Chair o Young Labour, Susan Nash. They also participated

in workshops on campaigning. This was only the rst

o many events they will be holding over the coming

months.

I attended the most

recent Youth Conference

in February this year. It

was an amazing way for

young members like myself

to get more involved and

get together to discuss policy. Thats why I

believe its essential that Youth Conference

becomes an annual event and a proper

space for policy discussions

Ben Dilks, York Central CLP


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ReoundingLabour

or youngmembers

A powerul voiceor all young members

Young members must have a powerul voice within

our Party. In order to achieve this we will be making a

number o changes:

The representation o young members at every level

In order to ensure that our youth wing can truly represent

the interests o young members within our party it is vital

that it has rights similar to other sections o our movement.

This will mean young members will now be able to do

everything rom submitting resolutions to conerence to

nominating in any leadership contest. Young Labour Groups

that cover an entire region will also be extended these

rights, which will ensure that the work and views o active

groups o young members are recognised. An assertive

youth wing with authority to represent all young members

needs the same rights and privileges as other similar

sections o our movement.

In order to ensure our commitment to the representation o

young members at every level o our Party rom the very

top, the position o Vice Chair Youth will be reinstated. This

position, previously held by Dawn Butler, will be appointed

by Young Labour National Committee and will crucially mean

young members are represented within the Parliamentary

Labour Party.

Policy and campaigns or young members

Young members will be given the power to not just discuss

issues but also to decide on their own policy positions and

campaigns. The process will be simple, accessible with all

young members given the opportunity to submit ideas.

These ideas generated can then be turned into Young

Labour campaigns and positions which can be taken tothe National Policy Forum (NPF) by the NPF Youth Reps.

Democratically decided policy will allow Young Labour not

only to truly represent the views o its members but also to

more ully assert itsel within our Party and beyond.

Best practice:

Scottish Young Labour Policy Forum

Scottish Young Labour held a very successul event in

Edinburgh in May 2011 with an audience o over 100 in

an event with various politicians in attendance includingSarah Boyack MSP. They debated areas o policy including

the economy and oreign afairs and put orward ideas to

the Labour Partys Policy Review.

Young Labour being given new rights

will ensure that young members have astrengthened voice within our party. As well

as having delegates to Annual and Regional

Conferences, Young Labour will also have

forums to debate our own policy and

set our own campaigns as well as the

ability to nominate in any leadership

contest. This will play an important part

in ensuring our youth wing becomes

the powerful voice for young membersit can be.

Callum Munro,

NEC Youth Representative

Visit members.labour.org.uk/

reoundinglabourandyouto fnd out more.

3234_11 Reproduced rom electronic media and promoted by and on behal o the Labour Party 39Victoria Street, London SW1H 0HA.

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Refonding Labour-Young Labour (UK)