Young Greens will shape the future of the Green Party
With over 21,000 members, the Young Greens are the biggest organised group within the Green Party and deserve to have a say over its future!
Nearly a month has flown by since the General Election, and it’s an important time for the Green Party to consider its future direction. Over the coming months the Party will be reflecting on the 2015 results and building a new plan for the next five years.
Something the Green Party need to consider in building this plan a much greater extent is the youth branch, the Young Greens. I have been Co-Chair of the Young Greens for over 18 months. Here’s five reasons I think the Party’s future relies on us!
1) The Young Greens have been the fastest growing part of the Green Party
We now have over 21,000 members. In the summer of 2014 we had just 1,300 members. The growth rate of the Young Greens has not slowed since the election. With the biggest part of the Party now all under 30, we need to drastically re-evaluate how to engage them all.
2) The loudest voice on equality and diversity has come from the Young Greens
It’s vital we take seriously the championing of liberation politics. We have some fantastic members who are working hard on these issues, including members who have helped set up Greens of Colour.
3) The leadership development scheme, 30 Under 30, is run by the Young Greens
With Green Party Deputy Leader Amelia Womack as an alumni of the 30 Under 30 scheme, it’s going to be crucial to build the scheme up and support the development of activists as much as possible.
4) Young members are the ones knocking on doors, delivering flyers, and going on marches
Those under 30 often get heavily involved in the labour-intensive side of campaigning, often without the same thanks as others. Often when many come face-to-face with the Green Party it is through the Young Greens.
5) Young Green members are the future of the Green Party
I think people often forget about the long-term future of the Party, and that this really rests in the hands of the members that are in the Young Greens now. We need to engage young members and make them feel a part of the process to propel the long-term sustainability of the Party.
With so many fantastic activists in Young Greens I can assure you the future of the Green Party is in safe hands, but let’s do more to engage our young members!
For local parties, it’s important to involve local Young Green groups in planning and actions. We also need to bolster the Young Greens regional groups so they can do more, and make sure the Party provides the Young Greens with adequate funding to put on more training and lead on more campaigns.
If you are a Young Green member and want to find out how you can get involved in your area, or involved in a local party and wish to contact the Young Greens group in your area, you can visit the website here: http://younggreens.org.uk/local-groups/
I agree with what Tom says. The contribution of young people to campaigning is very significant but varies from local party to local party. I don’t think that young people go unthanked though.
Hi Clifford,
Some good points here, to which I’d add that – as the SNP have shown – there is a massive potential to recruit young people who are disenchanted with other political parties, inspire them with a different approach to politics, and then have a burgeoning generation of activists / supporters / voters coming through.
At a channel 4 / twitter event earlier this year, I spoke to lots of young people who weren’t “engaged” with politics, but who clearly cared about lots of issues. It struck me that Party people there like myself, being (relatively) young, found it a bit easier to strike a chord with them. A strong Young Green voice will help reach young people who weren’t active in student politics, wouldn’t know what “liberation politics means”, but are open to, even looking for, something to inspire them about their future.
I’m not sure, though, about your fourth point – I think there’s a danger of overstating your case, because obviously Greens of all ages are out knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, etc. It comes across as a little bit insulting! But I’m interested to know what you mean when you say “often without the same thanks as others”. As a joint regional party co-ordinator, that makes me question what I can do to ensure London Young Greens, and (lowercase) young Greens, feel valued. Any thoughts?
Tom