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Young Labour: Toolkit Contents 01 Foreword Ed Miliband MP. Page 4 06 Working with Labour Students Labour Students work closely with Young Labour on campaigns 02 Introduction Susan Nash. Page 5 and events. Home to all students in further and higher education who share Labour’s core values and beliefs, 03 Young and Labour Young Labour is the next Labour Students is a great way for young people to generation of the Labour Party. It’s a great way to get get involved. Find out how you can work with Labour together, get involved and get active in all aspects of Students in your area. Page 26 the Party’s organisation – from policy development to campaigning and winning for Labour. Find out more about 07 Using New Media As technology progresses, the structure of the youth wing of the Labour Party and so do we. Find out how we are using new communication how you can get involved. Page 6 technology to share information and get our message across to young people. Page 27 04 Get active Young Labour runs a whole range of activities for its members. From regional campaigning to 08 Young Labour National Committee national events, Young Labour does it all. Page 14 2011-13 page 30 05 Recruiting young people It’s more important 09 Additional resources Find out how to than ever for political parties to engage and recruit young contact your current Young Labour National Committee and active members. Thousands of young people join the and Regional Offices for help and support, or to find out Labour Party every year. Find out how to recruit the next more. Page 31 generation of Labour activists. Page 22 3 01 Foreword Ed Miliband MP Young people are the future of our Labour Party. Young members play a crucial role in so many aspects of our work – from campaigning to policy development. We all must do more to recruit and engage more young people and also help them to make the transition from member to activist. Labour is the natural home for young people to engage in politics and the best vehicle by which their voice can be heard. Single-issue campaigns have their place but it is only through being part of a national political force like Labour that real change is achieved. The challenge for us all, from members to MPs, is to go out and prove to young people why Labour is relevant to them and why they should be a part of our Party. At a time when young people are under attack from this Tory-led Government, with the removal of Education Maintenance Allowance, the increase in tuition fees and cuts affecting youth services and careers help to name just a few; we must show that Labour cares about the next generation, that we want them to do better than the generation before and that they are valued in our Party. Ed Miliband MP Young Labour has prepared this excellent toolkit to help. Leader of the Labour Party It will give you the information and the support you need to build up the youth membership in your constituency and help young members to play an active role in Young Labour both locally and nationally. A strong group of young members is an essential part of a healthy and vibrant Party, and will ensure that the Labour Party has a bright future for many years to come. 4 02 Introduction Susan Nash With thousands of new young members joining since the last General Election there has never been a more important time for Young Labour to get active and organised, capturing the energy of our members old and new, and helping build our movement, making Labour fit for the fight ahead. We have a history of being a source of enormous energy within the Party and are proud to have campaigned in every election and by-election come rain or shine. But now we face a new challenge. The rights Labour introduced for young people are under threat. We’ve already witnessed the trebling of fees, the scrapping of EMA, and the abolition of the Future Jobs Fund. Youth services are closing up and down the country and millions of young people feel stranded with no employment opportunities. That’s where Young Labour can be a vehicle for change. From ensuring Ed is elected to No 10 and Labour candidates are elected in local elections to campaigning to protect services in our community – and ensuring the voice of young people features highly in our next manifesto, Young Labour is making a difference. Susan Nash With thousands of new members, Young Labour is going from Chair of Young Labour strength to strength. New Young Labour groups are being set up each week, and we have seen a strong emphasis from our leader on the ‘Promise of Britain’ – that every generation will do better than the last. Young Labour has an excellent base from which to grow and build. This toolkit is here to support and enable more activity. With advice on getting involved in your CLP, to tips on setting up a Young Labour group in your region, right through to providing information on how to get involved in Young Labour nationally – this toolkit is intended to help members navigate their way through Young Labour and the wider Party. Whether you are a new member or a veteran in our ranks, I hope you find this resource useful. Without your energy, commitment and dedication we wouldn’t be as strong as we are today - but I look forward to together redoubling our efforts to make Young Labour the strong force I know it can be. 5 YOUNG LABOUR INteRView: Bridget Philipson, MP for Houghton 03 Young and Labour South and Washington WHY DID YOU JOIN THE LABOUR PARty? I joined the Labour Party when I was 15. My mam Young Labour is the home of was a Party member and used to take me along to progressive young people, and Young Labour groups meetings when I was young – she didn’t have much choice as a single parent in the 1980s before Sure makes up the next generation Young Labour groups are a useful Start and other childcare services! I enjoyed being a of the Labour Party. Getting way of providing a forum where part of something bigger and being active in my involved with Young Labour is young people can get together in community and as I got older I got involved in my a great way to get involved in a city, town, borough, region or own right. It was a natural progression for me. politics and meet like minded county. This can allow young HOW DID YOU get MORE Deeply INVOLVED IN people who share your values. members to work together to recruit THE paRty? Party members were incredibly supportive of me This is your opportunity to get new members, campaign on local and other young members and I got involved with together, get involved and get issues, meet new friends and deliver campaigning and organising social events. I stayed active in all aspects of the Party’s for Labour. involved at university where I became Chair of my organisation – from influencing university Labour Club and helped the local Party there in a much more marginal area. This taught me policy to campaigning and 1. Members between 14-26 are a great deal about effective, year round ultimately winning for Labour. automatically members of campaigning. Young Labour. WHY DID YOU waNT TO BE AN MP? All members under the age of 2. A Young Labour group in your area Before I was an MP, I managed a women’s refuge for 27 are automatically part of can hold its own events including families fleeing domestic violence. I was able to help Young Labour. The best way campaigning events, social events, hundreds of families, but I recognised my own limitations as some of the changes needed could only to get to know young members debates, policy forums and invite happen at a national level. I wanted to serve my local in your area is to be part of a speakers. area of Sunderland and improve the living standards Young Labour group in your 3. A Young Labour group could cover and opportunities open to local people. CLP or local area. a single constituency or all the WHat IS THE MOST RewaRDING THING ABOUT constituencies in a whole region BeiNG AN MP? – or anything in between. It is a real privilege to be able to help constituents on a range of issues – housing, immigration and benefits – and achieve positive results for them. For a list of all official Young Labour groups go to: WHat ADVice WOULD YOU giVE TO YOUNG MEMBERS witH THE AMBitiON www.younglabour.org.uk/ TO BecOME AN MP? young-labour-groups-by-region Work hard in your local area, campaign all year round and learn from experienced members and activists. WHat ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF HAVING acHieVED AS AN MP? I was delighted to have the opportunity in the first two Prime Minister’s Questions of the new 6 Parliament to press David Cameron on the £20 million grant to Nissan, which was at risk. He finally agreed the grant and it was of massive importance to Sunderland and the wider north east. Starting a Young 8 steps to starting a successful Labour Young Labour Group Speak to other young people who may be interested in working with you to Group set up a group. Constituency Secretaries or Youth Officers in the area would be a good start.
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