Role description: CLP Youth Officer

CLP Youth Officer

The role of Youth Officer in a local Labour Party is more important than it has ever been. Their job is to welcome young members into the local Labour Party, help them feel engaged by putting on interesting events and socials, and turn them into active members who campaign for change in the community and to get Labour elected. Youth Officers are also responsible for making sure that the voices of young members are heard and respected within a local Labour Party.

A good Youth Officer needs to be friendly and approachable, as well as organised – they should be able to take a lead on events and campaign sessions for young members. They also need to be good listeners, able to understand and represent the views of young members to the Executive of the local Labour Party.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Making sure that members under 27 are included in all of the Party’s activities and that meetings are relevant and accessible to young members.
• Welcoming new young members to your CLP.
• Reaching out to young people through local campaigns, and working with youth organisations in the constituency to engage voters and young people, highlight issues, and get a better deal for young people.
• Bringing young members together to empower each other and ensure all members are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need get involved.
• Running events for young members, including training, policy development and social events, in conjunction with any local Young Labour group if appropriate.
• Working to recruit more members under 27 into the Labour Party and helping to make sure that those members make the jump from member to activist to leader.
• Listening to young people’s views and ensuring that they are reflected in Labour’s policy making.
• Working closely with constituency and branch officers to ensure the concerns of young people are reflected and included in policy debates.
• Acting as a CLP link to Young Labour at a national and regional level.

Activity

This role is varied and exciting, and you can make a real difference to your local party through this position. You can choose how to focus your role and what to make your priority depending on what sort of activities that local members want to see.

At the heart of all your activity should be the aims of building an inclusive party for young members and building campaigns with the young people in mind, both in respect of internal Labour Party activity, and outward looking campaign activity.

You will work closely with your CLP Secretary and Chair, as well as branch officers, making sure party meetings are accessible and relevant to young members, advising on things such as safeguarding and venues that members under 18 can attend, and that young members are encouraged to stand for the CLP executive and other positions. With other CLP officers, you should work to ensure the concerns of young people are reflected and included in policy debates, particularly through organising local policy forums or events.

Where a Young Labour branch exists for your area, you will want to engage with it and promote its events. For help setting up a Young Labour branch in your patch, read this booklet or email younglabour@labour.org.uk.

The other part of your role involves looking outside of the Party to your local community, and exploring how your CLP can engage young people in your local community.

You could get in touch with your regional trade union units and set up a meeting to discuss how you can work together with young trade unionists groups.

Think about making contact with local youth organisations. You could set up consultation meetings, exchange speakers and run a joint campaign relevant to young people in the local area. You should identify key stakeholders who can get involved, such as local youth charities and voluntary organisations.

Meetings

As Youth Officer, it is your role to ensure members aged 14 to 27 are able to get fully involved in a safe environment, and that their views and concerns are reflected and listened to. Local meetings are a fantastic opportunity to increase participation by young members in the CLP.

At each CLP meeting, you should:

• Actively encourage young members to get involved in meetings and contribute to discussions.
• Ensure feedback regarding access and inclusion from young members is passed onto the CLP Executive.
• Report back on your activity, campaigns and community work and highlight any forthcoming events or campaigning.
• Introduce yourself to any young members attending a meeting for the first time.

Useful links and contacts

Young Labour is the national section of the Labour Party that exists to represent and support the interests of young Labour Party members and supporters. If you have any questions about the role of CLP Youth Officer you can also get in touch with the national team on younglabour@labour.org.uk. Their website is www.younglabour.org.uk.

There are many other contacts and resources to assist you in your role. Keep up to date with our latest campaigns, find out more about Campaign Technology, find resources for role holders and check our online training offer at www.labour.org.uk/resources. You can also purchase and download membership recruitment and campaign materials from the Campaign Shop.

For useful guides and resources on campaign technology, membership engagement and how to use Organise to full effect, visit http://help.labour.org.uk, and if you need support or advice, you can contact your national or regional office.

Training resources are available at https://achieve.labour.org.uk.