I will set out here how I plan to tackle these challenges, working closely with other NEC members and the National Young Members Forum.
Prioritising Young Members and listening to Young Members
With so many demands on your time it's easy for Young Members being deprioritised. It's essential that all NEC members report back to and listen to the people who elected them and for me that would obviously be young members. I will be accessible to any young member to get in touch and tell me what they think. To that effect it's vital to stay in contact with all levels of the Young Members organisation. Working with the Young Members structures means that together we'll be able to have the most influence within UNISON and have a stronger voice for young members.
- Attend National Young Members Forum Meetings and the National Young Members Weekend to report on NEC business and listen to members
- Be available to visit regional young members events where invited
- Use electronic media to publish reports on my activities and seek the views of young members
Young Members at the Centre of our Union and our Campaigns
Young Members must take their place at the centre of our union. The recent Young Members Survey commissioned by the National Young Members Forum reveal that, like all members, Young Members see issues such as pensions and the welfare state as key issues. And while it's important that as young members we continue to campaign on issues such as equality in the National Minimum Wage and Votes at 16, it's vital that we put more energy into including young members in union wide campaigns such as positively public and defending our pensions.
I will:
- Work with others on the NEC to ensure that we use Young Members and a young persons perspective within UNISON's campaigning work
- Work with the National Young Members Forum to put a young members perspective forward
- Ensure that Young Members are not sidelined and just seen as the activists of the future, but as the activists of now
Developing support for Young Activists
Young member recruitment has gone from strength to strength in recent years thanks to hard work across the union. Now the key is to ensure we can turn more of these young members into young activists.
I will:
- Identify good practice from across the union (such as the Young Members Development Programme being developed in the West Midlands) ensuring schemes are rolled out and included in the Code of Good Branch Practice where appropriate
- Look at the development of a buddying scheme for new young activists
- Ensure the recruitment and development of young activists is a priority for UNISON
