LYL: the front line of next year’s Mayoral election

I am standing for Chair of London Young Labour because I want to see our members on the front line of next year’s Mayoral election. If Labour is going to win, we need a youth movement out in force in every Borough, every school and every workplace urging voters young and old to vote for Ken.

I have spent the past year giving everything I’ve got to ensure young members are at the heart of the London Mayoral campaign. I have organised phone banks, socials and canvassing trips especially for London Young Labour and focussed on taking Ken’s message to schools and university campuses across the capital. I have fought with London Young Labour in every by-election and rewarded our hardworking activists with parties, cinema trips, curry nights and more. I haven’t stopped – and I don’t intend to.

London Young Labour’s 8,000 strong membership is bursting with enthusiasm, but there are barriers still to how we get involved. Our resources, our representation and our organising strategy need to change, and I’m the one who can change it.

I will lead a London Young Labour that is more creative and inspiring in its approach to activism. Rather than turning up to hear another MP address us, we could be signing up commuters to the Sack Boris fares campaign, or joining Choose Youth to lobby parliament over cuts to young peoples’ services. This is an election year after all – it is time to be pro-active.

I want young activists managing campaigns, not just turning up for them. I will offer training sessions on leaflet design, contact creator and voter ID collection; empowering members to really make a difference in their area. I will also re-instate Regional Officers, so that during the election period young members will have a base in every corner of London.

For our members to get involved and stay involved, we must ensure their voices are being heard. As well as offering training, I will push for the Mayoral campaign to deliver a Youth and Student Day to give London Young Labour the chance to submit ideas to Ken Livingstone’s manifesto.

London Young Labour represents a huge force of activists – of different ages, backgrounds and experience. But you wouldn’t know it. How London Young Labour reflects its members must be improved. If elected Chair, I will make sure we are meeting with a Sixth Form College in every London Borough ahead of the election – first time voters are a key target for Labour and we need to build our base beyond graduates who work in parliament.

Unwaged members will be reimbursed on campaign trips in Zone 4 or further. Not everyone can afford to go door knocking in outer-London areas, but everyone should be able to.

Our links with University Labour Clubs in London need strengthening – I will introduce a Student Officer to our Executive to address this. I will also introduce a ‘buddy’ scheme, forming ties with Labour Clubs outside the capital to welcome young professionals to London Young Labour.

To drive recruitment from the majority of young Londoners who do not go to university, I will work with trade union youth wings on their campaigns and target branch meetings to deliver our message to young people in the work place.

I will make sure London Young Labour is a credible, professionally-run organisation. Having a functioning web site, published minutes and a regular all-member email system is all within our reach.

I will be the Chair that delivers; not just for young members, but for the London Labour Party as a whole. I will be the Chair that shapes our movement to win for Labour – now, in 2012 and for years to come.

You can find out more about Shelly’s campaign here.