Socialist Students member in Young Greens

Over the weekend, the Young Greens held their national convention where motions are deliberated and voted on and internal elections are held alongside discussion sessions and knowledge-sharing between activists and groups. Outside the convention, members of Socialist Students held a stall where we had an overwhelmingly positive response from the majority of Young Greens who supported our stall calling for them to work with the trade unions and join the international student walk-outs against militarisation on November 20th.

In the convention, motions were passed encouraging more cooperation with the trade unions and advocating for the Young Greens to adopt more left-wing policies. Unfortunately, a motion on adding a ’Trade Union Liaison Officer’ to the Executive Committee did not come to the floor due to time constraints but it will be appearing again at the winter convention. Efforts to add new roles are also being worked on by the Green Party Trade Union Group.

Bringing together the largest non-party political youth and student organisation with the largest party-political youth and student organisation would demonstrate that young people can unite around common struggles; opposing militarisation and war, strengthening the trade union movement, and fighting for socialism.

This convention, the first since the meteoric rise of the Green Party and Young Greens, has shown there is a growing appetite for stronger leadership and a wider mobilisation across the country, moving beyond environmental issues and advocating for anti-zionism, workers’ rights, fighting austerity and other crucial areas where common ground with Socialist Students can be found.

The newly elected co-chairs, who identify as socialists and anti-zionists, have already expressed an interest in cooperation with Socialist Students and joining the international student walk-outs against militarisation on November 20th.

Needless to say, we congratulate everybody who won their new portfolios on the Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee and International Committee and we look forward to increased cooperation and communication between Socialist Students and the Young Greens to fight for a liberated Palestine, more militant trade unions and a democratic socialist transformation of society.