Welsh Young Labour has risen with passion and vigour. We have become a campaign force to be reckoned with and we have seen a record number of new councillors elected to seats across Wales.
But we often ponder, ‘What is our role in the Labour party? Why are we here, what can we change?’ It is a question we ask our politicians over and over again and we often get the answer: ‘Young party members are vital because they are our future.’ Well, we figured that much, even if it is down to the fairly basic understanding that time is linear. One day, we will be where you are, we think to ourselves. But how are we going to get there and, more importantly, how are we going to be different?
In Wales, our politicians are putting their money where their mouth is. We have EMA, tuition fees are protected, and Jobs Growth Wales is helping young people get into work. Young people are being taken care of and looked out for in a relatively better manner than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
But there is always more that can be done, and it is time that our Labour comrades at CLP and local government level realise that we as young people are not just for leafleting or canvassing at the top of the steepest hill because your knees are bad (though we’ll help, by all means!) but young people and young party members have a valid and active voice. It is time that those who have been around longer than us realise that; actually, our enthusiasm is complementary to your experience. We are happy for you to help us channel our ideas effectively. But don’t sweep them aside. We need you as much as you need us.
As young councillors, we have been able to influence policy at the local government level. We have had members feed into the manifesto process from early on, making things like zero tolerance to homophobia, the living wage and tackling loan sharks our priorities. We have drawn attention to youth unemployment, and with the youngest cabinet member in the country, we’ve been able to speak to our leadership and say ‘Hey, that’s not going to work, here’s what we need.’
Youth homelessness is another campaign we have supported heavily, and we have had members from the national Young Labour committee come down to help us raise awareness of the issue.
These are Labour party policies here.
We have more to do. We have more policy events and workshops to run in order to get the maximum input we can possibly get, but at the same time we need to be listened to, we need to be heard and we need to encourage our other young members to realise and appreciate that it is OK for us to challenge the party.
We are going to be different simply because we have grown up in a different time. We understand that it is OK for us to challenge the norm, it is OK for us to look for more sustainable solutions, and it is OK for us to realise, recognise, and remember the roots of this party while also accepting and adapting to the ever-changing world we live in today.
Our role in the party is to be heard, to be represented, and to prove to the young people across this country that the Labour party is the only place where our voices will truly be heard.
And we are here, we are in the Labour party, because we want to change the world.
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Pearleen Sangha is chair of Welsh Young Labour and a councillor in Swansea. She tweets @PearleenSangha