Last weekend the Young Greens held our Annual Young Greens Convention in Bristol. We elected our new Executive Committee and voted on motions proposed by our members.
Hosted in Bristol this year, the Young Greens came together to debate motions on a number of topics. In addition to making policy, we also made a number of amendments to our ruling documents.
Carla Denyer, Green Party Co-Leader and candidate for Bristol Central, opened Convention by talking about her priorities for the next year and the impact the Young Greens make in the Party. Carla noted that she first got involved with the Green Party as a Young Green herself, and found the connections created through the Young Greens invaluable.
We also heard from the Green Party’s Education Spokesperson, Vix Lowthion. Talking about the Green Party’s policy on education, Vix discussed the revolutionary changes that are needed to make our education system fit for purpose, moving away from exams and heavy regulation from Ofsted.
Motions Debated at Convention
Throughout the weekend, Green Party members who are under 30 or are registered students debated a variety of different policy motions. In addition to policy motions, we also made a number of changes to our Constitution and Standing Orders.
The Young Greens have called for expansive rental reform to support young people and students as the rental crisis intensifies. We’ve backed the Green Party’s calls for rent controls to be introduced and for section 21 evictions to be abolished. In addition to backing great powers to tackle dodgy landlords, the Young Greens have also called for more social housing to be built in order to ease the rental crisis.
The Young Greens also discussed HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail. The motion, passing after debate amongst the membership, calls for full funding of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse to encourage a modal shift away from cars. In another motion, the Young Greens backed the UCU PGRs as Staff campaign, calling for Postgraduate Researchers to be recognised as staff. The support for the campaign includes working with local and university Young Greens groups to encourage them to support local PGR campaigns. In the final policy motion of the weekend, the Young Greens debated federalisation and backed the motion that calls for powers to be devolved to national and regional governments.
Full text for all the motions and for constitutional amendments can be found on the Democracy Platform. Updated versions of the Constitution and Standing Orders will be made available by the Democracy and Accountability Committee in due course.
Young Green Awards
Every year we like to celebrate the work of our activists across England and Wales. The Young Green Awards recognise the contributions that Young Greens make to the Green Party and our movement.
Inspiring Activist Award
Winner: Elliott Tong
Highly Commended: Joe Hudson-Small
Councillor Impact Award
Winner: Lily Fitzgibbon
Highly Commended: Nate Higgins
Young Green Election Award
Winner: Jamie Payne
Highly Commended: Ashton Howick & Olli Watkins and Zac Williams
Young Green Group Award
Winner: Lancaster University Young Greens
Highly Commended: Cambridge Young Greens
Special Recognition Award
Winner: Kelsey Trevett
Young Green Elections
Young Greens Co-Chair: Jane Baston & Luanne Thornton
Treasurer: Olivia Tomkinson
Green Students Committee Co-Convenor: Callum Clafferty & Amelia Jones
Digital Communications Officer: Finn White
Campaigns Officer: Ciara O’Hare
Events Officer: Maria Deery
International Officer: Benjamin Wold Birmanis
Membership and Inclusion Officer: Olli Watkins
Political Education Officer: Philip Davies
Women Officer: Izzy Metcalf-Riener and Hildy Wild
Under 18s Officer: Esther Hobbs
Elections Officer: Connah Snape
Press Officer: Eleanor Meehan
Disability Officer: Elliott Lee
Democracy and Accountability Committee Member: Anja Jungmayr & George Morris
Contact details can be found on our People Page.
The Young Greens are the Youth and Student Wing of the Green Party of England and Wales. All Green Party members who are under 30 or part-time or full-time students are automatically Young Greens. Want to join us and get involved with the radical movement we’re creating? Join the Green Party Now!