SDLP Youth

The Social Democratic and Labour Party Youth (SDLP Youth) (Irish: Óige an Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre)[1] is the youth wing of the social democratic[2] & Irish nationalist[3] political party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Membership of the organisation is entitled to SDLP party members of the age 30 and under.[4] It is organised throughout Northern Ireland and plays an active role within the SDLP at all levels of the organisation.

Social Democratic &
Labour Party Youth
Óige an Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre
ChairpersonCllr. Adam Gannon
Vice-ChairpersonAlly Haydock
HeadquartersBelfast, Northern Ireland
IdeologySocial democracy
Irish nationalism
Mother partySDLP
International affiliationInternational Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) (observer)
European affiliationYoung European Socialists (YES)
Websitewww.sdlpyouth.org

Organisation

The SDLP Youth is currently organised across much of Northern Ireland, including University societies. The group is split into a number of branches with the executive committee acting as the governing body of the organisation.

Executive

SDLP Youth is organised at a national level by the Youth Executive. The Youth Executive is responsible for the day-to-day running of SDLP Youth. It consists of 7 Officers elected at the annual Youth Conference, usually held in the spring.

The current Officers of the Youth Executive elected in January 2020 are:[5]

Executive Position Officer Constituency
Chair Cllr. Adam Gannon Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Vice-Chair/Campaigns Ally Haydock Lagan Valley
Secretary/Public Relations Officer Jack Patton Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Treasurer Brónach Crabtree Foyle
Equality Officer Oisín Donnelly West Tyrone
Membership and Recruitment Officer Paul McErlean Mid Ulster
Policy Officer Darragh O'Reilly Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Branches

The current SDLP Youth branch organisations[6] are:


Former SDLP branch organisations include:

History

A youth section of the SDLP was first floated in late 1973 which led to the short lived group “the Young Social Democrats” which organised from 1974 to 1976.[11]

The current youth wing started organising in the early 1990s bringing motions, such as the decriminalisation of marijuana,[12] to party conferences but it wasn’t until June 1995 that the SDLP Youth became a distinct section of the SDLP when it was added to the party constitution.[13]

International

The SDLP Youth are full members of the Young European Socialists (YES),[14] formerly the European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), having been admitted at the 1994 conference in Munich.[15] At this 1994 conference future SDLP MLA for South Belfast Conall McDevitt was elected as an ECOSY vice-president after being elected the National Secretary of Labour Youth in 1993.[16]

In 2016 the SDLP Youth and YES held a joint seminar in Belfast on "far-right extremism and Brexit" which was attended by young socialist activists from across Europe.[17]

The SDLP Youth are also observer members of International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY).[18]

References
  1. SDLP Youth Constitution
  2. SDLP Website
  3. SDLP Website
  4. SDLP Constitution clause 18.4a
  5. SDLP Youth
  11. Public Record Office for Northern Ireland, Reference D3072/1/32/3, collected 20th of October 2020.
  12. "Sense of the task ahead dampens conference euphoria Delegates emphasise the need for fledging peace to be underpinned." The Irish Times. Published 19 November 1994. Accessed 20 October 2020
  13. "SDLP decides to hold annual vote on leadership" The Irish Times. Published 12 June 1995. Accessed 20 October 2020
  14. YES Members list, collected 17th of May 2020.
  15. ECOSY 1994-1996 Report
  16. 2010 MLA Profile
  18. IUSY Members list, collected 17th of May 2020.
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