Leah Rea

YES Vice President

Candidate

Manifesto 2021
In Irish we have an expression
which highlights the essence of
strength:

"Ní neart go cur le chéile"

This translates as "There is no

strength without unity".

Let's bring an united collective

to the Young European
Socialists.

Let's show there is

#StrengthInEurope.
For Strength in Europe

#YEStoREA
Dear comrades,
I am delighted to share my vision for the Young
European Socialists within this manifesto.

I am so honoured to be in the position of having

been entrusted by SDLP Youth and Labour Youth
with their nominations and support, and I am
grateful for this amazing opportunity to learn
from our Member Organisations and hear their
views for the Young European Socialists.

The campaign for Vice President is a poignant

moment for me, given what internationalism and
the Young European Socialists represents to me
and my own organisation, most especially at a
time when we feel we must fight for our
European identity and community in the ongoing
aftermath of the implementation of Brexit. As a
proud internationalist and socialist, I strive to
realise our vision of Europe and of Northern
Ireland; the Young European Socialists is a
source of motivation and support in this
endeavour.
I am running for Vice President as I believe I can
play my part in strengthening the organisation
particularly by ensuring the close engagement
and co-operation both between the Young
European Socialists and its Member
Organisations, and across our Member
Organisations. I believe that we as a collective
are stronger when we work together on issues of
shared concern, and when we have engagement
and dialogue based on mutual respect and
understanding.

We know there are many issues in Europe upon

which we share concern and an urgency to act.
Pressing issues of socio-economic rights in
housing and health, the violation of LGBTQI
rights, and LGBTQI persons are facing
marginalisation and stigmatisation, the freedom
of the press is at risk, the very rule of law and EU
constitutionalism are being undermined, and the
far right continue to grow, including most
recently by exploiting the pandemic to instigate
further polarisation and divide.
It is crucial we as activists work together to
identify and address these issues, supporting
our comrades, and fighting for our citizens, and
the Young European Socialists provides us with
the means to do so, to work collaboratively, to
share best practices, to realise our shared vision
for Europe.

If trusted with your support, I would work to

continue in our important work; to listen to all
organisations, and to ensure all voices are heard
so that we can work as a collective to instigate
real change across Europe and the
empowerment of our activists. I have been
entrusted with the responsibility to represent
my organisation within PES and the Young
European Socialists since 2017; I know Member
Organisations can trust me to listen to their
concerns, ideas, and views and engage in
collaborative dialogue and learning exchange.
I know that by working together on the basis of
our shared principles and values, we can
demonstrate how there truly is strength in
Europe to advance our shared vision of a Europe
based on social justice, labour, and equality.

I believe I have the experience, commitment,

and competencies to serve as Vice President, as
evidenced through my strong record of activism,
my committed service to both the SDLPY/SDLP
and to PES and Young European Socialists
values, and my own steadfast belief in the power
of internationalism, social democracy, and
labour. I welcome the opportunity to contest in
this election, and I would be grateful for your
support for my candidacy.

In solidarity,

Leah Rea
International Secretary, SDLP
North South Officer, SDLPY
My vision for YES
The Young European Socialists has long
served as an inspirational model for SDLP
Youth. We have been so grateful for the
solidarity and support both to our
organisation generally, and our efforts to
advance the causes of social democracy and
labour in Northern Ireland more specifically.
I am therefore excited to have the
opportunity to put forward my vision for the
Young European Socialists, which has our
Member Organisations at its core.

There are five pillars to my vision for the

Young European Socialists which I believe
collectively can ensure the full participation
and empowerment of Member
Organisations so that in conjunction with the
Presidium, we can work towards advancing
our shared vision of a Europe working for all
citizens.
 1. An Active YES
The Young European Socialists should provide
opportunities for development and growth for
Member Organisations and activists. Equally,
there are opportunities for the organisation to
enhance its own structure to respond to
pressing matters which as young socialists we
seek to address within our countries, and
across Europe.

Special interest networks

To ensure greater co-operation and
opportunities for shared learning and growth
across Member Organisations and so boosting
activity and output, networks which would
operate on either a geographical basis and /or
on the basis of political issues could be
established by the Young European Socialists.
Within these "special interest" networks,
Member Organisations can provide
information on issues and their work in
addressing them, which could be disseminated
to Member Organisations experiencing similar
issues or concerns such as through
presentations or briefings. This process would
aim to share best practice, as well as highlight
practices / policies which may not have been as
successful or effective as originally thought,
thereby providing key detail for Member
Organisations to learn from or build upon.

In addition, the Young European Socialists can

provide support to Member Organisations who
wish to work together on campaigns, or
conferences established as a result of
engagement within the special interest
networks.
Audit of member organisations
Some Member Organisations are more
involved with the Young European Socialists
than others, which sometimes stems from
issues relating to funding, resources, and the
political landscape the Member Organisation
operates within.

The Young European Socialists should regularly

invite Member Organisations to participate in
an "audit" which offers the chance for Member
Organisations to update the Young European
Socialists on any issues they may be
experiencing, how this affects their
involvement within the Young European
Socialists, what supports they require, and how
the Young European Socialists can provide
assistance.

The audit is not to serve as a penalising

exercise but rather is a mechanism for a bi-
lateral exchange to identify where support can
be provided.
 Presidium Portfolios
The current system of Presidium Portfolios and
networks provides a great mechanism for
activism and in seeking contributions from our
Member Organisations. However, there are
ways in which this system could be enhanced
to ensure greater engagement and output.

The current portfolios should be made publicly

available to Member Organisations and feature
within the newsletter. In addition, in light of
continuous developments relating to the
undermining of the rule of law and human
rights in Europe, the Young European Socialists
should show its commitment to monitoring
and responding to these issues by developing
specific human rights and constitutionalism
portfolios with a focus on legislative and policy
monitoring.
 2. An Accessible YES
The Young European Socialists is at its
strongest when it brings together its Member
Organisations. It is therefore vital the
organisation is accessible for all Member
Organisations and their activists.

Hybrid events
Events, meetings etc. should operate on a
hybrid model to ensure that distance and
costs are not a barrier to participation.

Membership fees
Member Organisations may suffer from
limited resources and funding. There should
be measures in place to ensure organisations
struggling due to their Party situation may
still participate in Young European Socialists'
events such as Congress on a par with their
peers.
 3. An Engaging YES
The Young European Socialists is a vital
platform for Member Organisations to work
together. Engagement between Member
Organisations and the Young European
Socialists is crucial.

Member organisation
"roundup"
The exchange of information and updates
between Member Organisations and the
Young European Socialists is pivotal for both.

To assist with the dissemination of updates,

best practice, and requests for support, the
Young European Socialists should operate a
monthly "roundup" briefing.
The briefing would be comprised of
contributions submitted by Member
Organisations who wish to highlight
campaigns, updates in policy or officer
boards, requests for best practice, and calls
for support / information.

Training workshops
The networks undertake fantastic work
providing awareness and educational learning
opportunities through comprehensive
seminars. This system can be built upon with
additional workshop opportunities to
empower our Member Organisations to be
able to share our vision and values through
practical efforts. Such workshops could include
practical guidance on campaigns, both party
and electoral, canvassing, engaging with
political opponents, and drafting policy.
4. An Accountable YES
As an organisation, it is important that the
Young European Socialists is open to its
members and accountable.

Presidium Reports
The current system of reports to the Bureau
Representatives and newletters to activists
provides a good means of ensuring openess;
this could however be strengthened with the
publication of reports from the Presidium
which can be made accessible to all Member
Organisations and their activists. Moreover,
each Vice President should produce reports
detailing their work within their designated
portfolios to ensure accountability, and
equally dissemination of work plans which
could invite enhanced participation from
Member Organisations including new ideas
for future work.
 5. An Equal YES
To ensure the greatest opportunities for
decision-making, planning, and activism, all
Member Organisations must be afforded the
means to have representation and their voice
heard.

Bureau Representation
Bureau meetings provide an excellent
platform for the Young European Socialists to
engage and update Member Organisations.
However, it can be the case that there is not
sufficient representation of all Member
Organisations and consequently their views
are not heard.

As such, a requirement for Bureau meetings

should be introduced: in the event a
representative cannot attend, a report should
be submitted in their stead; and the Young
European Socialists should provide a record of
discussion and updates to all Member
Organisations shortly following the meeting.

Review of Engagement
The Young European Socialists currently
operate a solid method of engagement with
Member Organisations, but there is scope for
enhancing this.

The Young European Socialists should conduct

a review of its engagement and
communications structure, with a focus on
seeking the views from all Member
Organisations on how they feel they are
represented within the Young European
Socialists' structure and their ideas around
boosting representation and the sharing of
opinions, particularly as regards decision-
making, planning, and ideas generation.
 Membership consultation
The Young European Socialists has a large and
diverse membership, and we are truly at our
strongest when we connect with each other
and have discussions based on mutual respect
and trust.

The Young European Socialists should conduct

a consultation process with its Member
Organisations over the next two years. This
process could entail the disseminaton of a
consultation form, and further to this,
accompanied with meetings between
representatives of the Young European
Socialists and representatives from both
Executive and activist membership of the
Member Organisations.
 Contact
Should you wish to discuss Leah's vision of the
Young European Socialists, and her candidacy
more generally, you can get in touch with
SDLP Youth Northern Ireland.

Facebook
@SdlpYouthLive

Twitter
@SDLPyouth

Instagram
@sdlp_youth

Email
sdlpyouth@sdlp.ie
For Strength in Europe

#YEStoREA
 Leah Rea

YES Vice President

Candidate

Manifesto 2021