YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
about The Young Fabians The Young Fabians is the under-31s section of the Fabian Society, Britain’s foremost centre-left think tank. Set up in 1960, we remain the only think tank run by and for young people. Our membership numbers over 1,700 and includes young professionals, students, parliamentary researchers, political activists and academics. The Young Fabians promote policy debate through seminars, conferences, pamphlets, and online through our website and blog. To find out more about the Young Fabians, visit www.youngfabians.org.uk.
Fabian Society The Fabian Society is Britain’s leading left of centre think tank and political society, committed to creating the political ideas and policy debates which can shape the future of progressive politics. Fabian publications, events and ideas reach and influence a wider audience than those of any comparable think tank. The Society is unique among think tanks in being a thriving, democratically constituted membership organisation, affiliated to the Labour Party but organisationally and editorially independent. For more information, visit www.fabian-society.org.uk.
First published November 2011 This document, like all publications of the Fabian Society, represents not the collective views of the Society but only the views of the authors. The responsibility of the Society is limited to approving its publications as worthy of consideration within the Labour movement. This publication may not be reproduced without express permission of the Fabian Society. Typesetting by Alex Baker. 11 Dartmouth Street London SW1H 9BN www.fabian-society.org.uk www.youngfabians.org.uk
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contents Chair’s Report Executive Committee Publications The Young Fabian Middle East Programme Squeezed youth Policy development Finances and fundraising Membership report Skills development Getting involved in the Young Fabians - special pullout Young Fabians online nationwide Equality and diversity Socials A new website 90 events in 2010/11 A thank you to our most active members how to join
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
chair’s report The Young Fabians´ biggest asset is its members. From teenagers who run their own businesses, to members starting their own local societies from scratch. From students and local councillors grilling Palestinian politicians and senior Israeli negotiators, to members amongst our oldest and youngest speaking to hundreds at the Fabian Society New Year Conference. And from those who wanted to encourage the next generation into political activism, so set up a school speakers scheme, to those whose energy and ideas impressed MPs across a range of activities. All have something exciting to offer. From Merseyside to the Middle East it has been a remarkable year of achievement. We wanted to identify and capitalise on the talents and skills within the membership, providing as many different access points to suit as many different people as possible – and in turn aid their progression in the Young Fabians, politics, and the Labour Party. Though taking member activism through the roof was all part of the plan, the national executive committee of the Young Fabians can take only a tiny bit of credit. For it was the intelligence, ingenuity and innovation of ordinary members that made so much of our programme the success it was. The variety of expertise and experiences at every turn was an inspiration – and meant there was a lot to learn from many impressive young people. We should be proud of what we have achieved together. I owe my thanks to the executive committee who helped empower members, buying in immediately to all four of the strategic priorities I set out at the beginning of my year as Chair, and using them to guide decision-making. These were to: • • • •
increase member involvement increase membership increase fundraising increase influence
A significant section of this annual report concentrates on the member involvement agenda – how we as a committee have facilitated wider engagement and how members have taken responsibility to organise local and national activities. We took on a high baseline for membership numbers after dramatic increases post-general election, and have done well to sustain these high levels. In each quarter we have seen year-on-year increases in membership of the Young Fabians. The team of volunteers running the Young Fabians supplemented our small budget by raising in excess of £20,000 in direct financial sponsorship. This facilitated the programme of activity delivered to members which has passed the test on quality and quantity, and is the largest fundraising success in memory. It has been a concerted effort and I am grateful in particular to Nick Maxwell, my fundraising and partnerships officer, for driving this. The influence of the Young Fabians continues to be felt. A year ago I edited The New Generation, and it wasn’t long after the publication of Jessica Studdert’s ‘Transforming our Party’ chapter that Labour heard our call for a strategic review of the party. We followed up with a written submission to the ‘Refounding Labour’ consultation and under the auspices of the Young Labour National Committee I was able to attend a bilateral meeting with Peter Hain and convey some of the good work around member engagement which the Young Fabians have been doing in recent years and which the party could learn from. Our 2011 policy development work will feed into Labour’s various policy-making structures and the pamphlet with the top ideas was launched by Liam Byrne MP, leader of Ed Miliband’s policy review. Though the ‘British Promise’ is all his own, it was great to see Ed articulate something so closely linked with our work on
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Credit: Andrew Wiard
today’s ‘squeezed youth’. We have developed relationships with other politicians and advisers close to Labour’s leader and worked with many senior MPs over the year. We were the only youth organisation asked to host a high-level roundtable for Lord Davies’ women in the boardroom review, under the banner of our Future of Finance Network. Our published output continued to attract high level contributors from inside and outside politics (it must feel great for those members who could say they wrote in the same edition of Anticipations as Tony Blair and Rowan Williams) and is being increasingly read. The Young Fabians blog reached number 8 in Total Politics list of the best Labour blogs and in September our Middle East delegation produced the most read post in the blog’s short history. You can read on to learn of some of the great successes of the year. Some personal favourites include taking a Young Fabians delegation to Israel and Palestine for the first time in a quarter of a century, the ‘getting noticed in the north’ skills workshop in Manchester, and our ‘Thinkers and Doers’ new members reception. It is of course an incredible privilege to serve as Chair of the Young Fabians and I hope I have been able to move the society on since I took over at the end of our 50th anniversary year. It was fantastic to be able to sign-off recently on an exciting project to digitise the Young Fabians pamphlet archive, held at the LSE, which is due to be completed in 2012. With the office of Chair comes a place on the Young Labour National Committee and it has been good to be a part of their rebuilding in 2011. Taking up invitations to speak to local Fabian Society groups around the country has been a fantastic experience, and it is obvious that the Young Fabians are not the only active and exciting part of the organisation. I also sat on the Fabian Society Executive Committee and each of its sub-committees, allowing me to make a unique contribution to the wider organisation at an exciting time of change. It was great to be able to participate in the recruitment of the new general secretary, including securing a Young Fabian place on the interview panel. I hope the work of the governance sub-committee can continue to reform the way the executive and the society operate for the best interests of members and for a sustainable and effective Fabian future. I wish well the new staff team led by Andy Harrop. I hope you enjoy reading the 2010/11 Annual Report and it helps explain the range of activities this team of volunteers has coordinated, and the impact they have had. For members of the Young Fabians reading this, I hope it can inspire you to get more involved – collectively you have the talent to be the young thinkers and doers the Labour movement needs. Best wishes,
Adrian Prandle Chair, Young Fabians 2010/11
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
executive committee Adrian Prandle Chair Sara Ibrahim Vice Chair Claire Leigh Treasurer Alex Baker Secretary James Green Editor, Anticipations Marie-NoĂŤlle Loewe International Officer Preth Rao Member Involvement Officer Brian Duggan Policy Officer Vincenzo Rampulla Officer without portfolio Anna-Joy Rickard Membership Officer Richard Lane Social Officer Steve Race* Equalities Officer Nick Maxwell Fundraising and Partnerships Officer Caroline Alabi Universities Officer Daniel Bamford Networks Officer Sam Bacon Regions Officer Hetty Wood** Website Officer
* Replaced Christine Quigley ** Replaced Claire French
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2010/11 publications policy
Sponsored by
FABIAN SOCIETY
FABIAN SOCIETY
FABIAN SOCIETY
Women’s Issues
Ambitions for Britain’s Future
Understanding the Middle East conflict
Young Fabian Women talk policy and politics
Reflections of a Young Fabian delegation
Foreword by Baroness King of Bow
Edited by Claire Leigh and Marie-Noëlle Loewe
Edited by Marie-Noëlle Loewe
Edited by Brian Duggan and Sara Ibrahim
Young Fabians|58
Young Fabians
Young Fabians|59
(l-r) Women’s Issues; Understanding the Middle East Conflct; Ambitions for Britain’s Future; Refounding Labour consultation response
anticipations Volume 14, Issue 2 | Winter 2010
Online taster | Spring 2011 © YOUNG FABIANS 2011
Online taster | Autumn 2011 © YOUNG FABIANS 2011
Online taster | Autumn 2011 © YOUNG FABIANS 2011
Anticipations Anticipations Anticipations Anticipations YOUNG FABIANS
RECLAIMING THE BIG SOCIETY Maurice Glasman argues that the time has come for Labour to rediscover its history as a grassroots movement
INTERVIEW STELLA CREASY
Labour’s new MP speaks to International Officer Marie Loewe about organising, party reform and female representation.
OPINION YOUNG FABIAN IDEAS
Young Fabian members share their ideas on a wide range of policy issues, from tuition fees to the future of defence.
FEATURE COOPERATIVE FUTURE Lambeth Council Leader Steve Reed discusses how cooperative ideas are transforming local public services.
| political writing by and for young people |
YOUNG FABIANS
<281* )$%,$16
THE RELUCTANT SUPERPOWER
WHY WE MUST DO GOD
David Miliband argues that now is the time for Europe to take the lead on the world stage
Tony Blair argues that the time has come to recognise the central role of faith in the modern world
INTERVIEW ED BALLS
Anticipations Editor James Green speaks to the shadow chancellor about the budget, the deficit and how to win again.
OPINION YOUNG FABIAN IDEAS
Young Fabian members share their ideas on a wide range of policy issues from AV to the future of the Middle East.
FEATURE THE CHRISTIAN CITIZEN The Archbishop of Canterbury argues that Christianity has much to teach us about how to be a good citizen.
| political writing by and for young people |
INTERVIEW JOHN HEALEY
Networks Officer Daniel Bamford speaks to the Shadow Health Secretary about the coalition’s plans for the NHS.
OPINION YOUNG FABIAN IDEAS
Young Fabian members share their ideas on a wide range of policy issues from Slutwalk to the future of Scotland.
FEATURE DEFENDING DEMOCRACY Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy outlines a new vision for UK defence policy after the Arab Spring.
| political writing by and for young people |
<281* )$%,$16
BEYOND THE HOODIE Nick Pearce calls for a fundamental rethink of youth policy in the wake of the riots
INTERVIEW YVETTE COOPER
Anticipations Editor James Green speaks to the Shadow Home Secretary about the riots and the future of the Met.
OPINION YOUNG FABIAN IDEAS
Young Fabian members share their ideas on a range of policy issues from drugs treatment to the hacking scandal.
FEATURE TIME FOR PLAN B
Rachel Reeves MP argues that austerity is dashing the hopes and aspirations of our young people.
| political writing by and for young people |
(l-r) Winter: Reclaiming the Big Society; Spring: Why we must do God; Summer: The Reluctant Superpower; Autumn: Beyond the Hoodie
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
young fabian middle east programme Planning for the Young Fabians’ international-focused work for the year began early in September 2010, some months before the Arab Spring captured the interest of the world and changed lives forever. The idea was based on a simple realisation – few topics seemed to cause more controversy and interest than the Arab-Israeli conflict, yet so few opinions on it were actually well-informed. The proposal was to deliver a programme of activity that offered balance not bias, looking at the conflict from different angles as well as the region’s politics more broadly. In order to have a balanced and peaceful conversation, we would mainly work with academics rather than campaigners. The highlight would be a delegation to Israel and Palestine at the end of 2011. Members attended three events over the spring and summer which in turn discussed what the revolution in Egypt meant for Gaza, the role of international stakeholders in the Middle East, and the challenge of dealing with Iran, hearing from think tanks, NGOs, academics from around the world and Labour’s frontbench.
DELEGATION TO ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
It was a quarter of a century since the Young Fabians last visited the region. Consequently, it took an enormous effort over the course of a year to build contacts and put together from scratch a programme of high level meetings, field visits, cultural learning, and political relationship-building. After many, many meetings, phone calls, emails and sleepless nights, the outline of a delegation itinerary began to take shape. The willingness people had to work with the Fabians helped hugely. At the beginning of September, twelve delegates from different backgrounds, including students, a local councillor, barristers, and other young professionals, spent a week visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Hebron and Ramallah. What they had in common was the desire to learn more about the Middle East conflict, and the willingness to approach the politics with an open mind. After a difficult start for three delegates at Israeli immigration, and the hospitalisation of another, the delegates were soon together again for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, Tony Blair, peace negotiators past and present, youth organisations and NGOs, plus visits to the settlements of Hebron in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to a kibbutz in northern Israel. The seven days were, for many, a life-changing experience. The normality with which the conflict impregnates daily life, the extreme levels of security which define border crossings, bus stations and shopping malls, but most of all
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the incredible love and connection which both Palestinians and Israelis have for the territory, are things which are difficult to fully understand without experiencing them. During the week delegates contributed a total of sixteen posts to the Young Fabians blog, including the most read post ever, which cultivated interest from across the political spectrum in the UK. This was supplemented by photos and video diaries and meant that the learning could spread beyond the twelve delegates, allowing members back in the UK to follow the intellectual and geographical progress of the delegation.
UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT A NEW YOUNG FABIAN PUBLICATION In late October we launched the e-publication “Understanding the Middle East conflict: reflections of a Young Fabian delegation” in the House of Commons with a panel including Labour MPs representing both sides of the debate. The publication featured reflective essays from each of the delegates and capped off an impressive year of international work for the Young Fabians.
SOME THANKS
The Middle East Programme was conceived and developed by Marie-Noëlle Loewe and the delegation led by her with the able assistance of Nick Maxwell. They are very grateful for the support of the following who, in different ways, helped make the programme and delegation to the region the success it was: • BICOM for their generous support of the delegation, their advice and willingness to give the Young Fabians complete autonomy over the programme. • Duncan Sinclair. • Graham Bambrough. • The delegates for their interest, energy, probing questions and insightful reflections: Natalie Breslaw, Sara Ibrahim, Tamsin James, Claire Leigh, Roxanne Mashari, Joel Mullan, Adrian Prandle, Siobhan Randell, Joani Reid and Shazia Yamin.
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
squeezed youth Given Labour’s focus on the ‘squeezed middle’ and the government’s relentless focus on hurting those people who most need support in tough economic circumstances, the Young Fabians determined to highlight the plight of Britain’s ‘squeezed youth’ and assess what policy changes young people need. ‘Squeezed Youth’ is about finding a voice for young people – on policies that affect them and affect everyone. It requires an understanding of the interconnected concerns young people have, from education to work to housing. The experience of today’s teens and twenty-somethings is somewhat different to many of their parents’ generation. We’re told we need a ‘second wave of social mobility’ to match the 1960s. Yet figures show high levels of unemployment and too many 16-24 year-olds not in education, employment or training. At the same time, four organisations that support young people are estimated to be closing each week. As public service cuts begin to bed in, Ed Miliband has warned that the “British promise... that the next generation would always do better than the last is under threat like never before.” Labour’s leader has rightly talked of “the looming gap in the help given to unemployed young people,” arguing that “the decision to betray young people is not just unfair, it is the wrong long-term economic judgment.” Rather than setting up one generation against another, highlighting these issues should demonstrate the need for intergenerational solidarity - tuition fees demonstrations shouldn’t just be led by young people, pensions protests are not the exclusive preserve of those near retirement. Issues felt most by young people are issues for the majority on the centre-left who care about life chances and fairness and see politics as a solution. We need people of all ages to be fighting for young people’s futures which are at threat from this current government. The Young Fabians took on the theme of the ‘squeezed youth’ across a range of activities. These included: the lunchtime seminar at the Fabian Society New Year Conference which featured Young Fabians on a panel alongside the influential Lord Maurice Glasman and Rushanara Ali MP and premiered a YouTube video interviewing the ‘squeezed youth’; Chair Adrian Prandle speaking at local Fabian Society events and at a Unions 21 fringe meeting on young people and unions at Community’s annual conference; the YF Policy Commission, ‘Securing the future of the next generation’; a fringe under that same banner at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool; and the autumn edition of Anticipations was dedicated to this policy theme.
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policy development 2011 saw the third generation of the member-led policy groups which are vehicles for our members to develop their ideas and test their policy initiatives as well as increasingly becoming strong access points into the Labour Party’s policy-making process. The thorough examination of party policy, under the stewardship of Liam Byrne MP, provided a timely opportunity for Young Fabians to offer Labour new ideas to aid the party’s renewal. Four policy commissions were established to develop initiatives and to challenge, stimulate, engage and influence. The results of this work were authored by the commissions’ chairs and published in the pamphlet Ambitions for Britain’s Future, launched by Liam Byrne MP in November. In ‘Recovering the economic initiative’, Maneesh Sharma and Graeme Henderson took on the economic challenges that continue to face the nation, arguing for a credible growth strategy comprising of a proactive industrial policy and the creation of a UK Investment Bank to aid credit flow to SMEs.
Richard Angell, in ‘Building stronger communities’ recommended the establishment of a community youth credit, ‘sentencing plus’ to tackle reoffending rates through skills training, and kitemark recognition for those companies that pay fair wages.
‘Labour and the world’ by Debbie Moss called for further reforms to bridge the gap between citizens and European decision-makers, a more codified doctrine on liberal interventionism, and for schools to teach our children Mandarin and other languages of the future.
Joani Reid’s contribution, ‘Securing the future of the next generation’, argued that without solving the issue of education and skills, young people would not be properly equipped to deal with the broader issues – housing, poor pension provision and funding future education – that prevent the ‘British Promise’ from becoming a reality.
For more on the 2011 Young Fabian Policy Commissions, see our centre page spread on ‘getting involved’.
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
finances and fundraising RAISING FUNDS
This year the Young Fabians raised in excess of £20,000 in direct financial sponsorship which facilitated the programme of activity delivered to members, including being able to heavily subsidise the Middle East delegation. This is the organisation’s largest fundraising success in memory and supplements the in-kind support, primarily venue hosting, that partners have also provided that has allowed us to hold events outside of Westminster. With a consistent emphasis on all activity not just aiming to break even but to raise revenue, culture and leadership had a large amount to do with this success. All executive committee members rose to the challenge, some with spectacular success. However, the most critical element was professionalising our fundraising approach and aiming higher. We planned with the confidence that our activity was of a quality that deserved, and could attract, significant financial sponsorship. We should be in no doubt that the Young Fabians can be a very attractive ‘offer’ for those who want to sponsor progressive debate in the UK. We secure the same speakers that big name professional outfits do, we represent debate without any institutional or historical ‘baggage’, and the membership itself is viewed as a high value audience – young, bright, engaged people who are likely to continue to be engaged at an ever higher level as their careers and interests develop.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
This year the Young Fabians executive committee pledged to put the organisation on a sounder financial footing, through better financial management as well as the focus on fundraising. A main feature of our improved accounting procedures was the renegotiating of our grant arrangements with the Fabian Society which has ensured receipt of our £5,000 grant in full during the year, rather than having to claim remaining funds retrospectively. The Treasurer has produced monthly accounts that enable forecasting of spend and better decision-making. As a result of the improved financial position, we have been able to initiate a new system whereby executive committee members can bid for funds to support certain activities and investments. This has allowed us to respond to opportunities more quickly and to support strategic priorities such as increasing the number of executive committee members from outside of London, increasing the number of events outside the capital, supporting newer initiatives such as Young Fabian Women, and establishing a project with the London School of Economics to digitise the back catalogue of Young Fabians pamphlets. Thanks to our sponsors and partners this year: A4e, BAE Systems, BICOM, Communication Workers Union, ICAEW, Imperial College London, Linklaters, London Stock Exchange, TUFM, Unison, White Water Strategies, and the members who worked at music festivals for the Workers’ Beer Company, earning money for the Young Fabians.
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membership report Two schemes were piloted this year to explore how to attract more people to becoming members. 1) Membership Ambassadors This scheme aimed to harness enthusiasm, man-power, ideas and frustration from members who have much to offer yet could benefit from a framework in which to contribute to the Young Fabians by setting up new projects and thinking about how to increase membership and make the YFs more widely known. For more information, please see page 17. 2) Online recruitment campaign This year saw the pilot of an online recruitment campaign, using social media, the Young Fabians Blog and emails to encourage new members to join and current members to recruit their friends. This took the form of concentrated activity over eight days in late September, designed with three key messages about why people join the Young Fabians: to find out more about politics; to contribute their ideas and make their voices heard; and to extend their professional networks and meet like-minded people. There was a more substantial increase in membership over that time period in comparison with the rest of the month though the rise was not dramatic. We successfully saw the mainstreaming of membership recruitment across the executive committee. With recruitment integrated into planning activities, there was a notable increase in sign-ups through events. Efforts were also put into making membership more accessible by:
• • • •
Establishing a welcome email for new members Redesigning and printing new leaflets explaining who the Young Fabians are and why to join Improving the web path from the Young Fabian website to the Fabian Society direct debit webpage Encouraging people to bring friends to certain events, and using specific language when advertising events such as ‘new members welcome’
Membership numbers
Young Fabians membership
2000 In each of the last four quarters, the Young Fabians Growth of Young Fabians Membership has seen a year-on-year increase in membership. 1500 The challenge of increasing membership has been difficult but we are pleased to report that 1000 we have succeeded in maintaining the high 500 membership levels that resulted from Labour’s general election defeat in 2010. One of the 0 Nov ‘08 Nov ‘09 Nov ‘10 Nov ‘11 biggest difficulties, as a youth organisation with a cut-off age, is the regular loss of members we encounter as people turn 31 which demands that we recruit new people each month just to maintain the status quo. Membership has risen by approximately 50% in the last five years and peaked at 1781 during 2010/11.
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YOUNG FABIANS ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
skills development As well as providing space for young people on the left to engage in policy discussions, the Young Fabians this year looked to upskill the membership – benefiting not just the society, but the individual and the wider left movement.
Getting noticed in the north
To serve Young Fabians outside of London and help increase both member involvement and our influence across the country, we pioneered a free event held in Manchester to develop members’ modern political skills called ‘Getting noticed in the north’. The event sought to address the Westminster bias of politics, and to help members who face unique challenges being politically active outside of London. Interactive sessions were led by a number of high-profile young people who have been able to make an impact from outside of the capital, such as Political Scrapbook founder Laurence Durnan, and Grace Fletcher-Hackwood who initiated #mobmonday, the successful door-knocking mobilisation effort on Twitter.
Writing workshop
To develop members’ skills and support more Young Fabians to contribute to Anticipations and the blog we hosted a writing workshop at the beginning of the year. Facilitated by writer and commentator Paul Richards and prominent Labour blogger Hopi Sen, it covered a broad range of issues from top tips on how to write with impact to practical advice on how to structure an article. It was a real success with positive feedback from all attendees. Most importantly, almost all participants have since written for either the magazine or blog, with many later becoming sub-editors of Anticipations.
Better policymaking
Members regularly say that it is our policy-focused work that initially attracts them to the Young Fabians in the first place. With Labour in opposition there are new challenges for influencing and developing policy and we collaborated with the Institute for Government to explore how policymaking can be improved, and how the Young Fabians’ policy development work could be most effective and useful to Labour’s frontbench politicians. An expert panel including advisor to Ed Miliband and Labour Lord Stewart Wood plus former cabinet minister Lord Adonis, looked at how previous governments had delivered successful policy and what principles could inform better policymaking in opposition. We also experimented with live webcasting the event to provide non-London members with an opportunity to take part and contribute.
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getting involved in the young fabians Prioritising the increase of member involvement as one of four strategic goals for 2010/11 was a response to membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demands and also recognition of the critical element that participation should play in a youth membership organisation in the political sphere. It also chimed with wider concurrent political and Labour Party debates about building participatory movements and the way in which we do politics. To achieve this we created the new role of a dedicated officer leading on member involvement to ensure that it was integrated and mainstreamed as part of all activities. This resulted in outstanding commitment to this agenda from all executive committee members. Thinking about how to involve members quickly became a crucial part of the committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning and discussions on a day-to-day basis. Empowering members to take responsibility for organising activity, and offering support and advice when needed, were central to making this work. Enabling members to lead in organising their own activity helps us reach across a greater geographical area. A tangible benefit of member involvement is an increase in overall output but by including a broader diversity of members in activities we have also harnessed a broader skillset which has enhanced the number of policy and political issues on which we have been able to cover - leading in turn to stronger impact. Getting involved in organising Young Fabian activity has proven a useful step towards standing for election or cooption to the executive committee. Over the next few pages, you can see some of the routes that have been developed for young people on the left to get involved in the Young Fabians.
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Thinkers & Doers It is important to identify opportunities to tie together more than one strategic priority, and our ‘Thinkers and Doers’ reception held in the House of Commons was the perfect stage to showcase member involvement, encourage new members to get involved and bring their ideas to the table, attract non-members to see what the Young Fabians are all aboutv - to grow the influence of our work with policymakers and politicians. Kindly hosted by Chuka Umunna MP and sponsored by A4e, ‘Thinkers and Doers’ demonstrated the mutual compatibility of the Young Fabians being the home of thought leadership amongst Labour’s youth and that being a member of the Young Fabians isn’t just about sitting in a room and drily discussing legislation. With drinks and nibbles aiding an informal atmosphere, attendees were able to meet other members and work their way around stations set up in the room that were hosted by active members leading projects and activities who could encourage people to make that first step in getting more involved in the society. With so many members bringing friends along it also offered a great way to reach out to new people and show them the opportunities the Young Fabians provides. For those leading Labour MPs like John Woodcock and Tristram Hunt who turned up it was an accessible way to learn about the diversity of the Young Fabians and the broad nature of our work, and directly from the members involved.
Schools
The Young Fabians School Scheme is a leading example of how, in 2010/11, the executive committee empowered members with the initiative and energy to manage projects, whist providing quality control oversight alongside guidance and advice. Two non-executive committee members have in a few short months built up a 23 person volunteer group and are about to deliver a series of visits to schools up and down the country in 2012. The aim of the scheme is to inspire pupils to engage in policy thinking and to communicate that there is very little stopping young people with energy and passion presenting their ideas to politicians and community leaders. By providing an opportunity for members that they found very appealing, and arranging support and training for volunteers, the leaders of this project – Anna Bage and Cathryn Moses – have created something of great value to members, to pupils who will hear the talks, and to the Fabian Society’s continued strength and breadth of activity.
Networks
The Future of Finance and the Science & Society Networks allow Young Fabians members with professional expertise to shape progressive futures for their industries by providing a platform to influence policy. The Networks are there to empower members with expertise in particular areas to drive programmes of work that will contribute meaningfully to Young Fabian output. Six members have led on events in their interest areas this year whilst many more have written for the Young Fabian blog and for Anticipations.
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Health policy and the future of scientific research funding have been the main areas of focus for the Science & Society Network this year. Our roundtable discussion with then Shadow Secretary of State for Health, John Healey MP, gave our members real insight into the politics of health reform as well as a chance to share their varied professional perspectives on the Health and Social Care Bill. The work the Network has done with Imperial College’s technology transfer arm has re-informed the need, in an age of austerity, to protect the scientific research that drives innovation. The Future of Finance Network has run a programme of work focussed on how the financial services sector can help the UK meet its climate change obligations. Network events with contributions from climate change guru Dieter Helm, Linklaters law firm, Article 25 and Unison have provided a host of perspectives on the role of the City in dealing with global environmental issues. The Network has also examined young people’s attitudes to pensions and gender equality in the workplace, working towards a publication on the former and hosting the only youth consultation event for Lord Davies’ review on gender balance at boardroom level. The Networks sought influence by bringing Young Fabians into contact with leading Labour figures, who have provided complementary feedback on how useful we can be in assisting them in their frontbench work. We have a great degree of knowledge amongst the membership and the Networks are here to empower our members to start policy-shaping discussions.
Membership Ambassadors
The concept of Membership Ambassadors aimed to build a group of committed members who could put into action their own ideas about how to increase membership and make the Young Fabians more widely known. A small number of ambassadors were recruited from candidates who missed out on co-option in November 2010. They received guidance and support from the executive committee and activities were agreed jointly. It was envisaged that being part of this initiative could allow committed members to be more involved in the organisation, use their skills and potentially build up their reputation to stand for election or co-option if they so wished. The Ambassadors helped arrange events in Liverpool and a London University, the innovative New Members reception, ‘Thinkers and Doers’, and assisted with the preparation and launch of the exciting new Schools Scheme. Membership Ambassadors reported that they felt empowered by this scheme to lead on new activity.
Opening up Anticipations magazine
Over the course of the year we sought new ways to involve members in all aspects of Anticipations. Our writing workshop aimed to encourage more members to contribute – however, we also wanted to involve Young Fabians in the editorial process itself. Newly established sub-editors played a key role in each edition from beginning to end. We introduced roundtable meetings before each issue to provide a space for members to feed in their ideas about theme and contributors to approach in the commissioning process. This effort to open up more aspects of the production has received positive feedback from members and has helped ensure as many people as possible feel real ownership over the Young Fabians magazine.
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Policy Commissions
For the past three years, the Young Fabians have run annual policy groups that provide a unique opportunity for our members to get involved with formulating policy proposals. Central to the design of the process has been that the groups are member-led. This year five members took on the role of chairing the four policy commissions on the topics of the economy, communities, the next generation, and Labour and the world. This involved organising events ranging from roundtable debates in the London Stock Exchange to a webchat with an Egyptian blogger involved in the Arab Spring. Chairs and members of the policy commissions alike have brought a wealth of experience in the financial, legal, charity, business and policy sectors. The project simply couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have happened without them and their ideas, and the 2011 policy pamphlet, Ambitions for Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future, would not exist.
Active members around the country
Empowering members to organise Young Fabian activity was by no means confined to London. Turn to pages 20 and 21 to find out more.
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young fabians online This year we continued to adapt to new technologies, strengthening the Young Fabians’ presence on the web. Our increased use of social media and other online platforms and services helps us ensure members across the UK are kept up-to-date with our activity, events and publications. In addition, online is a great way of allowing everyone to benefit from our events, even if they can’t attend in person. Our online strategy is in part shaped by the fact that the Young Fabians do not have a collective voice on any issue or topic. Thus our use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook is designed predominantly to draw attention to our published output and events, rather than to campaign on specific issues. Striking the right balance between brand consistency, personification and maintaining the principles upon which the Fabian Society was founded is challenge in the social media space. Our following has grown organically over the last year. We have doubled the number of followers to the @youngfabians feed on Twitter to 1,600, including a number of prominent MPs and opinion formers. We have also roughly doubled the number of followers on our Facebook page to around 800. Engagement with members and supporters on these platforms continues to grow and we have recently started a new Facebook group to allow members to interact with each other. In addition, we have more than 3,000 people signed up to our e-mail list. The blog continued to evolve this year. The range and frequency of posts increased, and our average monthly number of unique visitors has increased by around 50%. Our travelogue from the Middle East visit drew in record audiences, due in part to well-read political blogs picking up on the content. We were rewarded in the Total Politics Political Blog Awards 2011 with a number of gongs: • • • • •
8th best Labour blog (highest riser in the list) New entry at number 25 in the 75 best left-wing blogs Top 100 blog (the 68th best blog across the political spectrum) 21st best group blog overall Executive committee member Claire Leigh was ranked 31 in the left-wing bloggers list
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nationwide This year has also seen a number of activities for Young Fabians across the country. We have been active in Scotland and Wales, and the South West, the North West and East of England, as well as taking members overseas as part of the delegation to Israel and Palestine, and to Glastonbury and other festivals for the first time with the Workers’ Beer Company to raise funds for the organisation. Adrian Prandle, the Young Fabian Chair, has spoken to Fabian or other audiences in Leeds, Peterborough, Tonbridge, Southport and Bournemouth. We also found success in taking Young Fabians groups along to third party events, such as a talk by an Egyptian author held at an art gallery in Nottingham, which complemented nicely our Middle East Programme.
Liverpool’s students get active in the Young Fabians
Member James Roberts must take a lot of credit for establishing a hotbed of activity in Liverpool. In April the Young Fabians and Liverpool Guild of Students presented ‘The Big AV Debate’ to a packed room and an online audience via live webcast. In October we co-hosted with Merseyside Fabians an event on ethical foreign policy post-Arab Spring. In between the two events, James was successfully elected the Chair of the new Merseyside Fabians local society.
Bristol’s first Young Fabians event
In Bristol, Mhairi Threlfall responded to the call for members to organise their own events during October’s ‘Equalities Month’ by organising a fantastic event in Bristol for members on the subject of youth inequality. With a very high level of debate, this first event in Bristol for many years attracted around a dozen Bristolians and it is hoped this will be a rejuvenated local base for the Young Fabians.
Campaigning
Over the course of the year we joined Labour campaign days, including coordinating with local Young Labour members. These included Debbie Abraham’s successful by-election victory in Oldham in January, the Scottish and Welsh elections in Glasgow and Swansea respectively, and Young Fabians Regions Officer, Sam Bacon, welcomed members to the Obama-inspired local election campaign he was organising in Broadheath, Greater Manchester.
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Labour Party Conference
A slightly expanded Young Fabians programme this year saw us hold two events during Labour Party Conference. In Liverpool Town Hall we hosted a well-attended breakfast fringe built around the theme of ‘squeezed youth’ and the work of the ‘securing the future of the next generation’ policy commission. Our regular Sunday night conference reception, supported by Unison, filled Portico bar in Liverpool’s Albert Dock and heard speeches from Andy Burnham, Sadiq Khan, Glenis Willmott, Stephen Twigg, Lisa Nandy and Luciana Berger.
Online Book Club
A new online book club was launched this year, designed to be accessible to people outside of London and easy for people to get involved with whilst ‘dipping their toe’ into our activities as a bridge to further involvement. The Book Club read four books over the year and discussed each on a webchat, with guests including Polly Toynbee and David Walker, and Deborah Mattinson. One of the books also tied in with an event we held in the House of Commons with Owen Jones. There were 30 members of the Book Club with a significant number signing up just after joining the Young Fabians. Book Club members also contributed to the Young Fabians blog and Anticipations. The books were: • • • •
Unjust Rewards by Polly Toynbee and David Walker Talking to a Brick Wall by Deborah Mattinson Chavs: Demonising the Working Class by Owen Jones The Pinch by David Willetts
Policy commissions
The Young Fabians policy commissions are built on the premise of members developing policy ideas together. To produce the best, most relevant, and informed policy initiatives, utilising as much expertise in the movement as possible, it is important that geography is not a barrier to participation. In 2011, the policy commissions organised webchats on the Young Fabian website and took a ‘dragon’s den’ format to Glasgow and to Manchester to gather and assess policy ideas for the ‘Building Stronger Communities’ commission.
If you cannot see Young Fabians activity near you on these pages, but would like some support organising an event or even just a social meet-up of fellow members, do contact the executive committee via the Young Fabians website.
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equality and diversity Young Fabian Women
Young Fabian Women is aimed at young women of the centre-left interested in getting more involved in politics. The goals are to encourage more young women to stand for elected positions, create a strong network of like-minded people and a space to make young women’s voices heard. Young Fabian Women published its first pamphlet in 2011, held a very wellattended discussion event in parliament and worked closely with the Fabian Women’s Network. The latter centred on participation in the Fabian Women’s Network’s mentoring scheme. The scheme has seen 20 young female Fabians selected to participate in a yearlong series of events, training activities and mentoring, to enable them to strengthen the skills they will need to play a role in public life - whether as an MP or as a community leader - in the future. Mentees are also paired with a female parliamentarian for one-on-one advice and support. The 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day in March was marked with a panel event at which Baroness Glenys Kinnock, Rushanara Ali MP and others celebrated UN Women and discussed the challenges facing women in the developing world. The Young Fabian Women pamphlet Women’s Issues was published in September. Believing there to be no such thing, editors Claire Leigh and Marie-Noëlle Loewe consciously asked our authors to focus on subjects which lie outside the areas traditionally regarded as ‘women’s issues’. Members contributed essays on topics as diverse as violence against children and the Anglo-French relationship whilst Baroness Oona King provided the foreword.
Equalities Month
October was Equalities Month for the Young Fabians. It seemed fitting that the format for events was also diverse. We attended a viewing of the film The Great Debaters at the Tricycle Theatre. We organised for Dr Deborah Thom, an expert in women at war, feminism and trade unionism from the University of Cambridge, to accompany us at the Imperial War Museum’s exhibition, ‘Women War Artists’, which documented the changing socio-economic position of women through the two World Wars. And in parliament we staged a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Unlocking Talent: How do we ensure equality of opportunity in education and work?’ featuring Hazel Blears MP, founder of the Parliamentary Interns Scheme, Selena Bollingbroek, Pro-VC of the University of East London, and Janet Murray, a freelance journalist who writes for The Guardian.
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socials The Young Fabians, for many people, is an entry point into Labour politics. That means we are responsible for welcoming people with open arms and so it has remained important for the organisation to provide opportunities for members to meet informally and to get to know other like-minded young people. The Young Fabians social events are open to all whether attendees of our other activities or not.
Boat Party
The Young Fabians Boat Party remained one of the highlights of the social calendar. 2011 saw a change in boat but we enjoyed the same sunny July evening sailing along the Thames. Over 120 made it onto the boat and just a handful missed the strict departure time from the pier â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sadly including the executive committee member who organised the event, Richard Lane our Social Officer! He had taken one for the team attempting to get the last members to arrive to hurry up. Fortunately, after bilateral negotiations between the Young Fabians and the Captain, the boat returned to dock to collect the stranded socialists. Red faces all-round as latecomers were invited aboard. Whilst everyone had a fun evening, we also proved in 2011 that the boat party could be a financial success.
The Young Fabians Pub Quiz, West End theatre trip and Labour Party Conference Reception August saw another pub quiz, attracting around 40 members. The following month 25 Young Fabian members ventured to Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End to see the theatre production of the classic BBC comedy Yes, Prime Minister. The event proved a great opportunity to mix culture and political humour and was a particularly popular activity for new members. September also saw one of our biggest socials of the year when we hosted a reception at Labourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual conference (see page 21).
Annual Dinner
The Annual Dinner took place at the end of October, a couple of weeks earlier than normal, to celebrate another outstanding year of Young Fabians achievement with 45 members taking over a private room of Turkish restaurant Tas, near Waterloo in London. It was the first opportunity to meet the executive-elect and a chance to encourage others to stand for co-option, as well as thank the 2010/11 executive committee members for their hard work.
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a new website Hetty Wood was co-opted onto the executive committee in June with the specific task of transforming the Young Fabians website. After much work on design and coordinating the rewrite of content, a new site is, as this annual report goes to print, almost ready to be launched. You can see a screenshot from the new homepage below. The existing website was outdated and difficult to navigate so immediate changes were put into place to improve the site on a temporary basis prior to launch of the new design and the website was updated regularly, rather than remaining static as it had often done in the past. After roundtable meetings with members and the executive committee in Westminster, the overhaul of the website began with a particular focus on clarity of information and ease of use. The goal was to create a modern website that contained all the pages members and others would hope to find â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and more. The new website will continue to grow and a key aim is to increase involvement across the country by giving a better membership experience to its users, from easy event listings and relevant information to a proud display of the work that the Young Fabians do. Today, a vibrant and active website is an extremely important tool for any organisation, particularly one like the Young Fabians with its increasing influence and growing activist membership base.
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90 events in 2010/11 November 2010
• Young Fabians AGM (London) • Help run the Young Fabians – Co-option meeting (London)
December 2010
• Lord Adonis in conversation with David Aaronovitch (Westminster) • ‘Women in the boardroom’ - roundtable discussion requested by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, leading the Lord Davies’ Review (City of London)
January 2011
• Labour ‘Tweekender’ – Young Fabian Campaign Corner (Oldham East and Saddleworth) • Eve-of-poll phone canvassing for Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election – Young Fabian Campaign Corner (Unite the Union, London) • Squeezed Youth: How can Labour reconnect? – Young Fabian ‘Picnic’ @ Fabian Society New Year Conference featuring Lord Maurice Glasman and Rushanara Ali MP (London) • Anticipations roundtable on themes and commissioning ideas (London) • Anticipations and blog writing workshop facilitated by Paul Richards and Hopi Sen (London)
February 2011
• Young Fabian Women webchat (online) • Young Fabians Book Club with Polly Toynbee & David Walker on their book ‘Unjust Rewards’ (online) • Britain and Europe: In, out or somewhere in between? – conference co-branded with Fabian Society, Amnesty International and the European Commission (London) • ‘Countdown to AV’ – debate with University College London Young Fabians & King’s College London Labour (London)
March 2011
• Young Fabian Women welcome UN Women – 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day event held with One World Action and VSO featuring Baroness Glenys Kinnock and others (Westminster) • Getting noticed in the north – skills workshop (Manchester) • The gender agenda: how and why women need to get involved in politics (online) • Young Fabians Networks social (London) • Science under austerity: engaging young talent – Young Fabians Science & Society Network (Imperial College, London) • Joining with Young Labour comrades for ‘March for the alternative’ (London) • Is the Coalition working for young people? – post-Budget debate held with Conservative Future and Liberal Youth (Westminster)
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April 2011
• Young Fabians and Liverpool Guild of Students present the big AV debate in Liverpool • The City: A tool for climate action? – Young Fabians Future of Finance Network (City of London) • Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood: What does the revolution in Egypt mean for Gaza? – Young Fabians Middle East Programme (London) • Campaign Corner □□ Hope Not Hate day of action (Thurrock) □□ Obama-style campaigning in Broadheath ward (Trafford, Greater Manchester) □□ Phone canvassing (from Westminster) □□ Young Fabians campaigning in the north west (Manchester) □□ Young Fabians campaigning in Scotland (Glasgow) □□ Young Fabians campaigning in Yorkshire & Humberside (Sheffield)
May 2011
• Young Fabians campaigning in Wales (Swansea) • Young Fabians Book Club with Deborah Mattinson on her book ‘Talking to a Brick Wall’ (online) • The progressive fightback – co-branded conference with the Fabian Society featuring Andy Burnham MP, Peter Hain MP and Vince Cable MP (London) • Standing for the Young Fabians Executive Committee – advice session (London) • Standing for the Young Fabians Executive Committee – advice session (online) • Reception at the Chinese Embassy (London) • International stakeholders in the Middle East: what role are the US, EU, Arab League and China playing? – Young Fabians Middle East Programme (Westminster) • Anticipations roundtable on themes and commissioning ideas (London)
June 2011
• Special co-option meeting for the Young Fabians Executive Committee (London) • Visit to a talk by Egyptian author Tarek Osman on ‘Egypt on the Brink’ plus social – Young Fabians Middle East Programme (Nottingham) • Creative industries: Does the UK fulfil its potential? – featuring Ivan Lewis MP and Feargal Sharkey from The Undertones (Westminster) • Young Fabians Networks social (London) • Young Fabians Website redesign – ideas roundtable (Westminster)
July 2011
• Young Fabians annual boat party (London) • Owen Jones in conversation with Jon Cruddas MP, on ‘Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Classes’ (Westminster)
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• T he NHS’ 63rd birthday, roundtable with John Healey MP - Young Fabians Science & Society Network (London) • Is Britain constitutionally challenged? – a keynote speech from Sadiq Khan MP, held jointly with the Society of Labour Lawyers (Westminster) • The Future of British foreign policy – co-branded on Young Professionals in Foreign Policy 2030 Series launch (Westminster) • The challenge of dealing with Iran – Young Fabians Middle East Programme (Westminster) • Standing for the Young Fabians Executive Committee – advice session (online) • Standing for the Young Fabians Executive Committee – advice session (London) • Young Fabians Schools Scheme initiation meeting (London) • Thinkers and Doers – the Young Fabians new members reception (Westminster)
August 2011
• Delegate briefing for Young Fabians Middle East Programme visit to Israel and Palestine (London) • Young Fabians summer pub quiz (London)
September 2011
• Y oung Fabians Middle East Programme delegation visit to Israel and Palestine (overseas) • Saving (for) our futures? Engaging young people in pension reform – Young Fabians Future of Finance Network roundtable discussion with Rachel Reeves MP (Westminster) • UK defence policy in the future – a keynote speech from Jim Murphy MP (London) • Yes, Prime Minister - theatre social (London) • Making better policy: the challenges of opposition – discussion and advice event held with the Institute for Government (London) • Young Fabians Reception at Labour Party Conference – featuring Andy Burnham MP, Sadiq Khan MP, Glenis Willmott MEP, Stephen Twigg MP, Lisa Nandy MP and Luciana Berger MP (Liverpool) • Securing the future of the next generation – fringe meeting at Labour Party Conference (Liverpool)
October 2011
• A rab uprisings - time for an ethical foreign policy? – Young Fabians with Merseyside Fabians (Liverpool) • Young Fabians Networks social (London) • The Great Debaters – Equalities Month film viewing and Q&A at the Tricycle Theatre (London) • Unlocking talent: how do we ensure equality of opportunity in education and work? – Equalities Month (London) • Young Fabian Book Club on ‘The Pinch’ by David Willetts – looking at the theme of ‘squeezed youth’ (online) • Youth empowerment and equalities debate – Equalities Month (Bristol) • Young Fabians Annual Dinner (London)
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• W omen War Artists: exhibition tour at the Imperial War Museum with Dr Deborah Thom – Equalities Month (London) • Understanding the Middle East Conflict – parliamentary launch of the Young Fabians Middle East Programme delegation pamphlet featuring John Woodcock MP and Richard Burden MP (Westminster)
November 2011
• Climate change: bridging the gap between the developing world and the UK – Young Fabians Future of Finance Network with Article 25 (City of London) • Ambitions for Britain’s Future – Young Fabians policy commissions pamphlet launch with Liam Byrne MP (City of London) • Young Fabians AGM
other
As well as tying in with some of the events above, Young Fabians’ four 2011 Policy Commissions met a combined total of 17 times between June and October in Manchester, Glasgow, Westminster, and the City of London. Topics under interrogation included: affordable and accessible housing for young people; a Community Youth Credit; the progressive case for Britain at the heart of the EU; and reforming Britain’s economy across a series of meetings – looking, for example, at the role of venture capital, the unions, small business, and innovation. Plus we hosted a webchat with Egyptian activist and blogger, Hanan Abdalla and took a small group to talk to young clients at A4e’s Brixton employment centre. Members took part in a total of 20 meetings of the steering groups for the Future of Finance and Science & Society Networks.
Audio/Video
Visit www.youngfabians.org.uk for audio and video from some of these events.
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a thank you to our most active members Richard Angell Anders Aufderhorst-Roberts Anna Bage (Membership Ambassador) Natalie Breslaw Amrit Caleyachetty Ellie Cumbo Benjamin Cummings (Anticipations sub-editor) Gillian Econopouly Martin Edobor (Membership Ambassador) Matt Gwilliam Graeme Henderson Mark Hornsey (Membership Ambassador) Tamsin James Peter Lamb (Anticipations sub-editor) Roxanne Mashari Adam McNicholas Cathryn Moses (Membership Ambassador) Debbie Moss Joel Mullan Lola Okolosie (Anticipations sub-editor) Siobhan Randell Joani Reid James Roberts (Membership Ambassador) Taylor James Scott (Membership Ambassador) Richard Serunjogi Maneesh Sharma Larry Smith Jessica Studdert Mhairi Threlfall Jessica Toale Michael Weatherburn Louie Woodall (Assistant Editor of the Young Fabians Blog) Shazia Yamin
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“I’ve worked with the Young Fabians to tackle a wide range of policy issues from how to finance climate change strategies, to the future of pensions and women in the boardroom. I’m always impressed by the expertise, energy and insight Young Fabian members bring to the debate” - Rachel Reeves MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury “For over 50 years, the Young Fabians have played a crucial role in developing new policies for the Labour Party. More than ever before their fresh ideas and clear thinking will be important to creating the politics of the new generation.“ - Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, leader of the Labour Party “The Young Fabians provide a crucial space for young people to develop their ideas and agitate for change. It will be the next generation that will develop the bold policies that our party needs to win again and the Young Fabians are set to play a central role in that process.” - Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Labour Prime Minister 2007-2010 “Shaw said, at the foundation of the Fabian Society, “We determined to use the available power of democracy to extend it.” That just about sums up the modern Young Fabians and, best of all, their determination recognises no limits.” - Rt Hon Lord Kinnock, former leader of the Labour Party
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INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF PROGRESSIVE POLITICS
JOIN THE YOUNG FABIANS www.youngfabians.org.uk bit.ly/jointheyfs
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