SDLP Youth is the youth group of the Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 the Social Democratic and Labour Party

Social Democratic and Labour Party

The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...

 (SDLP). It is organised throughout Northern Ireland and plays an active role within the SDLP at all levels of the organisation.

It consists of party members aged 30 and under and is entitled to representation on the Party's Ruling Central Executive. Among its members are included councillors and party officers.

The first attempt to set up a Youth Group was in 1973 when an article written by John Mooney, a member of the Falls Branch appeared in the SDLP newspaper, following a discussion between Mooney and Dan McAreavey (then General of the Party and editor of the newspaper). There was little interest but a meeting was held in SDLP Falls Branch offices on the Andersonstown Road, attended by seven people, including Alban Maginness who would later become first nationalist Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1997. John Mooney and one other delegate put the proposal to a meeting of the Organisational Committee of SDLP at a Dungannon restaurant. The SDLP decided it was not a wothwhile venture at that stage.

Executive

• Andy Doherty- Chair
• Séamas de Faoite- Vice-Chair
• Christine Wilson- Secretary
• Dermott Henderson- Public Relations Officer
• Kyle Boyd- Universities & Colleges Officer
• Aaron Rice- Campaigns Officers
• Daniel Hendrie- International Secretary
• Conor McNeill- Treasurer
• Gareth Brown- Policy Officer

Campaigns

Campaigns include:

• One President, One Island, One Vote- aimed at securing a vote for northern residents in Irish Presidential elections
• Working to abolish the political protocol at the University of Ulster which bans political organisation on campus
• Opposition to university fees
• Student Safety & Welfare
• Fairtrade Further
• Anti-Slave Labour
• Workers' Rights
• Supporting the Irish Language
• Opposition to cluster munitions

Former party Leader Mark Durkan MP commended SDLP Youth in his speech to SDLP Party Conference 2009 for running a lively campaign against cluster munitions - including "a striking YouTube video". He said, "Today I want to particularly commend SDLP Youth. While Ógra Shinn Féin

Ógra Shinn Féin

Ógra Shinn Féin is the youth wing of the Irish political party Sinn Féin. ÓSF is active and organised throughout Ireland. It is often considered the most prominent incarnation of Fianna Éireann. Upon its establishment in 1997 it was originally known as Sinn Féin Youth, it changed to Ógra Shinn...

 glorify atrocities in our country, young SDLP members put their commitment into stopping atrocities in other countries."

Past activities have included a campaign urging the closure of the Sellafield Nuclear Power Station

Sellafield

Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...

 in Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

, and a campaign called One Island, One Currency urging greater acceptance of the euro

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

 in Northern Ireland, through the establishment of a dual currency zone.

Whilst choosing to endorse Margaret Ritchie

Margaret Ritchie

Margaret Ritchie was an English soprano who sang opera, oratorio and song. She created a number of operatic roles. In 1946 she was the first Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten, and in 1947 she was the first Miss Wordsworth in the same composer's Albert Herring.She was one of four...

in the February 2010 Contest for the SDLP Leadership, SDLP Youth chose to remain neutral in the 2011 race for the Leadership of the Party.

Former Chairs

• Eamon McAuley (2010-2011)
• Matthew McDermott (2009-2010)
• Peter Armstrong (2008-2009)
• Gary McKeown (2007-2008)
• Claire Hanna (February-April 2007)
• John O'Doherty (2005-2007)
• Thomas O'Hanlon (2004-2005)
• Mealla Bratton (2001-2004)

...

• Ronan McKay (1998-1999)

...

• Gemma Attwood
• Joleen Cunningham
• Eilis Haughey
• Mickey McKernan
• Joanne Murphy

External links

• Official homepage of SDLP Youth