Young Greens: Year in Review 2011

By Justin Reist

2011 has been an incredible year for the Young Greens. The federal election allowed us to establish ourselves as an effective body for mobilizing direct action. We are continuing to build off these successes and are excited to be moving into new, exciting territory.

The federal election in May gave the Young Greens a chance to showcase our creativity and dedication through the creation of several direct action and social media campaigns. Perhaps the most successful campaign was “Draw out the Vote” where Young Greens across the country hit the streets and drew green chalk lines to direct people to advance polling stations, having some great conversations along the way.

After the whirlwind that was the election and some much needed time to get the chalk out of our clothes, the Young Greens elected a new executive council. The new members met in Ottawa for a weekend in August to meet with our newly minted Green MP and start planning for the future. The weekend’s planning sessions were incredibly successful. The group got to know each other and began laying the groundwork for some very exciting work ahead.

In the months since, the Young Greens have continued to take the lead on direct action mobilizations from standing up against the Keystone Pipeline (and generating national media coverage) to the Omnibus Crime Bill. With each new project we’re learning and cultivating our skills as effective spokespeople for the Green Party and youth in general.

The Young Greens have also been developing our abilities as an organization, laying solid groundwork for future councils. Over the past several months our former National Youth Co-ordinator has been visiting with the youth wings of Green parties in the EU to establish a dialogue so we can share ideas and collaborate on issues. We’re really excited with how this project has gone so far, and it is going to lead to great things in the future.

We are also working to have a greater impact within the party here at home. With the help of Elizabeth and her staff we were able to begin the Young Greens Parliamentary Internship. This not only allows us to help with the day-to-day operations on Parliament Hill, but also provides a clear line of communication from the Young Greens to the party. We are very excited about this opportunity, and it has been an incredibly worthwhile endeavour so far.

It has been an exhausting few months for the Young Greens (balancing school and changing the world isn’t always easy), but we’re still energized and can’t wait for the new challenges and opportunities that the New Year will bring.