UNISON wants young members to play a full part in union activities. At the same time we know for many young people it can be difficult getting time off work for union activity, being taken seriously, or speaking out with confidence in a room full of older people who can give the impression they know it all.

That's why we have created a young members organisation in UNISON which is designed to:

• encourage recruitment and participation by young members;
• provide a voice for young members;
• give young members the chance to develop their skills and knowledge; support young members in becoming active in the wider union.

There are all sorts of ways you can be more involved at all levels of the union.

In your workplace and branch

You can start by offering to help your local UNISON rep or your branch young members officer. Want to know more? Download the branch young members' officer handbook here: Acrobat PDF version

At regional level

UNISON is organised in 12 regions, which include Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. At regional young members meetings you get the chance to meet young members from elsewhere in your region and discuss your experiences and ideas. You also get to plan young member activities and get support from other members in the region. If you want to find out what your region is doing, get in touch with your Scotland young members contact here:

Young members support at Scottish level

At national level UNISON's national young members forum - often referred to as NYMF - is made up of two representatives from each region, plus the young members representative on UNISON's National Executive Committee (NEC).

The NYMF looks at issues affecting young members in UNISON, and how to go about improving recruitment and organisation of young members. The NYMF makes sure young members concerns are raised at the highest level, and in all parts of the union.

The young members rep on the NEC is elected every two years and has full participation rights at meetings of the NEC. Young members are also represented on UNISON's delegations to the TUC and Labour Party conferences.

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