This weekend saw nearly 100 UNISON young members on the streets of Cardiff spreading the word about the union's Million Voices campaign, and getting members of the public to sign up in support.
The exercise was part of the annual UNISON young members weekend, which saw young members from right around the UK get together to find out more about campaigning, organising techniques, and key issues facing the union. It's the first time such an exercise has been attempted with such a large group, and the report backs showed it had been a great success, with many testifying to their initial trepidation gradually turning to confidence.
The National Young Members Forum also took the opportunity to consult the young members present about what they thought the union should be doing about how young people are being affected - especially by the Con Dem coalition's determination to make ordinary people pay for the crisis caused by the bankers' greed.
Eleanor Smith, Vice-President, in her speech on the Saturday morning, said "Young people are our most precious resource. They should be making their contribution to getting our economy on the road to recovery, not being consigned to the scrapheap. I call on you all to work with us in organising and recruiting new UNISON members, building our strength in the workplace for the bigger battles still to come."
A total of £214 was also raised over the weekend for the Cuba Solidarity Campaign. http://www.unison.org.uk/young/index.asp
