LTB 759/13 - Why do young members stop being active?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No. 759/13

Ref :

Date: 14 November 2013



To All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Why do young members stop being active?

We are looking for young members of the CWU who at some stage have been active in our union - gone to union meetings, attended the Youth Education event, or a union conference - but are no longer involved.

We want to know what changed. Why is union activity no longer something they do or want to do?

So we are doing some survey work to find out more. What could we do to keep people involved? Why do we sometimes turn people off?

Branches are therefore asked to send this LTB onto their young members to ask those that fall into this category if they would like to take part in the survey, or know someone else who would: if they would like to could they please contact youth@cwu.org with their contact details.

The only person we will pass this information onto will be our researcher. She will contact them directly to set up a conversation that will take no more than 45 minutes at a time and in a format (either face-to-face, or by Skype, phone or email) to suit them.

The aim is to find out why people stop being active. Not to make any judgement. Not to hassle them to get involved again - just to find out why they stopped.

As a "thank-you" for their time, all interviewees will receive a £10 gift voucher. The final report will not identify any names.

As a union, we rely absolutely on our activists, so we cannot afford not to understand why people stop being involved and to change what we do to address that. Your help in this project is therefore both important and appreciated. Thank you!

Any queries on this LtB should be directed to my office at CWU Headquarters.

Yours sincerely,

Simon Sapper
Assistant Secretary

[dvbuk55]

Is this a bribe to get members involved I wonder? Has the CWU suddenly realised what they have is a bunch of middle aged outdated hierarchy who are no longer in touch with the shop floor and it's taken them this long to realise it. There is a disconnect between the different elements of the union which has grown wider and wider without any attempt to bring all the elements together by keeping them informed.

[silly suffolk]

Is this a bribe to get members involved I wonder? Has the CWU suddenly realised what they have is a bunch of middle aged outdated hierarchy who are no longer in touch with the shop floor and it's taken them this long to realise it. There is a disconnect between the different elements of the union which has grown wider and wider without any attempt to bring all the elements together by keeping them informed.

to be fair, the 20 and 30 year olds I speak to have no interest in politics, unions, improving their or others lot, or improving society in general. it seems the education system in this country has done its job by churning out a serf like mass who are happy to play computer games all day. having said that, in my 20's and 30's life passed me by in a beer induced haze.

[fishtank]

Nothing kills activision like a reactionary brick wall.
While we continue to have unopposed "elections" and continue to see the same faces in the same seats year after year young members will feel their activism is wasted on this union,I've been to reps meetings of 100+ where the average age was about 45 and you could count the number of women on one hand.

[mailmonkey]

A lot of the younger members are being recruited to the graduate scheme. Any passion they may have held for socialism/unionism will be brainwashed out of them during reprogramming.

[El-Bandito]

Get into the 21st century and get onto facebook or twitter, If YOU really want to know what the "youth" of today are thinking. The young of today are more pro-active than all us old gits give them credit for.
(Skype, phone or email) REALLY!!!

[El-Bandito]

Is this a bribe to get members involved I wonder? Has the CWU suddenly realised what they have is a bunch of middle aged outdated hierarchy who are no longer in touch with the shop floor and it's taken them this long to realise it. There is a disconnect between the different elements of the union which has grown wider and wider without any attempt to bring all the elements together by keeping them informed.

[freelunch]

Get into the 21st century and get onto facebook or twitter, If YOU really want to know what the "youth" of today are thinking. The young of today are more pro-active than all us old gits give them credit for.
(Skype, phone or email) REALLY!!!

Social media is just the latest communication tool though. The disillusionment of youth is not new and isn't confined to union membership by any means.
Fact is many of us are much more idealistic in our teens and early twenties, the world is ours, we can make a difference, real change for the better, and so on.
Whether it's students joining miners on the picket lines against Thatcher, or more recently the "occupy" movement or the Arab Spring; youth are more pro-active than us old gits.
Inertia is an important factor behind this disillusionment, along with unexpected and disappointing results of battles won and lost. Reality never lives up to ideals.
Then there's the commitment; young people settle down, start families and suddenly have less time to follow their dreams. They have to provide for others in the real world as it actually is.

Union activists nowadays tend to be those reps who can handle tantrums of managers and manage the rattle throwing members who want their pram steadied. We expect them to act with integrity and not go gossiping about every detail in a member's case file. Young members don't sign up to become substitute parents or social workers. The reality of active membership doesn't match youthful ambition for change.