Who are we?

We are the youth and student wing of the Liberal Democrats. We have had several previous incarnations, including the National League of Young Liberals (NLYLP), the Union and Liberal Students (ULS) and most recently Liberal Youth. But since 2016 we have been going by “Young Liberals”.

How do I become a member?

Every Lib Dem who is a student or under 26 is automatically a member of Young Liberals. You just have to make sure the party has your age and/or student status when you join. Unsure if you're a Young Liberal? Take a look at our membership page.

What do we do?

We work hard to represent the interests of young people within, and outside of, the Liberal Democrats. From helping make policy on issues that matter to young people, to helping our members progress within in the Party with training, support and networking - we're here to help young people and students.

We have a Young and Winning programme, where we help to get young candidates elected. We also arrange campaigning for young candidates wherever possible. This is our small way of attempting to address the democratic deficit that we face. Young people are under-represented in parliaments and councils across the country and governments policies will often reflect that.

We usually host two conferences per year, which function a bit like main Liberal Democrat conferences. There are a range of activities, many of them social. There are training sessions for things like public speaking and running for election. And most importantly, we create policy. Like with the Liberal Democrats, any of our members can submit a policy to be debated on and voted for at our conference.

Writing our own policies means we do sometimes disagree with the main party. The Young Liberals, as a collective voice, can draw attention to newer ideas and the things which affect young people. Same Sex Marriage in the UK, for example, started life as a policy of the Liberal Democrats' Youth and Student wing (before we were called Young Liberals). You can take a look at our current policies here.

We attend main Liberal Democrat conferences, hosting a range of events including panel discussions, training sessions, and social gatherings. We usually have a table in the exhibition at federal conference - so next conference, pop over and say hello!