This meeting was moved forward by a week to avoid the festive period - and what a meeting it was!

Could you be the Young Liberals' latest committee member? We're looking for people to joining the Diversity Committee - specifically, a Carer Leavers' Representative and a BAME Representative.

The English Young Liberals attended the final English Council meeting of the year today, with a full delegation in attendance. Aleisha Stansfield and Oliver Jones-Lyons attended as substitute delegates for Guy Benson and Alex Howarth, whilst William Tench filled the seat vacated by Billy Thomas’s resignation from the Party. They were additionally joined by Young Liberals elected as part of their region. 

Young Liberals elections have been a bit tricky recently. From issues arranging hustings, the length of the voting period,  to release of results - we've got a lot of work to do to improve our election process.

One of our executive officers, Cat, is forming a working group to investigate if any changes should be made to the current election style and timetable. And applications are open to join the group!

The International Federation of Liberal Youth’s (IFLRY) General Assembly is going online - and you could be one of Young Liberals' delegates!

If you are regular in activist circles or are yourself disabled, the you may already know that this month is Disability History Month. This year’s Disability History Month is focused on the theme of access, giving us an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come in the fight for disability access and how far we still have to go to build a society that is truly accessible and open to disabled people.

2020 also marks 25 years since the mass protests that pressured the government into passing the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This act made it illegal to discriminate against a person because of their disability. Whilst it’s undeniable that there are still gaps in the rights and protections for disabled people, the DDA was a significant victory for disability rights activist and laid the groundwork for future progress to be made on disability rights. This month, Disability History Month is focussing on the 25 years since the DDA was passed, asking how far we've come, and how far we still have to go. 

As we emerge from a second national lockdown, it would be remiss of me not to mention how the COVID crisis has opened many people's eyes to the importance of accessibility. 

The Young Liberals have written to the Home Secretary about the scheduled deportation of up to 50 people to Jamaica on Wednesday 2nd December. We're demanding the flight is stopped, and for findings of investigations into the Home Office's discriminatory practices to be implemented.

As this executive's first month in our roles drew to a close, we had a lot to talk about. Key agenda items included ALDC membership, strategy and campaigns discussions, and international elections.

Here's a quick update:

On Saturday 7th November 2020 the new Young Liberals exec had our first ever official meeting.

We had only been in our roles for 7 days, but it turns out we already had a lot to catch up on! 

Here's a quick update on what happened:

Coronavirus has had huge impacts right across our country, and in every corner of our society. 

The Young Liberals are the youth and student wing of the Liberal Democrats. And we're outraged at how students have been treated during this crisis. 

At best, we've been forgotten. At worst, we've been exploited.