Taking N20 to schools, colleges, and unis
Cleo Sharp, Liverpool Socialist Students and Liverpool Socialist Party
We are building towards the 20 November international youth strikes tenaciously.
Through our Socialist Students groups at University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University, we have been getting students involved in the campaign. They have been joining us on stalls and spreading awareness.
Liverpool Socialist Party branches are publicising the movement through our regular campaign stalls. Socialist Party members in the trade unions are doing the same. For example, Liverpool Socialist Party member Rees is an activist in the National Education Union (NEU).
The NEU is the largest education union in Europe. And has passed a motion for the union to support the 20 November youth strike. This means that teachers in the NEU will oppose disciplinary action against students taking part in the strike.
We have received an overwhelmingly positive response. School students are signing up on the Socialist Students website, asking for assistance to develop the strike at their schools.
At every opportunity, we’re upping the ante. Now taking on the colossal task of stickering and postering Liverpool.
We are focusing on schools and colleges where students have reached out to us, as well as the three largest universities in Liverpool.
We are helping students who have taken an interest in the movement, to develop their political consciousness, getting them involved with our actions. This is crucial as we’re amping up to be postering, leafleting, or stickering every single day of the next three weeks, until the strike.
Already in the last month, three young people have joined the Socialist Party, directly from Socialist Students groups.
Some groups in the University of Liverpool Guild of Students are attempting to cut across the movement. But, we are persevering, because we are confident in our ideas. The anti-austerity programme, that we are bringing to the strike, is connecting with people.
Socialist Students is the central organisation in Liverpool pushing this campaign. We are prepared to take it as far as it will go.
We’ll be working as hard as possible up until the youth strike. We are taking a group of students down to Socialism 2026, particularly to take part in the Socialist Students rally on Sunday 15 November.
There, we will hear from speakers representing signatories to the youth strike from across Europe.
London’s New City College: Students have a right to be heard
Nora Shaughnessy, Queen Mary Socialist Students
We handed out so many leaflets, that we actually ran out!
Queen Mary Uni Socialist Students visited New City College in Poplar, east London, to speak to students about the 20 November International Youth Strike. There was a fantastic response from young and mature students.
Two students initially came over to pick up a leaflet. After reading it, they came back to ask how they could get more involved.
We gave them a Socialist Students campaign starter pack to help them organise their own rally, and bring their friends along. We also managed to get a member of staff signed up.
Some staff seemed hesitant to approach our stall, possibly worried about openly expressing political opinions, because of their position within the college. It’s important that staff and students feel free to express their opinions, and get involved in issues they care about.
As socialists, we believe young people should have a say in their education and future. Schools, colleges, and universities should be places where students can discuss issues affecting them, challenge inequality, and organise together.
The visit showed that young people aren’t apathetic. They are interested, they want to be heard, and they’re ready to get organised.
