Jonge Democraten
Encyclopedia
The Young Democrats is the social-liberal youth organisation of the Netherlands, founded in 1984. With over 5000 members it's the largest non-Christian political youth organisation of the Netherlands. Although independent, the Young Democrats are affiliated with the Dutch social-liberal party D66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...

.

Principles

According to the Declaration of Principles, the Young Democrats are a liberal-democratic
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...

 youth organisation. The main objective of the Young Democrats is to contribute to the individual development of every person. Core values of the Young Democrats are liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...

, equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...

, solidarity, sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...

 and pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...

. Also, the Young Democrats are in favour of radical democratisation of society.

Policies

  • The Young Democrats advocate preparing the Netherlands for the consequences of an ageing
    Ageing
    Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...

     society. They suggest increasing labour participation by reforming social security
    Social security
    Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...

    . JD is in favour of gradually raising the age at which people become eligible to receive the state pension to 67 years of age from the current age of 65.

  • The Young Democrats are in favor of ending the right of faith-based schools to refuse enrollment by pupils on the basis of religion.
  • The Young Democrats are supporters of gradually phasing out tax breaks for home owners paying interest on a mortgage.
  • The Young Democrats are staunch defenders of civil liberties
    Civil liberties
    Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...

    . They continue to support liberal reforms attained by D66
    Democrats 66
    Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...

     in the past in areas such as euthanasia
    Euthanasia
    Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....

    , gay marriage, abortion
    Abortion
    Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

     and the legalisation of prostitution
    Prostitution in the Netherlands
    Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal and regulated. Operating a brothel is also legal. In the last few years, a significant number of brothels and "windows" have been closed because of suspected criminal activity...

    . The JD also wishes to see the production of softdrugs
    Drug policy of the Netherlands
    The drug policy of the Netherlands officially has four major objectives:# To prevent recreational drug use and to treat and rehabilitate recreational drug users.# To reduce harm to users....

     legalised.
  • The Young Democrats oppose counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

     measures that are not both proportional and that have proven their effectiveness. In particular, JD opposes current legislation obliging citizens to be able to prove their identity at any time. JD rejects a ban on the wearing of the burqa
    Burqa
    A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...

     in public spaces.
  • The Young Democrats are in favour of reforming the electoral system of the Netherlands to enable direct elections for the officer charged with forming a governing coalition at the national level and to enable mayoral elections at the local level.
  • The Young Democrats are in favour of more investments in renewable energy
    Renewable energy
    Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

     sources and fully support the Kyoto Protocol
    Kyoto Protocol
    The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...

    . The JD is not opposed to nuclear energy
    Nuclear power
    Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...

    , as it contributes to cutting greenhouse gas
    Greenhouse gas
    A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...

     emissions.
  • The Young Democrats champion further European integration
    European integration
    European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...

     towards a Federal Europe. The Young Democrats wish to see more European cooperation on immigration, defence and foreign policy.
  • The Young Democrats are strong supporters of international law
    International law
    Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

     and human rights
    Human rights
    Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

    .

Organisation

Within the Young Democrats power lies with the members. The Congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....

 is the sovereign body of the Young Democrats and meets twice a year in spring and autumn. During the Congress members of the National Board are elected individually and JD policy is decided through resolutions, amendments and motions. All members have equal say through the one man, one vote system.

National Board

The day-to-day management of the Young Democrats is in the hands of the National Board, the members of which are:
  • President: Nikie van Thiel
  • Secretary General: Mathijs Kleijnen
  • Treasurer: vacant
  • Political Officer: Sam Quax
  • Events officer: Susanne Schilderman
  • Press Officer: Martine Luijten
  • Education Officer: Steve Bertens
  • Promotions Officer: Nils ter Braake
  • International Officer: Robert Wintraecken

Local branches

Currently the Young Democrats have thirteen local branches. Most branches are based in university cities, such as Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

 and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

. Every branch has a local board and organises regular general meetings where local board members are elected and policy is decided. Every local member has the right to vote at the local general meetings.

International ties

The Young Democrats are part of a worldwide family of social-liberal youth organisations. Some examples are the Danish Social Liberal Youth
Radikal Ungdom
Radikal Ungdom af 1994 , is the official youth organization of the Danish political party Det Radikale Venstre. The organization was founded on 30 April 1994 after the former youth organization Radikal Ungdom was dissolved because of a case of fraud with funding from the Danish Youth Council...

, the Swedish Liberal Youth, the Norwegian Young Liberals, the Flemish L², the British Liberal Youth and the Canadian Young Liberals
Young Liberals of Canada
The Young Liberals of Canada is the national youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. All members of the Liberal Party, who are aged 25 and under, are members of the Commission of the Young Liberals. The Young Liberals of Canada are the largest political youth organization in Canada...

. The Young Democrats often work closely with their international sister organisations.

The Young Democrats of the Netherlands, together with the JOVD
Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy , officially abbreviated as JOVD, is one of the oldest political youth organisations in the Netherlands. It is a liberal organisation for people aged between fourteen and thirty one...

, are a member of both the European Liberal Youth LYMEC and the International Liberal Youth Federation IFLRY.
Young Democrat Bart Woord was the president of the IFLRY Bureau from November 2009 to November 2010.
Currently, from November 2010, Ivo Thijssen is the representative of the LYMEC Bureau in the IFLRY Bureau.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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