A youth wing is a subsidiary, autonomous or independently-allied front of a larger organization that is formed in order to rally support and allegiance for that organization's campaigns from members and potential members of a younger age

Youth

Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...

. Youth wings may also be discussion forums for younger members and supporters of the organization to debate policy and ideology.

Political parties

The term "youth wing" is most often used to refer to the youth wings of political parties

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

; in such youth wings, ranking or leading members are often seen, upon attainance of the minimum age requirement, as potential leaders or bureaucrats of the main political party. This has led to a perception of political party youth wings as being mere gateways of employment opportunity in the government bureaucracy

Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...

 for younger members, especially in the case of dominant-

Dominant-party system

A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a system where there is "a category of parties/political organizations that have successively won election victories and whose future defeat cannot be envisaged or is unlikely for the foreseeable future." A wide range of parties have been...

 or single-party systems where a party is insured of victory at the polls.

From college/campus/student wings

Youth wings are distinct from student wings, as the former is not necessarily established on, for solely focused upon, a student-exclusive basis.

From political factions

Youth wings are not considered as factions of a political party, as youth wings are intended as youth-friendly projections and extensions of party policy and ideology rather than being differently-ideologized from the leadership of the party proper.