Scottish Young Members Training and AGM Weekend (27th-29th March)
I was one of 15 or so young members who attended the weekend - there was a variety of people there, ranging from experienced activists to those who had only recently joined. After introductions there was a literal icebreaker where brute force turned out to be the most effective way of liberating items from ice. In the evening further entertainment was provided in the form of a quiz (during which mobile phones were confiscated!) and karaoke - the highlight of which may have been Gerry singing 'Part of the Union'.
On the Saturday morning it was down to work. Firstly we looked at the structure of UNISON and how members can put motions forward to become Unison policy. This was followed by a session on the role of the Young Members Officer within the branch.
Simon MacFarlane, who had recently visited Cuba then gave a talk focusing on the Cuban health system. Finding out about UNISON's wider activities, in this case international issues was an opportunity to think about what role we might take within our Branches after we cease to be a Young Member.
In the afternoon we examined ways of recruiting more Young Members and motivating existing Young Members to become more active within UNISON. Those present with more experience looked at this on a Scottish level, while members newer to the union thought about what they could do within their branch.
On Sunday we drew up a workplan for Scottish Young Members - looking at what the priorities for the year were going to be and timescales to implement them. After this there were quick guides to National Young Members Weekend and National Delegate Conference. These were especially helpful for members going to these events for the first time this year, as they could draw on the experience of people who had attended before. We finished off the weekend with the AGM where Carrie gave her report for the year and despite losing both her and Angela this year we managed (after a little persuading) to fill all places for delegates to various conferences and representatives on committees.
The weekend as a whole gave me a greater insight into the activities undertaken by UNISON, as well as keeping in touch with other Young Members from around the region. Thank you to Carrie, Grum, Angela, Janet and everyone else who helped to organise the weekend!