By Emma Carr, Regional Chairman

This week I took part in a discussion of Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour which focused on youth participation in politics and how we can encourage young people to vote in the upcoming general election.

In the 2005 General Election only 37% of 18-24 year olds turned out to vote and if I am honest I am surprised the percentage is that high.  Young people, generally, seem to be totally apathetic in terms of party politics and switch off at the mere mention of it.  However, when it comes to single issue such as tuition fees, jobs for young people, getting onto the housing ladder and ID cards young people become much more ignited in debate.  The question is how as a party do we translate these individual issues into policy and present them in a way in which young people will find accessible.

One suggestion presented on the programme was the use of Celebrity endorsements of individual policies and political parties.  This is a development that I am largely sceptical of unless of course the endorsement is sincere and knowledgeable.

Another suggestion was that political parties need to reinvent themselves.  I argue that it’s not political parties that need to change but the way that we engage young people when they are at school.  All young people have an opinion on different issues and engaging them during their time at school would surely provide them with the basic knowledge of political parties and the political system which could then translate into votes at the age of 18.

For me the issue comes down to education and the lack of participation.  Organisations like Conservative Future provide young people with the chance to get involved in the political process and feel like they are helping to change things.

Click here to listen to the interview

By Michael Rock, CF National Chairman

We’re today launching Time to Get Involved; Conservative Future’s campaign for this General Election year.

Conservative Future is the largest political youth organisation in the country, and it’s fantastic that the Party’s positive message is reaching a new generation; a generation that have been let down by this Labour government. But change doesn’t just happen; we have to work for it.

Last week I sat down with our Party Chairman, Eric Pickles to discuss the crucial role that CF will play in the upcoming election campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZal22EN30

It’s now Time for you to Get Involved: there are so many ways you can help the Party and we need every CF member to play their part.

So please visit conservativefuture.com/getinvolved to find out how you can get involved in helping to deliver a Conservative Government in 2010.

(By Gareth Lewellyn-Stevens)

Durham University Conservative Association (DUCA) is the largest political society at the university, in the North East region, and one of the largest nationally, holding regular debates, social events, and campaigning hard across the region.

On Wednesday February 10, I had the privilege of attending an education debate between DUCA and Durham University Labour Club (DULC) held in the Reading Room of Durham Union Society’s 24.

The evening was a pleasant affair with members from both sides mingling freely before business began, but it soon became apparent that despite DUCA being the largest political society at Durham University, they were outnumbered by their counterparts.

Sections of both main walls of the room were decked out in respective party posters, banners, and other merchandise, appropriately Labour on the left, Tories on the right, while respective balloons were scattered around the floor as a tripping hazard.

The debate turned out to be far from the often intense affairs one sees at some debates, and became more of a discussion on a range of prominent education issues, which flowed well and helped to prevent any hostile attacks.

Topics discussed included Conservative plans to make teaching elitist; the creation of city academies to replace failing schools; university places and selection, tuition fees, and caps on fees charged; where the Conservative Party stands on Grammar schools; and a general discussion on faith schools.

As someone from outside of the university, I have to say the event was a resounding success, and praise has to go to DUCA President Jack Stallworthy, and DULC Chairman Callum Totten for their part in organising and chairing the event. The light refreshments and nibbles were of course welcome, despite the difficulties some Labour members had holding on to them during the debate.

Following a few minutes of fun for posing for photos, it was time for general cross-party banter, and for me, an opportunity to find out more about what DUCA have planned in the run up to the General Election.

As well as continuing to campaign in Tynemouth for Wendy Morton, and Sunderland Central for Lee Martin, as two of our key target seats in the region, confirmed DUCA events include a day trip to Edinburgh on February 27 to visit the Scottish Parliament, and the opportunity to take in the city’s cultural heritage is seen as a welcome break on the back of a hard year campaigning across the region and beyond.

Also coming up is the rescheduled ‘Why be a Northern Tory?’ evening on March 3 for a unique opportunity to listen to and question four North East Conservative PPCs, including three from our key target constituencies.

DUCA activists will also be in attendance at a fundraiser for local candidate, Nick Varley (City of Durham) on March 5, with an appearance from North East Conservative MEP Martin Callanan.

I also discovered the very welcome news that the branch’s Press Secretary is considering launching a new DUCA blog, which could emerge in the blogosphere very soon, giving the branch a new outlet to maximise the exposure of its excellent reputation across the region.

The Party is making big leaps in the North East, from standing on the verge of reclaiming former Tory seats in Tynemouth and Stockton South, to making progress in unlocking the Labour stronghold in Sunderland Central.

It is through the tireless hard work and dedication of branches like DUCA every weekend that has slowly seen the political tide turn in the North East, and with continued efforts over the coming months the region could play an important role in securing the seats we need to return to office.

If you want to find out what else DUCA has planned in the coming months you can follow Durham University Conservative Association on Facebook here.

With the General Election a matter of months away, it’s time to get down to some serious campaigning!

In preparation for the Tory assault on constituencies across the country, and the many media opportunities that will arise, Conservative Future is organising a series of media training workshops around the country to best prepare many of our activists.

 And of course, only the best will do for our young activists, which is why Conservative Future has enlisted the help of the UK’s soundest conservative training organisation.

 North East Conservative Future is very proud to announce that the Young Britons’ Foundation will be returning to Newcastle in the afternoon of Saturday March 13 to deliver the latest in practical and interactive media training!

 This is a unique opportunity for young conservative activists in the North East to learn how to deal with print, broadcast and new media; handle negative information, and discover just how easy it is to perform under pressure in front of a camera.

 The cost for the event is £10, and places are strictly limited.

 Last year’s event was a roaring success, and many activists have gone on to work more closely with the YBF and otherorganisations since their first workshop experience.

You do not want to miss out on this event!

 Interested?

E-mail the North East CF Regional Media Officer Gareth Llewellyn-Stevens at gareth.llewellyn-stevens@conservativefuture.com for more information.

 Stay in the loop with the latest information on the Facebook Event page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=296501247220 or follow North East CF on Twitter @northeastcf

Rightupnorth are looking for members from the North East to write posts for our site.  We are giving you the chance to contribute towards the official north east conservative future website which is viewed by members from all around the country.  You can choose your topic and the length of your posts…just make sure they are interesting and entertaining. 

We are also set to introduce NorthEast CFTV which will feature videos of CF campaigning, socialising, fundraising and taking part in social action projects.  If you catch your branch out and about on film and send it to Gareth, the north east Media Officer, it will feature on the channel and on rightupnorth.

I look forward to reading and watching your contributions!

  (By Dominic McDonough, Sunderland Branch Chairman)

Here in Sunderland we are seeing a fantastic surge in interest from young people. It is hard to believe that in less than a year Sunderland has gone from nothing to one of the regions biggest and most active branches. But why is this? Sunderland is an area that has been let down by Labour. After the closure of many heavy industries in the 1980s, a huge amount of investment was poured into the area which resulted in the opening of big employers such as Nissan and Doxford Park call centres. Unfortunately this has not been continued by Labour and the area is once again suffering. What is bad news for Sunderland is good news for CF in Sunderland. Our membership numbers have gone up and we now have a team who are working hard to get Lee Martin elected. It is hard to believe that Sunderland, a Labour hotspot since the 1950s, is on the verge of electing a Conservative MP, but this is proof that the whole of the country is hungry for change. Labour are not just losing there grip in marginal’s but the old Labour heartlands are waking up and realise that Labour have infact done very little for them.

As well as focusing on campaigning we also get together regularly for chats, drinks, meals and this has really enabled the team to band together. It also enables those who may not be as clued up on politics as others to relax and chat about work, gossip and general chit chat. This makes for a very friendly atmosphere which is essential.

Sunderland CF recently had an action day and curry night in support of Lee Martin which was a raring success. Many things where discussed on the evening, but one thing that really hit home was the way in which young people simply feel let down. To quote one member “1997 was seen as a change for the better, it has infact been a change for the worse”. This makes Sunderland CFs work so much more important, for the first time in many years young people are getting involved and young people are working hard to deliver a change that will benefit us all for the future. Sunderland is usually the first to declare. What a bad start to the night it would be for Mr Brown if a North East inner city went blue.

From the Blue Blog: I look back at 2009, which saw CF almost triple its number of branches in the North East region.

2009 has been North East Conservative Future’s busiest year to date. We have been involved in media training days, local and European elections, trips to America, social events, debates and the list goes on.

February saw YBF visit us in Newcastle and provide us with some media and campaign training. Training was delivered to activists from Sunderland, Newcastle and Northumbria and other areas of the North East with ages ranging from Sixth Form Students to Post-Graduates. This training became invaluable to CF members when they were campaigning throughout the local and European elections and the media training paid off during Party Conference with members being interviewed for prime time radio and news programs.

Conservative Future has also almost tripled the number of branches that it has in the Region over the course of the last year. We now have branches spanning from Sunderland to Newcastle and Blyth to Morpeth and Hexham . We also established a Regional Executive consisting of the Regional, Branch and Area chairmen and also a media officer and a graduate officer. The Executive has made it a lot easier to organise ourselves so we are working effectively and providing help where it is needed the most.

The summer saw three of our members, including myself, travel to Washington DC with YBF to take part in media and campaign training and to also attend the Young Americans’ Foundation Conference. The media training consisted of spending time in a real television studio practicing being individually and in groups. We also took part in sessions to learn more about online campaigning and activism, speech writing and public speaking and preparing press releases. This was all information that we have been able to bring back to the North East and share with other members of CF.

The year ended in a charitable way with an event organized in order to raise funds for St Oswalds Hospice, a local charity which saw members of CF attend as well as MEP’s and Parliamentary Candidates. £80 was raised for the charity which provides care and support for those in need of Hospice care. We also took part in the Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal which involved filling a shoebox with small presents which will then be sent to under privileged children around the world. Twenty shoeboxes were filled and delivered to the organizers, Samaritans Purse.

North East Conservative Future have been very busy getting into the Festive spirit by taking part in the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox appeal organised by Samaritans Purse. This project has been running for nearly twenty years and has delivered millions of shoeboxes to under-privileged children in Europe, Africa and Asia. Children are presented with boxes regardless of their background and faith. The project is very simple. You take a shoebox, wrap it up in Christmas wrapping paper, decide whether it is for a boy or a girl and fill it with goodies. Members from Conservative Future all across the Region participated in making up the shoeboxes and we made over 20 all together. Individual branches organised ‘Shoebox nights’ which saw members bringing individual shoebox fillers including toiletries, sweeties, hats and scarves, toys and colouring pens and paper. These nights proved to be very successful and members were certainly spurred on by the promise of warm mince pies! It was extremely pleasing to see so many members, including their friends and family, getting involved in this charity project. It is very different to the campaigning and social events which we usually take part in. CF have the power to make a huge difference in our communities and by taking part in voluntary and charity projects such as these we can truly make a difference. Related posts:

(By Gareth Llewellyn-Stevens, Media Officer)

On Saturday December 12, Conservative Future activists from various branches across the North East joined local PPCs and members on a 7am battle bus from Newcastle to Harrogate to help deliver a letter and survey from David Cameron to the constituents of Harrogate and Knaresborough.

This campaign project was directly targeted at voters who want change but are unsure how to achieve it.
Every voter in the constituency received a letter and survey from David Cameron highlighting that the only way to change the government is to vote Conservative and that the role of local champion in Harrogate and Knaresborough is passing to Andrew Jones with the retirement of the MP Phil Willis.

After a cold, misty morning session we were treated to quality sandwiches and cups of local favourite Yorkshire Tea, before embarking on a busy afternoon session that took us through to 4pm and being late for the bus back to Newcastle.

The day was rounded off in style with an impromptu drinks session in Newcastle city centre, where on reflection, everyone was very happy with the work we did, and were impressed with how organised the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association is in their efforts to turn Harrogate and Knaresborough blue again.C

(ELAINE BAMFORD, TYNE AND WEAR AREA CHAIRMAN)

On Saturday 7th November, Conservative Future members from branches across Northumberland & Tyne and Wear joined local PPCs, members and activists on a 7am battle bus to travel up to the Glasgow North-East By-Election.

In total, we managed to help deliver more than 10,000 leaflets for the Conservative candidate Ruth Davidson.

You can view Ruth Davidson’s website here.