Social Democratic Youth of Denmark

Social Democratic Youth of Denmark
Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom (DSU)
Chairperson Lasse Quvang Rasmussen
Secretary General Maj Jensen
Founded 1920 (1920)
Headquarters Kigkurren 8D, Copenhagen, Denmark
Mother party Social Democrats
International affiliation International Union of Socialist Youth
European affiliation Young European Socialists
Scandinavian affiliation Forbundet Nordens Socialdemokratiske Ungdom (FNSU)
National affiliation Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF)
Website
dsu.net

The Social Democratic Youth of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom, DSU) is the national youth wing of the Danish Social Democrats. It is not to be confused with Frit Forum, which is for those in higher education, and whose membership is not restricted by age, unlike the DSU. The organisation is autonomous from the Social Democrats and as such is entitled to formulate its own policies and devise its own campaigns.

The Social Democratic Youth movement was established in 1920 after a break-up of the former youth organisation, the Social Democratic Youth League (Socialdemokratisk Ungdomsforbund, SUF). At first, the organisation was known as the "DsU". The founders of DSU wanted to change the Danish society by gradual reforms and not by revolution.

Affiliations

DSU is a member of Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (DUF), the Forbundet Nordens Socialdemokratiske Ungdom (FNSU), the Young European Socialists (YES) and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY).

Chairs

The incumbent chair of Social Democratic Youth is Alexander Grandt Pedersen who was elected at the DSU 2014 convention in May. The general secretary of the DSU is Jakob K. Sørensen who was elected at the 2012 convention.

Former DSU chairs:

  • 1982-1986 Jan Petersen, former Socialist Democrat MP and mayor of Norddjurs municipality (2010-2013)
  • 1986-1990 Jens Christiansen, former Secretary-General for Socialdemokraterne
  • 1990-1992 Anette Berentzen
  • 1992-1996 Henrik Sass Larsen, MP and former political spokesman of the Social Democrats
  • 1996-2000 Morten Bødskov, Social Democrat MP and former Justice Minister
  • 2000-2004 Kristian Madsen, present leader writer at the Danish newspaper Politiken
  • 2004-2008 Jacob Bjerregaard Jørgensen, Social Democrat MP
  • 2008-2012 Peter Hummelgaard Thomsen, Social Democrat MP
  • 2012-2014 Camilla Brejner Schwalbe
  • 2014-2016 Alexander Grandt Pedersen
  • 2016- Lasse Quvang Rasmussen

Organisation

The legislative and most powerful assembly is the national convention, held every second year in April or May. It consists of 235 delegates, mainly elected in the local branches. The convention is approving the annual accounts of the national organisation, it is deciding new organizational work programmes, political resolutions and proposals and is finally electing a national executive committee.

The national executive committee ("Forretningsudvalget") consists of 10 elected members and also the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary General. They are elected at the convention too. The Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary General are receiving an economic compensation/fee for their jobs.

Above the national executive committee, DSU has a kind of "second chamber", the major council Hovedbestyrelsen, which consists of the national executive committee (13 members) and 29 local representatives, elected in the 10 regions. The Social Democrats and Frit Forum, the Social Democrats' student wing, have one observer each. Hovedbestyrelsen is also the highest the most powerful assembly between conventions.

DSU has three different nationwide, permanent committees with members from all levels in the organization and from everywhere in Denmark. The committees have the following topics and tasks:

DSU is divided into 10 regions, following the borders of the Danish major constituencies. Each region has a regional executive committee and is every year electing their local representatives to Hovedbestyrelsen.

DSU has around 60 local branches, though these may come and go at any moment and is therefore not an exact figure. The local branches are responsible for local activities and local campaigns. DSU has in the local communities an important role in the campaign work for the Social Democrats. Especially when it comes to the so-called Door to door-campaigning method, inspired from the 2008 Obama election campaign, the DSU has an important role.

References

    External links

    See also

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.