Who are the Idaho Young Democrats? What do we do?
IDYD is a network of young (ages 14-36) individuals across Idaho that work to build our community of young people involved in state politics. There is a wide range of ways to get involved, including through partnerships and advocacy, working on campaigns, attending events, or holding an official position in the party. We seek to empower and uplift youth in the Democratic Party across the state of Idaho.
Our Structure and Functions:
The Young Democrats of America (YDA) is the nation’s largest youth-led, partisan political organization, with over 20,000 members nationwide in 50 states and territorial chapters. As a completely volunteer-led organization, YDA mobilizes young people under the age of 36 to participate in the electoral process to elect Democrats, advocate for progressive issues, and train the next generation of progressive leaders. YDA provides valuable training, nationwide connections, and has 3 representatives at the DNC. IDYD has voting power within YDA, giving Idaho youth a voice in the broader party.
Being an official caucus of the Idaho Democratic Party (IDP) gives the chair (President of IDYD) a vote on the State Central Committee (SCC), which is the governing body of the state party. This is critical to youth representation in IDP because we have the ability to directly advocate for our causes and work with party leadership to encourage youth involvement. We also suggest our members run for Precinct Committeeman positions to have a greater say in their local county parties!
IDYD has the ability to raise money and spend it on local candidates, our chapters, their development, and other resources or programs that promote youth participation in the Democratic Party in Idaho. We have high school, college, and county chapters that hold youth-only events at least each month. We serve as a resource for young people seeking to be involved in politics; we connect folks with volunteer and job opportunities, provide training, and support youth involvement in the political process both within and outside of the IDP!