About

The Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) are the youth section of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). YDSA has a proud history of organizing for justice. As an organization of youth and student activists, YDSA was heavily involved in the movement in the eighties against apartheid in South Africa and the movement against the prison industrial complex that grew in the nineties. We continue to play a principled role in struggles for social and economic justice - fighting for change in our communities, on our campuses, at the ballot box, and beyond.

YDSA works within the broader goals and aims of DSA but has its own organizational structure and program. Anyone who is a dues-paying member of DSA below the age of 31 and either a part-time or full-time student can be a member of YDSA. YDSA elects its own national leadership, the YDSA Coordinating Committee (YDSA-CC), every year at its annual summer conference. YDSA chapters are usually formed at a college, university, or high school. YDSA chapters can also be formed on the basis of a workplace, geography, or special focus of political activity. YDSA chapters can operate within the same jurisdiction as a DSA chapter or branch but are not necessarily subject to their authority. YDSA chapters are autonomous, both structurally and politically, but it is typically best practice for YDSA chapters to work closely with the DSA chapter in their area. YDSA chapters determine their own program and political goals. Their activism can range from working with labor campaigns to organize student workers or staff, organizing for sanctuary campuses, divesting their school from fossil fuels, or doing anti-poverty work through mutual aid programs.

As evidenced by the Civil Rights and anti-war movements of the 1960’s, students and young people have played a crucial part in the transformation of American politics by providing a tremendous force or both political and cultural change. Students and youth in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) constantly pushed the Civil Rights movement forward, and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) were an important part of the anti-war movement of the same time. Socialists and young people have not only organized in their communities, but also in the educational institutions that are vital to American political culture. This is discussed in the Port Huron Statement, the founding document of SDS, which asks, “Where else can power and vision be summoned? We believe that the universities are an overlooked seat of influence. First, the university is located in a permanent position of social influence. Its educational function makes it indispensable and automatically makes it a crucial institution in the formation of social attitudes. Second, in an unbelievably complicated world, it is the central institution for organizing, evaluating and transmitting knowledge.”

Colleges and universities are the places where ideas are formulated, and policy is debated and developed. It is critical for YDSA to be an active part of that discussion. We must organize effectively to change people’s misconceptions about socialism, to broaden political debate, and to fight the cynicism and apathy all political groups face on and off campus today. In our daily lives, young people can help turn the tide against oppression and the myths surrounding the “virtues” of greed. Overall, YDSA fights for democratic socialism through active campaigns to improve the lives of working people.