Vision:

YDA is embraced as the premier organization for young people to organize within for progressive change, innovative issue campaigns and electing Democratic candidates, thus improving and leading the Democratic Party.

Mission:

Engaging young people in the Democratic Party and creating a viable and reliable voting bloc of young people that are voting for Democrats and participating in the Party and serving communities as leaders for the long term.

Core Values + Issue Stances:

As an organization that represents the under 36 generation of Democrats, we seek to engage young people in the Democratic Party. Our values and stances on critical issues ranging from health care to minimum wage are outlined in our Platform which is debated and adopted every two years at our National Convention. It is available in full text below and on our Member Only Site in pdf format.

Goals:

YDA’s has various programs we implement on a national, state and local level. The two key ones that are part of the Chapter Revolution are our chapter building program called “2006 in 2006” and our peer-to-peer campaign program called the “Alliance.” Both programs are meant to serve as catalysts of action for chapters and to give our leaders meaningful permanent programs they can implement on a state and local level in order to engage more members and build a bloc of young voters for Democrats.

All of our programs seek to build the youth-base for Democratic politics, provide hands-on and intensive training of the under 36 generation and secure a progressive Democratic agenda for the next 40 years.

In the last two years, YDA has begun to transition from serving as a social network, developing leaders and serving as the volunteer and staff backbone for campaigns to focusing on two major areas—building strong local chapters and a solid voting bloc of Democratic young people. Read more about our Chapter Revolution and the Alliance Campaigns.

YDA Platform 2007-2009: Vision, Values and Ideas for a Strong America

On July 21, 2007 at our National Convention, the Young Democrats of America formally adopted the YDA Platform, a set of values and priority issues representing a bold vision for our nation from Democratic young people under the age of 36.

You can read the full platform here. To give you a glimpse…

We Believe . . .

• Acceptance of diverse viewpoints is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy and an inclusive society.

• We should be proud of our values, especially in the face of opposition.

We Support . . .

• Implement a nationwide strategy, believing that there are Young Democrats in every state in the Union, and that the giving up on the young generation in state currently controlled by Republicans means conceding them permanently.

• Recruit 435 Democratic candidates for Congress and all 100 seats in the Senate. We believe that Young Democrats should be encouraged to stand up and support the beliefs and ideals of their communities and the Democratic Party by running and representing the voters.

• Build up the Young Democrats of America by running young candidates in local and state office races, so that no election goes uncontested and no chance to build young leaders is missed. To do this, we must recruit, fund and train those candidates, in support of this we will help local chapters find races in which to run young candidates.

• Increase peer-to-peer communication by speaking with progressive and democratically allied issue groups, by using the internet to locate voters in our local communities, by speaking out to our friends and family members more and amongst ourselves less and by framing our discussions by talking about the future.

• Become involved in local democratic clubs and other progressive organizations and gaining leadership positions with such groups so as to reinforce our commitment to the Party and its ideals.

• Be included at all levels of the Democratic Party, including state and local executive committees, allowing the voice of the Young Democrats and future leaders of the Democratic Party to be heard and listened to.

• Never concede that there are races that cannot be won, or issues that should be avoided, or by taking a step back from this vital fight for the our nation’s future.