As I reflect on my role as Youth Representative for just over a year at the Co-operative Party NEC and take on a new role at Co-operatives UK Youth Advisory Group, it remains stark how young people are largely absent from conversations on co-operation. The new Labour Government has promised to be a champion for our movement. Now is the time to reshape the narrative and put co-operation front and centre of our offer for young people.

There are significant challenges when it comes to promoting our movement with young people. There is a knowledge gap when it comes to co-operative structures. The national curriculum makes no reference to co-operatives, and co-operative business models receive little to no attention in business and economics courses at the A-level or undergraduate level. This is compounded by the fact that when co-operatives are known, they often have an image problem. Young people have cited co-operatives as outdated, traditionalist, bureaucratic and time-consuming, with little understanding of how they may be relevant to their daily lives.

One of the reasons I got involved in the Co-operative Party is because I believe co-operation holds the key to some of the biggest problems faced by young people today. It is our role as young co-operators to make this clear and start to reshape this narrative.

For example, young people are often excluded or under-represented in decision-making forums – whether that be in the workplace or in wider society and civic life. A co-operative structure by its very nature of being voluntary and open, as well as being underpinned by the principle of ‘one-member-one-vote’ no matter what your social capital, is the perfect antidote. Co-operative structures can include, empower and embolden young people.

This translates directly into the workplace and employment. The Co-operative Party has already championed specific campaigns around ending retail worker violence – a campaign with a disproportionate benefit to young people who make up a large proportion of the retail workforce. Moreover, at a first principles level, with young people filling more junior posts in the workforce while early in their careers, worker co-operatives could enable increased autonomy and control over their working lives.

More and more young people are struggling to find good quality accommodation at a reasonable cost. Co-operative models again provide an alluring solution. We’ve seen good examples in Edinburgh where the Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative has 24 flats that they own and manage. These flats are affordable, good quality and allow students the freedom to make these houses their homes.

In addition, given the heightened concern of young people regarding the climate crisis, the co-operative movement offers the answers on how we can make this transition to net zero just and fair by involving local communities in the decision-making and empowering them to lead their own transition.

The co-operative movement has never been more relevant. It is up to us as young co-operators to capitalise on the enthusiasm shown by this government, push to change the narrative, and harness co-operation for the benefit of young people.