Youth of Synaspismos
Neolaia Synaspismou is an internationalist radical Left Youth
Organization, born and inspired by the greatest historical traditions and
achievements of the Greek and international communist, workers’ and youth
movements. It was found in 1994 in Athens,
Greece, under
the initial name of “EAN: Enosi Aristeron Neon” (Left Youth League). In
our second Congress, in May 1999, the Organization was renamed to “Neolaia
Synaspismou” (Youth of Synaspismos). Our theoretical
background is based on the western-European Marxist tradition and is also
influenced by both traditional and contemporary left and green-left theories.
We fight against neoliberal, globalized capitalism, war and imperialism,
racism, environmental destruction, sexism and right-wing extremism. We oppose
the neoliberal policies applied by the right-wing and social-democratic forces
of the European Union, but we believe that, in times of globalization, Europe
is today the necessary geostrategic, economic, social and political field for
the development of efficient class struggles and for the fight for social
transformations. Our strategic aim is to build a world of socialism with
democracy, freedom, social justice, and environmental sustainability. According
to our statutes, one can become a member of the Organization in the age of 13
and has to leave the Organization and enter our mother Party (Synaspismos) when
he/she reaches the age of 32. The
Ordinary Congress of Neolaia Synaspismou is held every two years and elects the
Central Council of the Organization. The Central Council elects the Secretary and
the Secretariat of the Organization. The current Secretary of Neolaia
Synaspismou is Dimitris Tzanakopoulos (26). SYNASPISMOS: OUR MOTHER PARTY Neolaia Synaspismou is an autonomous organization
referring to the Greek left party of Synaspismos
(Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology). Since 2004, Synaspismos
participates in SYRIZA (Coalition of the
Radical Left), a broad political front of parties and organizations of the
Greek renovating and radical left, which gathered 5,04% and elected 14 Members
in the Greek Parliament, in the last National Elections (September 2007). Our
mother Party also has a very important presence in local administration:
According to the October 2006 Prefectural and Municipal elections, Synaspismos
is the third party in terms of representation in local government. In the last
European Elections (June 2004), Synaspismos got 4.16% and elected one
Member in the European Parliament, who participates in the GUE-NGL Parliamentary
Group. Synaspismos is one of the 14 Parties that founded the European Left Party in 2004. In addition, Synaspismos has a strong presence in the
social field as well. It has high-level representation in all major trade
unions and social movements (women and feminist organizations, peace,
environmental, antiracist, human rights’ movements). Synaspismos holds an Ordinary Congress every three
years, which elects the President and the Central Political Committee of the
Party. After each Congress, the Central Political Committee elects the
Political Secretariat and the Secretary of the Party. The current President of
Synaspismos (since February 2008) is Alexis
Tsipras (33). OUR EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY Neolaia
Synaspismou participates in the global movement against the neoliberal
capitalist globalization, as one of the founding actors of the Greek, the European and the World Social Forum. We have been
present in every major international mobilization against the G8, the IMF, the
World Bank and the neoliberal treaties of the E.U., since the first European
demonstration in Amsterdam
(1996). We played a major role in organizing the international manifestations
in Thessaloniki, in June 2003, against the Summit Meeting of the European
Union, and, together with our mother Party, we were the biggest Greek component
of the Organizing Committee of the 4th
European Social Forum in Athens (May 2006), which gathered 100.000
demonstrators from Europe, the Middle East, Latin America etc. In
a European level, our Organization is one of the founding members of ENDYL (the European Network of Democratic
Young Left), which is a network that gathers left youth organizations from
15 European countries. Recently, Neolaia Synaspismou also played an important
role in the formation of the Youth
Working Group of the European Left Party. We also participated as observers
in the last World Festival of Youth and Students (Caracas, 2005). OUR ACTIVITY IN HIGH-SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES In
high-schools, our members participate in the
Network of Autonomous High-School Student Groups (DAMAS), in co-operation with other left-orientated students. In
universities, our student members participate in the Network of Autonomous Radical Left Student Groups (DARAS),
which, in Spring 2007, formed the Left
Unity (AR.EN), a wide platform consisting of student groups referring to
various tendencies of the radical left. Our students were protagonists in the
recent victorious educational movement (2006-2007), which forced the Greek
right-wing government to withdraw its plans for the constitutional reform
concerning the privatization of higher education. In the last National Student
Elections (April 2008) the Left Unity presented electoral lists in 133 Schools
around Greece and got 7% of the votes, being the Group with the biggest
increase of power. YOUNG WORKERS Neolaia Synaspismou fights against precarity of young
people who are today forced to work for low wages, in jobs without insurance
and under very bad and unsafe working conditions. The young workers of Neolaia
Synaspismou participate in the Autonomous Intervention (Aytonomi Paremvasi),
which is the trade-unionist group of the renovating and radical Leftin the General Confederation of Workers in Greece (GSEE) and the Higher Administration of Unions of
Workers in the Public Sector (ADEDY). ANTIRACISM Neolaia
Synaspismou fights for the legalization of all migrants who live and work in Greece and for the direct provision of Greek
Citizenship to all migrants’ children who are born in Greece. We participate in
antiracist festivals and mobilizations, but, most of all we host the Open School for Migrants and Refugees,
a voluntary initiative for the teaching of the Greek language to all migrants
and refugees who don’t have access to the official educational system. MAIN CULTURAL AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES Neolaia
Synaspismou organizes annual Festivals
in more than 30 cities every autumn (September-October). Our central Festival
in Athens lasts for 3 days, gathers many
important artists and political figures from Greece and abroad and attracts
thousands of visitors. Every
summer Neolaia Synaspismou organizes its annual Alternative Summercamp.
This year our Organization is celebrating its 12th Summercamp, which is expected to attract
more than 1200 comrades and friends from all around the country and also many
comrades from sister youth organizations from various European countries.
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