As I’m sure you are all aware since May 7th many local parties have experienced a giant surge in new members and the great news is that loads of those members are students!

There’s never been a better time to engage young people in the party and the effort and enthusiasm that they can put into helping out with a range of activities in your local party, will be incredibly beneficial. So, how do we engage young people I hear you ask?! The answer; Freshers’ fairs!

Freshers fairs are a great way to recruit and engage young members. The timing of Freshers’ Fairs differ from one institution to another, but they are usually held in late September. However, now is the time to start the preparations, as Universities/Colleges and their Students’ Unions are hard at work making arrangements for their biggest event of the year. So please do get in touch with your nearest HE/FE institution to find out more information as soon as possible.

If you are a local party and you have a Lib Dem student society/group at your local HE/FE site find out what they have planned, offer support and, if nothing is planned try to encourage some activity. If you do not have a Lib Dem student society/group try to make contact with the student union and see if you can set something up. It will be a great shame if we miss this brilliant opportunity to recruit, engage and motivate young people.

If you are a Liberal Youth member and you want to set up a stall at your university or further education institution get in touch with your student union who will be able to give you more information. Also do try and work with your local party who will hopefully be able to support you.

You can order your freshers’ pack by going here and pay for it here. Your pack will include recruitment materials, information on how to create a freshers’ stall and the freshers’ campaigns designed by Liberal Youth. It will all be delivered to you by September.

We are also working closely with the House of Lords and our brilliant Peers are keen to get involved in freshers’ fairs. They are great to invite along as they can add some star quality to your stall, as well as share their experiences of working within Liberal Democrats. If you’d like one to attend your nearest fair then please get in touch with Polly Martin at [email protected] from the Lib Dem Lords Whips’ Office, and she will do her best to make sure that a Peer attends.

Remember, the more notice you give, the more likely that a Peer will be able to attend! To find out more about our Peers, you can look at their profiles on the Lib Dem website.

Liberal Youth are always on hand to provide any support or assistance you need. Should you have any further queries or want to get in contact with your nearest Liberal Youth branch, don’t hesitate to contact Olivia Blunn, Youth Diversity and Outreach officer at [email protected].

Thanks very much and best of luck with your freshers’ stall!

* Liberal Youth is the organisation representing youth and students in the Liberal Democrats