Manifesto of the Youth Alberta Socialists

Who We Are:

We are a group of young Albertans, aged 14-21 who hold left-wing political beliefs- namely, socialism, social democracy, anarcho-collectivism or moderate communism/Marxism.

What Our Purpose Is:

To create a successful collective of like-minded young people with an interest in politics to engage in discussion, activism and lobbying.

What We Stand For:

Typically, our membership stands for most of the following ideals:

*Liberalism: While this is a broad term, it is generally accepted that our members will accept a form of basic western liberalism including the belief in democracy, freedom of religion, speech, thought and association. It does not mean that every member necessarily agrees with every modern liberal social position.

*Secularism: Respecting freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion, our membership supports the separation of all religion and religious positions from government.

*Opposition to War and Violence: While not strictly pacifistic, we oppose wars of conquest and imperialism including conflicts whose purpose is to make profits.

*Collectivism: Our members support a varying degree of government intervention in the economy ranging from none, to complete. However, some form of collectivism (whether through a central government or decentralised institutions) is key to our economic position.

*Opposition to Fascism, Totalitarianism and Authoritarian Marxism: As believers in liberty, we oppose all forms of despotism and tyranny; this includes left-wing authoritarianism such as Stalinism and Maoism.

*Education/Health Care/Welfare and Other Programs: We support the continuation and improvement of programs designed to help the poor and working class. We also believe in the availability of public health care, education and basic necessities for all.

*Equality: While this is another term that can be interpreted in several ways, we believe in the freedom from discrimination based on gender or race and an equality of opportunity (economic, political and social) for people of all classes and backgrounds.

*International Cooperation: Generally, we are opposed to nationalism (at least in the extreme) and tend to encourage the cooperation of all the peoples of the world.

*Improvement Through Reform: One of the most important concepts of the Youth Alberta Socialists is the belief in change and reform especially in a province as politically stagnant as Alberta.

*Intellectualism: A significant point is also the belief in reason, science and consensus discussion to be the best ways to move forward. Therefore, we support active and constructive discussion between our members and a broad involvement of the organisation to determine decisions and ideological positions. We also oppose all forms of censorship.


Who Can Join and How:

If you live in Alberta and are between the ages of 14 and 21, you are free to join YAS without the need for payment of any sort. You are encouraged to join our forums: https://albertasocialist.forumotion.com/forum.htm and are even free to contribute anonymously.