We, the Junge Liberale, are Germany’s biggest and most important liberal youth organisation. Almost 15,000 young people aged 14 to 35 years are members of Junge Liberale. We don’t just want to watch politics from the sidelines, we want to be part of the game. We don’t want to stand by as another generation decides on the future of our generation. And we have ideas that are worth spreading. Our guiding principle is clear: We are not only listening to you, we are giving your ideas and yourself a voice.
We are a diverse group of different personalities with all kinds of backgrounds: Pupils, apprentices, students, young professionals, employees and all of them call Junge Liberale their political home. Despite all differences, there is one thing that we have in common: We want to ensure that our society offers a place for freedom, self-responsibility and tolerance. We believe in each individual human being and that there is nothing more fulfilling than achieving personal goals with our own strengths.
As the youth organisation of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP), we aspire to push our mother party forward, both content- and personnel-wise. This is why we do not only discuss our ideas in theory, but we can actually put them into practice. To give you an example: The abolition of compulsory military service in Germany started out as an idea of a few Junge Liberale and was then made into a law by the German Parliament (Bundestag) thus becoming reality. The same happened with the introduction of long-distance bus routes. It was the Junge Liberale who wanted to remove the monopoly of German train services and pave the way for affordable bus journeys, especially for young people. First, we discussed it within our organisation, then we fought for it within the FDP and eventually the government implemented it.
At the same time, we are independent from our mother party, being a self-registered association. This gives us the freedom to sometimes take on different positions than the FDP. It also means that as a member of Junge Liberale you do not have to be a member of the FDP – and vice versa. However, as the FDP values our innovative ideas and it is in the Junge Liberalen DNA to stand up for our values, many Junge Liberale take on responsibility in Parliaments on different levels. Whether it is the city, the municipal or the district council, the state parliaments, the Bundestag or the European Parliament – almost everywhere you will find Junge Liberale fighting for individual freedom, equal opportunities and intergenerational justice.
Our discussions always resemble our ideal of the political debate in Germany: A fair competition for the best ideas. We are open to new ideas and love to discuss passionately whether there are better ones. It doesn’t matter what your preferred topic is, if it is a better fiscal policy, a more democratic European Union or the rights of soccer fans – every topic and everyone is welcome!
If you share our ideas and our goals, we are looking forward to hearing from you. Whether you want to take part in one of our events, you follow us on social media or you want to become a member right away – we can’t wait to meet you. So what are you waiting for?