Owen Michael, National Coordinator

Hi, I’m Owen, I work in data for local government, and I’m so honoured to have been chosen for the Exec this year.

Having grown up in a very political, very Labour family, and being so angry at the Cameron Government, it was basically inevitable I’d join Labour as soon as I was old enough and get involved with my university’s club when I started. A couple of other people there were Fabians, and the idea of joining an organisation based around non-factional discussion of how putting socialist values into practice would work based on evidence and data was an appealing one, and I knew my parents had been involved when they lived in London, so they fairly quickly convinced me to join.

And then for a few years that was pretty much it – there were a couple of short-lived attempts to revive Greater Manchester Fabians, and a couple of times I wanted to go to a YF event in London, but it never quite worked out, so I just read the magazine occasionally, until I started becoming really active last year when I got to know many more Young Fabians at the Young European Socialists Summer Camp.

But I want to make sure that people across the country can take part in that more easily in future, without having to go to Bulgaria to do so, so I’m honoured to have been chosen as National Coordinator and have the chance to build on the excellent progress made this year in terms of building regional and national groups. I want to work to share ideas between them so they can become and continue to be active centres of discussion that people want to join so they’ll be able to continue after I and the current leadership have all aged out, work with what local senior societies there are, to help people in setting up new YF groups, and make sure we’re at the forefront of discussion on the left everywhere in the UK.

If you want to get in touch with me – especially for setting up a group somewhere currently without one! - please email me at [email protected], or see my Twitter @OwenWMIchael.

Jack Parker, Networks Coordinator

Hi, I’m excited to be your new Networks Coordinator! My job is to make sure our network committees are supported in everything they do, across their events, pamphlets, campaigns and more.

I first became politically active aged 18 because of climate change. I couldn’t get my head around the fact that world governments were doing so little in the face of such a large problem.

During my time at university, the Conservative government introduced austerity, tripled tuition fees, and oversaw a sharp rise in inequality. As a working-class kid starting out in the world, these issues forced my political interests to expand beyond the environment and into everything else.

I joined the Young Fabians in 2018 for kind of the wrong reasons – I wanted a subsidised trip to Spain for the Young European Socialists Summer Camp! (I highly recommend it!), but I stuck around because I met so many interesting, intelligent people. I genuinely believe there is a future Prime Minister somewhere amongst our ranks.

I believe that the Young Fabians is the best positioned think tank for young people to influence the next Labour Government, and I want to keep it that way. That’s why my biggest priority for the year is to strengthen the relationships between our networks and their Shadow Cabinet counterpart/relevant MPs.

I’m excited to help spread the opportunity to influence decision makers to as many young people as possible. I encourage all of you to get involved!

You can contact me via email [email protected] or Twitter @jackparker1991.