Hollie Wickens, Secretary

Hi! I’m Hollie and I’m the new YF Secretary for 2020/21.

I’ve been political for as long as I can remember - I have a very clear memory of my dad telling me he would disown me if I ever voted Tory! My parents brought me up with a strong sense of fairness, reminding me that I should always think of others. It’s not enough that a policy works for me if other people are still struggling. Now, I have a constant drive to improve things. In all facets of life, I can’t help but identify problems and think about how things could be improved; whether that’s mental health services, student finance, traffic in cities, or even bin collections! I’m in politics today because it’s so clear to me that things can be better, and I want to be part of making that happen.

This year, my main focus is going to be our 60th Anniversary History Project. The pandemic has disrupted a lot of plans in the past year, including our original Anniversary celebrations. The History Project is not only a way of making sure we do mark this significant milestone, but it’s also important to do this research in the first place. Youth movements, the Young Fabians included, are not just the kiddie table of politics. Groups like ours are valuable training organisations, where people have the room to learn, make mistakes, and develop ideas that end up making a real difference. Our contributions are important, and our history is worth recording.

Of course, as Secretary I also hope to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible! I’ll be supporting the rest of the exec with anything organisational they need, (hopefully) making sure our meetings don’t drag on, and of course continuing to write pieces on my policy interests and plan events.

I’m always happy to answer questions from members - my Twitter is @HollieWickens1 and my email is [email protected]. If you want to discuss an idea, contribute to my project, or just want to ask a question about how to get more involved, please get in touch!

James Potts, Treasurer

I was first inspired to get into politics when I got involved with my school council back home in Wolverhampton. As chair, I brought benches to the playground, reformed the council and introduced a new sixth form uniform. All of this showed me the change that can be achieved when you get involved and work with others. Several years later and I got involved with the Young Fabians not long after I moved to London in 2015. It’s been a great way to drill down into policy issues and meet so many brilliant like-minded activists, many of whom are now good friends.

My role this year as Treasurer sees me responsible for the financial side of YF. This includes fundraising to fund our work, including our pamphlets and reports as well as ensuring the books are balanced.

My goal this year is to get YF onto a firmer financial footing by bringing in a stable income through our Friends of the Young Fabians scheme. This is a regular donation to the Young Fabians so we can carry on our work. It was set up last year but I really hope to grow it in the coming months.

I also aim to raise extra funds through events such as our famous boat party (if we’re allowed) and other events like quizzes. I hope all of this will ensure we have a regular income stream topped up by the money raised at events so we can cover our regular outgoings plus the costs associated with our pamphlets.

If you want to get in touch with me, especially if you have any fundraising ideas, email me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter @JamesPotts.