Green Youth (Germany)

The GRÜNE JUGEND (English: Green Youth; abbreviated: GJ) is the youth organization linked to Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.

History
The Grüne Jugend was founded on January 16 1994, as an independent association with the name Grün-Alternatives Jugendbündnis (abbreviated: GAJB).

Before 1994 there were several state-based associations, such as the Grüne Jugend Hessen, which was already founded in the spring of 1991. It used and still uses a frog as its logo. In the same spring the Grün-Alternative Jugend Baden-Württemberg was founded. Parallel to these state-based organizations was the federal Bundesjugendkontaktstelle (Abbreviated: BUJUKS), a loose network of young members and sympathisers of Die Grünen.

After several years of debate, the a federal green youth organization was founded, in which the state-based organizations and the BUJUKS all merged. In 2001 the GJ became an integral part of the Die Grünen and lost its independent status.

Ideology
Although it has similar positions to its motherparty, there are some differences. The GJ for instance is in favour of legalization of all drugs and the use of free software. In general the GJ can be seen as more leftwing than Die Grünen.

Organization
The GRÜNE JUGEND is a Basisgruppe within Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. It has 6,000 members some of which are members of a state-based organizations, while others are direct members of the federal organization, this is about 10% of the membership of the entire party. Membership ends in the year one becomes 28 year old.

The highest organ of the party is the federal congress, in which all members can participate and vote. It elects the board with two speakers, the editors of the party-magazine, SPUNK and the board of arbitration. There is a strict rule that the board should have an equal number of men and women and that the two speakers are of different genders. This is to ensure equal treatment. In the months that the federal congress does not meet a federal council, consisting out of two members per state-based organizations, meets. There are also several thematic fora, which work on specific themes (Europe, Democracy, Drugs, Equal treatment.

The party's logo is a hedgehog. The GJ is a member of the Federation of Young European Greens.