Generation YES launched in April from nothing. It was built on the hard work and enthusiasm of its members and fans, each and every one of whom played a crucial role in mobilsing the power and energy of young people from all over Ireland. Young people who were not prepared to sit by and let their country be over run by naysayers and cynics.
We were determined to roll up our sleeves and get stuck into a debate about the future of our country. We made sure that the electorate were not patronised, but were instead confronted with the substantive benefits brought in by the Lisbon Treaty.
The numbers speak for themselves; 3630 hours spent canvassing, 5000 facebook fans, 21415 website views, 180000 leaflets distributed. We could go on, but you get a sense of the scale of the campaign, a scale made possible by the contribution made by everyone of you. We mobilised not only our own target audience, of 18-30 year olds, but we regularly heard that people outside of our age group were influenced by our campaign, as energy, enthusiasm, and the refusal to talk down to people won us friends in all sorts of places.
Ours was a victory of rationality over fear, of the power of engagement over apathy. It was a victory made possible by a committed team of volunteers who worked incredibly hard with the aim of securing Ireland’s future in Europe. But more than all of these things, it was your victory. Everyone who posted a facebook status; who talked to their family, or their friends, or their colleagues; who gave out leaflets played a role. Distribution was the key to our success, and as the numbers on our website show, distribution was something that people from all over Ireland played a part in.
This wasn’t just our victory, for proving that people can get involved and make a huge difference. It was a victory for the whole of Europe. Should the Czech Republic pass the Lisbon Treaty, which they look very likely to do, the EU will be able to take advantage of the reforms which we have been talking about for the last 5 months. It will be able to effectively fight climate change, essential in the run up to Copenhagen. It will better combat human trafficking. The EU will become more democratic, allowing citizen’s to have a greater say. Without your efforts this would not be possible, and this is something that we should all be extremely proud of.
Gratefully yours,
The Gen YES team.
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