Common use of Facilitating social interaction Clause in Contracts

Facilitating social interaction. The second sub-function of the socialization function consists of the efforts of party youth wings to facilitate social interaction among members. As described in Chapter 2, social interaction within party youth wings is particularly relevant for political socialization as members may partake in political discussions and enter relevant networks. Again, it is not possible to study the lasting socializing effects of social interaction within party youth wings, but mechanisms for political discussion and network building within youth wings in both periods can be explored. These mechanisms are relatively hard to grasp. Political organizations normally do not report on such topics in formal documents, nor are such mechanisms formalized to an extent that they are easily recognizable. Moreover, it cannot be assumed that the experiences of youth wing chairs are the same as that of a normal member due to the centrality and character of their position. The available data does not allow me to say as much as I might like about precisely what opportunities for political discussions and network- building are present and seized within party youth wings. However, the combination of interviews, membership surveys and other organizational sources enable a first exploration of the functioning of party youth wings on this sub-function. A first step in exploring the prevalence of political discussion within party youth wings was the analysis of the survey item “How do you make your voice heard within [PYW]?”. This item was included in the 1989 and 2020 surveys, making it possible to compare the results between these two years. Making one’s voice heard is central to political discussions. Although this measure is broader than political discussions alone, the answer options included various forms of political discussion.44 Respondents of the 2020 member survey also indicated how often they participated in an informal political discussion and online discussion of their 44 Respondents could choose multiple answers from the following option: By participating in discussions at the local level; By voting at the general assembly of members; By participating in conferences; Via informal conversations; Online / social media (added to the 2020 survey). party youth wing. The results were used to supplement the results of the previous item. Lastly, the interview and text data were analysed for information on the structure and prevalence of political discussions within the youth wings. Network-building mechanisms were also explored by using interview, survey and text data. Some chairs touched upon the subject in the interviews without being directly asked about it. The interviews with the former chairs of the party youth wings in 1985-1990 included an item on whether their youth wing ensured that members could build a valuable social network. As described, chairs may be biased because of their contact-rich position. I therefore supplemented the findings from the interviews with three survey items: the importance of ‘chance to make new friends / acquaintances’ in the decision to become a youth wing member (asked in 1989 and 2020), the responses to the statement “By being a member of PYW young people expand their social network” (asked in 2020), and the frequency with which social activities are attended (asked in 2020, see Section 3.4). This provides us with information on the motivations, participation and perceptions of members concerning networking opportunities. Lastly, party youth wing documents from both periods were scanned for the mention of social activities. This yielded information on the prevalence and character of social gatherings, which are considered crucial for network-building.