This convention guide has been assembled by YDSA members of DSA’s Libertarian Socialist Caucus. It is endorsed by the caucus, and positions within are official LSC positions.

We consider the majority of resolutions at the 2026 YDSA Convention to be uncontentious, procedural, or largely apolitical, or so far down on the overflow agenda it is unlikely they will get heard. We have omitted those resolutions, and this guide will focus only on the resolutions we felt like talking about.

Check out our points of unity at dsa-lsc.org/lsc-pou, and if you like our positions, consider joining the caucus at dsa-lsc.org/join. You can view this guide as a Google Doc here. Discuss this guide on the DSA forums here.

Resolutions and Amendments Summary

R4. For an International General Strike on May Day 2028	Against if unamended, Support if amended
Amendment R4-1	Support
R6. For a Global Majority Space in YDSA National	Against if unamended, Support if amended
Amendment R6-FA1	Support
R9. For a Strategic Sanctuary Campaign on All Fronts	Support if unamended, Against if amended by R9-1 or R9-2
Amendment R9-1	Against
Amendment R9-2	Against
R12. For the Working Class, YLC Plan and Priorities of 2026-2027	Support
Amendment R12-1	Support
R14. Hybrid Convention Resolution	Support if unamended, No Recommendation if amended
Amendment R14-1	Against
R17. For the Establishment of the Right to an Alternate	No Recommendation
R18. Preparing for a Class-Struggle 2028 Presidential Election	No Recommendation
R19. Recommitting to the Program to Unite Our Organizing	Against
R28. Towards a YDSA Intervention in the May Day 2028 Movement	No Recommendation
R29. Uniting Labor and the Left to Defeat Fascism	No Recommendation if unamended, Support if amended
Amendment R29-1	Support
CO1. Expanding the Age Limit for YDSA Leadership	Support
CO3. Updating our Constitution	Against if unamended, No Recommendation if amended
Amendment CO3-1	Support
CO4. Affirming the Youth Wing of the Socialist Party	Against

Resolutions and Amendments

R4. For an International General Strike on May Day 2028

While R4 recharters the Youth International Committee, the resolution charges it with a new international labor organizing campaign as part of efforts for the May Day 2028 General Strike. In addition to our general concerns about such a campaign due to differences in labor strategy with the May Day Coalition and the collapse of its organizing effort, we believe this campaign should have been its own resolution, or submitted as an amendment to this recharter, instead of conditioning the YIC’s re-authorization behind the May Day campaign. By contrast, R4-1 would refocus the YIC on its existing work and result in a “clean” recharter. LSC encourages delegates to vote against R4 unamended and in favor of R4 amended by R4-1.

Amendment R4-1

This amendment would refocus the YIC on establishing ties and promoting exchanges between fellow youth socialist organizations around the world. In addition to advancing the YIC’s existing work, this amendment cleans the base recharter to not put May Day 2028 work automatically within the YIC’s scope and instead allows the YIC to self-direct its activity, which may even include May Day plans if the YIC so desires. This provides delegates with a cleaner base resolution. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R4-1.

R6. For a Global Majority Space in YDSA National

This resolution would create a special section of YDSA specifically for people of color. The resolution, while well intentioned, is both unclear and undemocratic. Firstly, the resolution says that every chapter with a member in the National section will have a local Global Majority space that functions in the same way as in UCYDSA, but fails to give an accurate and enforceable definition of its structure. Secondly, it allows chapters to be a part of the Global Majority section, and requires the leaders of every chapter that is a part of it attend the section’s meetings, yet it only allows people of color to be a part of the Global Majority section. It is unclear what would happen in the case where a chapter’s leader is not a person of color. As written, it would require them both to attend all meetings, and would not allow them to attend at all. Finally, we disagree with the nature of giving the Global Majority section the power to make all decisions at its discretion, with no checks from either the NCC or even future Conventions. All parts of YDSA should be responsible to the body as a whole. Rather than creating a new and unaccountable body, we strongly encourage YDSA members and chapters to work with AfroSoC, further strengthening the DSA-YDSA relationship and ensuring engagement remains in spaces subject to democratic accountability. For these reasons, LSC encourages delegates to vote against R6 unamended, and encourages delegates to vote in favor amended by R6-FA1.

Amendment R6-FA1

This amendment fixes essentially every issue we have with R6. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R6-FA1.

R9. For a Strategic Sanctuary Campaign on All Fronts

YDSA declared Sanctuary Campus campaigns as a priority for 2025-2026, amidst active and widespread abductions of immigrants and those profiled as immigrants. This resolution would expand the scope of the priority campaign to target contracts and other such commercial ties to companies working with DHS, the military-industrial complex, or implicated in genocide and imperialism abroad. Given the rise of fascism and use of ICE and mass surveillance against the masses, fighting for sanctuary campuses and against support of DHS is critical to meet the moment; however, R9-1 and R9-2, if adopted, would undercut that priority and bring our organizing backward rather than forward. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R9 if unamended by R9-1 and R9-2, otherwise LSC encourages delegates to vote against R9.

Amendment R9-1

R9-1 would assign primary responsibility for coordinating the priority campaign to the NCC rather than the SCC. Moreover, it assigns the SCC with gathering the resources and support for anti-war and anti-imperialist rapid responses rather than the YIC. We find these reassignments unclear and potentially redundant given the base resolution stipulates NCC involvement. Moreover, it would deprive the YIC in particular of its purpose of connecting YDSA with struggles abroad, especially in a time where the US empire is intervening and threatening multiple areas of the world. LSC encourages delegates to vote against R9-1.

Amendment R9-2

R9-2 removes much of the effect of the base resolution in favor of adopting a “strategy of patience”, including eliminating escalatory campaigning from its remit. Although LSC shares a desire with the authors to build campaigns that extend beyond a single calendar year, with much of immigration justice activism moving against companies collaborating with DHS, such as Flock Safety, the amendment would have the effect of missing the moment. LSC encourages delegates to vote against R9-2.

R12. For the Working Class, YLC Plan and Priorities of 2026-2027

R12 sets the goals and priorities for labor organizing in YDSA. While such is often a contentious topic, the base resolution addresses it in a way that re-adopts existing organizational agreements and proposes further development of existing programs in a way agreeable to all tendencies. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R12, with or without amendment.

Amendment R12-1

This amendment specifies a greater focus on healthcare and education as target industries for new students and graduates to salt into and develop labor organizing capacity and unions in. The amendment further proposes doing so through the use of a cohort system, tightly coordinating salting efforts both within given employers and across each target industry. Effective labor organizing requires strong coordination and inter-workplace solidarity efforts, and we support efforts to build a stronger labor pipeline accordingly. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R12-1.

R14. Hybrid Convention Resolution

R14 mandates that future YDSA Conventions be open to both virtual and in-person attendees. Holding convention solely in person prohibits marginalized people from attending convention, such as those who have physical disabilities that make long distance travel difficult or impossible, those with physical disabilities that make navigating a convention center difficult or impossible, immunocompromised individuals who may be unable to take the risks for long distance travel. A hybrid convention would help mitigate these issues, that simply expanding support for an in person convention would not. Some critics of R14 claim that it would be difficult to implement, however, difficulty should not prevent us from accommodating our disabled comrades nonetheless. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R14 unamended, and makes no recommendation on R14 amended by the R14-1.

Amendment R14-1

R14-1 removes all language about establishing a hybrid convention and instead requests additional resources for providing larger scholarships to convention. Although we support the additions of this amendment, and would likely support it as an independent resolution, we find it extremely objectionable that this amendment removes all mention or authorization of a hybrid convention. The amendment effectively nullifies and reverses so much of the base resolution that it makes it effectively void. It is our opinion that this amendment should have been ruled out of order by the Presidium. LSC encourages delegates to vote against R14-1 undivided. 

R17. For the Establishment of the Right to an Alternate

The primary limiting factor on Convention attendance at the planning level is the capacity of available venues within the budget allotted for each YDSA Convention. A maximum number of total attendees is fixed, and in this context, alternates compete directly with voting delegates for space. R17 would ensure that at least a quarter of attendees at future Conventions would be presumptively non-voting alternates, and restrict the ability of future Convention planning committees to balance the need for proportionality in delegate apportionment with the interests of small chapters in developing new leaders through Convention attendance. However, considering DSA’s current substantial financial surplus, sufficient proportionality could be preserved through the reservation of additional or larger spaces during convention planning. LSC makes no recommendation on R17. 

R18. Preparing for a Class-Striggle 2028 Presidential Election

R18 would specify YDSA’s orientation to a possible DSA presidential campaign and endorsement, supporting organizing efforts but keeping YDSA’s strategy independent and providing the room for alternative strategies and candidate criticism. While preparation for a potential presidential run is understandable, this resolution puts the cart before the horse; it is unclear whether there will even be a DSA presidential campaign at all. As we do not believe electoralism should be DSA’s focus, as we will never achieve liberation through the institutions of the capitalist state, this resolution takes a potentially reasonable approach for the rest of the organization and does not serve as a coronation of any particular candidate. LSC makes no recommendation on R18.

R19. Recommitting to the Program to Unite Our Organizing

YDSA has struggled to incorporate its program into its externally facing work over the past year. Rather than recommitting to a program which has failed to generate the necessary interest among YDSA’s rank and file to reach widespread adoption as an outreach and messaging tool, the recent adoption of a new program for DSA offers an opportunity for YDSA to align its core political message with that of the broader organization. We believe the 2027 YDSA Convention should consider taking up a resolution to formally adopt DSA’s program. LSC encourages delegates to vote against R19.

R28. Towards a YDSA Intervention in the May Day 2028 Movement

R28 as amended places our primary labor focus on planning and joining events for May Days 2027 and 2028. We do not believe May Day 2028 general strike organizing is likely to be successful; while we support comrades organizing through a diversity of tactics, we do not believe this work is ideal for a priority campaign. Additionally, we believe that R29, if amended, poses a much better labor strategy for YDSA, and would encourage it to be delegates’ primary focus. LSC makes no recommendation on R28.

R29. Uniting Labor and the Left to Defeat Fascism

We agree with many points of this resolution, although its length makes it feel unwieldy. While working with labor is important, we must not sacrifice all other core facets of our organizing or lose our political nature of fighting for a socialist world in the process. While we are neutral on this resolution unamended, we believe that if amended, it can set an effective base for YDSA’s future organizing work. LSC makes no recommendation on R29 unamended by R29-1, and encourages delegates to vote in favor of R29 amended by R29-1.

Amendment R29-1

This amendment shifts YDSA’s labor organizing focus toward politicizing rank-and-file membership and training a new generation of labor leadership. The fight against fascism requires us to build independent socialist power that can achieve radical political demands. Our labor organizing should be intersectional and address the most pressing issues of our time, including the fight against ICE and the rise of fascism. We believe this amendment more effectively sets our priorities by expanding the political nature of our labor work to meet the moment. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of R29-1.

CO1. Expanding the Age Limit for YDSA Leadership

CO1 seeks to allow more flexibility in selecting chapter-level YDSA leadership by removing the age limit for members who are currently students. This amendment will improve engagement and capacity in community college chapters which have an older range of students than other schools. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of A1.

CO3. Updating our Constitution

CO3 would rename the NCC to the “Youth Political Committee” (YPC), change the number of members required to form a chapter from three to five, and would make other conforming changes. We don’t believe that these changes are necessary or useful; the term NCC is already well-known and understood, and many chapters would fail to get off the ground if getting chartered and receiving national support requires five members rather than three. CO3-1 addresses some of our concerns but ultimately leaves the base amendment pointless. LSC encourages delegates to vote against CO3 if unamended by CO3-1, and makes no recommendation on CO3 amended by CO3-1.

Amendment CO3-1

CO3-1 removes most of the “poison pills” in CO3 that lead us to oppose the base constitutional amendment. While we don’t think CO3-1 should have been ruled to be in order as it essentially negates the entire original motion, given the Presidium has found it in order, we do support its adoption as doing so is equivalent to opposing the base motion. LSC encourages delegates to vote in favor of CO3-1.

CO4. Affirming the Youth Wing of the Socialist Party

CO4 attempts to expand the scope of YDSA organizing beyond campuses and to a regional level. This expansion would detract from YDSA’s unique ability to focus on campus and student issues. While many areas off campus might have more need or a larger working class base, YDSA members are encouraged to organize with local DSA chapters concurrently to support off-campus efforts without duplicating work that DSA is already doing or will have more resources to do. LSC encourages delegates to vote against A4.