Introduction to CDJA - English

Dutch Young Christian Democrats

CDJA is the Dutch abbreviation for the Christian Democratic Youth Appeal. We are a political youth organisation which is independent of, but linked to, the Christian Democrats in the Netherlands (CDA). CDJA was established in 1981 and has members from around the Netherlands and every walk of life. We push issues that concern young people in areas such as education, jobs, the environment and housing. As a founding member of the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) we align ourselves with christian democratic, conservative and other centre-right friends in Europe.

Our members are the most important ingredients in our organisation. Members belong to local departments that meet to discuss politics, to influence local political decisions or just to have a good time. Nationally, members meet eachother during debates, our half yearly congresses, in working groups or during international trips. Our policy positions are descided upon by the board and the members during our congresses.

The basis for our christian democrats ideology is the Gospel and it’s Christian view of humanity. This view gives every person a unique, inviolable and intrinsic value. The Christian view of humanity states that everyone is of value, irrespective of sex, ethnic background, social background, disability or sexual preferences. In practice this means that we choose to be an open organisation of which anyone, who shares our political principles, can become a member and participate.

Four principles guide our policies: solidarity, stewardship, shared responsability and public justice. We emphasize that people are best served by a government that supports communities such as the family, religious organisations, companies or other associations. This principle of shared responsability seperates christian democratic thinking from collective or individualistic thinking amongst socialists and liberals.

Have a look around our website which is mostly in Dutch. Get to know us better and if we triggered your interest, feel free to contact one of the people mentioned below.