On 25 September 2025, FIA Future Now (FFN), the Federation young members’ group, hosted a webinar titled “Engaging Young People in Trade Unions”.
Established in 2022, FIA Future Now serves a dual purpose: it provides the Federation with insights into issues affecting young performers worldwide, sharing best practices for supporting young members and performers; and it acts as an incubator for young activists, offering a safe space to develop the skills needed to advance their union journey.
Among its activities, FFN has organised several online events focusing on issues specific to young workers in the performing arts. Following an initial event on performers’ unions’ visits to schools, the group chose to turn its attention to another key area of concern: how to organise, engage, and empower young workers within performers’ unions.
At a time when trade unions around the world are facing declining membership, attracting and empowering young workers has never been more crucial. Inspired by the European Trade Union Confederation’s Recommendations for Engaging Young People in Trade Unions, FFN organised this webinar to showcase practical strategies for strengthening youth participation, fostering leadership among the next generation, and collectively responding to the challenges of de-unionisation – all in line with the ETUC’s recommendations.
The webinar opened with a welcome from Gabrielle Carteris, President of FIA and a strong supporter of FIA Future Now. She highlighted the vital role of young members in keeping unions dynamic and relevant and emphasized FFN as a key investment in the future of the profession and the Federation’s collective voice.
Céline Ruffié, Head of International at FGTE CFDT (France) and President of ETUC Youth, then introduced ETUC Youth and presented the ETUC Recommendations for Engaging Young People in Trade Unions:
1. Get hold of the data
2. Adopt recruitment strategies targeted at young people
3. Adopt a youth-friendly communication
4. Create a strong youth structure
5. Invest in the youth structure
6. Involve young people in the union’s decision-making processes
7. Adopt union policies that address the challenges of young people
8. Build the capacities of young members
9. Encourage cooperation and networking
Following this inspiring presentation, a panel of FIA’s young members from across the world shared their perspectives and experiences on how performers’ unions can better connect with, organise, and represent young performers.
The FFN members participating in the panel included:
• Ada Chelminska, ZZAP (Poland)
• Ben Finch, Equity (UK)
• Marianne Infante, ENZ (New Zealand)
• Kaden Nelson, AEA, (USA)
• Londiwe Shange, SAGA (South Africa)
Each panellist highlighted concrete examples and innovative approaches from their own unions. These included school visits to engage students before they enter the workforce, youth-friendly events such as Equity New Zealand’s Youth Festival, and the establishment of youth structures like the Equity UK Young Members Committee.
The panellists, all elected in specific roles in their unions, also shared personal journeys to leadership positions. Four of them also mentioned being mentored, either within their union or within FIA, and how this experience impacted their involvement. The event concluded with an interactive Q&A with the audience.
You can watch or rewatch the webinar on our YouTube channel.
