The Communist Party of China (CPC) plans to reform the Communist Youth League (CYL).
The general office of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday published a plan for the CYL Central Committee reforms, noting that the structure of the staff, organization and operation of the leading organ of the CYL Central Committee will be improved.
The CYL Central Committee and provincial committees will be downsized with more staff assigned to county level and to areas which directly serve the country's youth. Bureaucratic procedures are to be streamlined. The CYL funding mechanism should be strengthened.
CYL congress and committees should be more representative of the membership, the document said.
The plan also proposed widening the role of CYL congress delegates. The central committee should report to delegates and listen to their suggestions. Likewise, delegates should pay more attention to the opinions of CYL members and ordinary young people.
According to the document, positions in the CYL should be viewed as key platforms for nurturing officials for the CPC and government. Positions should be filled by talented CPC and CYL workers who "know about, understand and love young people." Selection criteria should be flexible, but officials for specialized posts must be selected strictly in accordance with requirements.
The evaluation system should be improved, with more say from grassroots CYL organizations and members. Officials should work directly among young people for most of their time.
The document noted that each official should have regular contact with about 100 CYL members to listen to their concerns, exchange ideas and host activities for them.
The CYL should take responsibility for encouraging young people to "listen to the Party and follow the Party," the document said.
The organization should better serve non-members, protect teenagers' legal rights, and make better use of the Internet.
The document also called for closer ties with social organizations, and urged all CYL members to officially register as volunteers.
The CYL had over 87 million members at the end of 2015.
