Why should I join CAMRA?

I’m aged 18-30. Why should I join CAMRA? CAMRA has over 170,000 members and of those around 3% are under 26 and 9% are under 30. The under 30’s are often active members and you will find many Young CAMRA events taking place throughout the year.

The range of events in the West Midlands organised by Young CAMRA are varied and interesting. These include pub crawls, working socials at beer festivals and visits to breweries. The chance to meet up with like minded under 30’s and make real friends is a great benefit of joining CAMRA that should not be overlooked in the age of “Internet friends”. Though of course, we are present online and it is a great way to organise events!

If I am a Young Member - what does CAMRA want from me other than my money and what does it do with my money?

CAMRA wants you to be an active member no matter what age you are. Young CAMRA are the future of the organisation and without them the Campaign will not succeed. We want you to join in on our events, come along to our meetings and volunteer at our beer festivals! We don’t just want to take 170,000 people’s money in exchange for a newspaper - that is not a Campaign! We have various topics and issues that we tackle on both a national and local level.

Your money will go towards campaigning. CAMRA are a non-profit organisation, whose members fund the activities that help prevent brewery takeovers, pub closures and campaign against tax increases on Real Ale/Cider/Perry. The CAMRA website (www.camra.org.uk) has the full campaign details and you will see many past examples of how membership fees have helped.

How can I include CAMRA in my busy life?

You can be as active as you want to be so why not give it a go! It is even as simple as choosing to drink Real Ale! The more you put into CAMRA, the more you will benefit! Choose events and activities that fit around your free time. Campaigning can take as little as 5 minutes- you can visit the website and look for updates and news. You can add CAMRA to your Facebook and find local socials and campaigning events. Got 10 minutes free? Drop an email to your local M.P! A couple of hours? Go to a Branch Meeting. Whole day free? Go on a social or campaigning event. Visit a beer festival and volunteer behind the bar. If local events and campaigning constantly clashes with your other priorities, let your branch contact know. They will do their best to accommodate you and help you to attend.

Don’t take on more than you have time for. Enjoy the social side and have fun with like minded people and most of all - keep drinking Real Ale!