Do we need a Youth Wing?

Over at Free Dominion they're having a good debate on whether or not we should have a youth wing.

First of all let me say I was very disappointed when the party set the rule that at least one delegate from each EDA had to be under the age of 28. And here I thought Conservatives didn't believe in affirmative action! It's my right to earn my way, just like anybody else.

Now when I go to the convention in Montreal, people I meet will assume that the only reason I'm there is because of that rule. I won't be taken as seriously as someone over the age of 28.

That does nothing for increasing the influence of youth at the convention, if anything it denigrates it. It's both insulting, and feels like a put down.

People should want youth to go to the convention bad enough that they are willing to vote for them over someone else who isn't. Otherwise, it isn't democracy, it's an appointment process.

I'm personally divided on whether the party should have a "Youth Wing" officially recognized by the party. I worry about youth being treated differently because of the introduction of an official youth wing. About a year ago I would have said otherwise. But seeing some things lately in the party both federally and provincially has made me change that opinion.