Political parties rely on youth wings for the political representation and mobilisation of youth. This article examines the role of youth wings within political parties; youth wing members assess the role that their organisations play in promoting youth political representation in their mother parties. Empirically, it draws on 58 semi-structured interviews with high-ranking Portuguese youth party members, comparing the perspectives in parties with and without autonomous youth wings. It assesses the role of youth wings in shaping parties' policy platforms (substantive representation); in promoting young candidates for public office (descriptive representation); and in mobilising youth to political participation. Overall, youth wings emerge as a double-edged sword. While they ensure youth representation in party bodies, they also often lead to their de facto internal segregation. In this context, youth wings' ability to influence internally, both in terms of policy and candidate selection, hinges on informal networks and negotiations with mother party leaders. Youth wings are also perceived as not being effective in mobilising youth to parties, with those who join youth wings expressing more office-seeking goals than those who join parties without these structures.

Political parties maintain connections with various sub-organisations to engage different segments of society. Common among these are party youth wings. These relationships are often described as mutual, where votes are exchanged for policies. However, little research delves into how members of these sub-organisations perceive their roles in relation to the senior party. Based on a web survey of approximately 3000 respondents, this study investigates the views of youth wing members within Swedish political parties. Specifically, it explores whether members believe their youth wing’s primary role should be to influence or support the senior party. Drawing on theories of political engagement incentives, it examines the connection between members’ political and career motivations and their perceptions of these roles. Results suggest that those with career-oriented incentives tend to view the youth wing as supportive, while politically motivated members prioritise influencing the senior party. This research contributes to our understanding of the complex dynamics within political parties and their affiliated organisations, shedding light on how individual motivations shape organisational roles.