In August 1921, two of Great Britain's leading radical youth organisations, the Young Workers' League and the International Communist Schools Movement, gathered at a special conference held at Birmingham.

[3]: 45  The assembled delegates to this Unity Conference passed a proposal calling for the two standing groups to merge under a new name, that of the Young Communist League.

[5] As with the adult party, the YCL saw itself as part of a unified world movement, and took its ultimate direction from the Young Communist International (CYI), with headquarters in Moscow.

[3]: 45 The YCL was seen as a recruiting school for activists in the adult party, and the organisation's structure, internal relationships, and tactical activities closely paralleled and followed those of the CPGB.

[10] The YCL was known to have enjoyed close contacts with the London branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress, led by communist activist and pioneer of Black civil rights in Britain, Billy Strachan.

[11] During the 1960s, the Young Communist League actively supported the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) and the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War.

[12] They supplied large quantities of Blood plasma, as well as collecting funds to buy over one hundred bicycles, many of which were donated to the Vietnamese at the 9th World Festival of Youth and Students in Bulgaria, 1968.

[16] The League continued engaging in new musical cultures through the late 1970s, as young communists participated in a Camden squat along with the punk band Scritti Politti.

Some members who favoured a pro-Soviet line, including John Chamberlain (Jack Conrad), left the YCL to join the New Communist Party of Britain in 1977.

During the early 1970s the Young Communist League supported the African National Congress by supplying volunteers, later known as the London Recruits, for secret missions against South Africa's Apartheid system.

[22][23] After a resurge in popularity from 2017, the Young Communist League focuses on community, tenants and trade union work and has seen fast growth, particularly in Scotland [citation needed].

[25] The Young Communist League responded, stating that: "We refuse to accept any division pushed by the despicable Murdoch press between the socialist left and the ecological movement.

"[26] Celebrations began in 2021 as the Young Communist League commemorates 100 years since its original founding in 1921, with the YCL reflecting and drawing attention to its achievements throughout that time from the testimonies of past members,[27][28] and a rejuvenation of its current organisation leading up to its 50th Congress due to take place in August 2021.

The Summer Camp intend to "give young workers from across Britain the opportunity to come together for political education and to socialise and enjoy our natural heritage.