Young Americans for Liberty is kicking off its 2011 National Convention today! This year, it's longer, bigger, and better than ever: a week-long event from Monday to Friday, with 131 top youth activists from 99 campuses in 34 states, and some AMAZING guest speakers like Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and Justin Amash among others.The goal of this event is to identify the top young libertarian activists from around the country and bring them together to the Leadership Institute in Arlington, VA for the very best training on how to mobilize the philosophy of liberty into political action and victory!
YAL's executive director, Jeff Frazee doesn't say this very often, but his goal is to find and groom the future leaders of this country-- the kind of people who are going to run successful campaigns, become key figures in the media, and yes, even run for some of our nation's highest political offices-- and from these positions of influence, lead the country to make the kind of real changes it needs to restore our republic to the vision of our Founding Fathers.
I was there at last year's national convention, and it was truly one of THE MOST important events of my entire life (and not to mention, some of the most fun I've ever had!). As a summer intern for YAL at the time, I put together this video to show YAL's donors some of what we were learning and the incredible value we were getting from the convention:
The thing is, most of these young activists are students, and don't have the funds to cover all the expenses of lodging, materials, flying in speakers, food, (etc.), so YAL gives them a GREAT deal and provides this invaluable training and experience for a pretty darn low registration fee, counting on its donors to help cover the costs, which is NOT cheap.
I'm really kicking myself for not being at the convention this year (instead I'm sitting here on my futon in Colorado writing blog articles), but I figured all of us at The Humble Libertarian could be a part of it in an important way by helping YAL out with the expenses of training all these future libertarian leaders.
Every little bit helps! If we can be a part of this in just a tiny way, it makes a huge difference for these young people aspiring to change the direction of our country for the better. My goal is to raise just $350 over the course of this week in a "mini-bomb" for Young Americans for Liberty, the reason being $35 pays for one student's books and supplies provided by YAL at this convention. If The Humble Libertarian can sponsor 10 students' books and supplies, we will have made a real difference and these students will be incredibly grateful!
I've already put down 20% today and donated $70 to Young Americans for Liberty for this purpose. So there are only 8 students' worth of supplies left for us to cover to reach this goal. In the end, I think there are fewer ways to donate your political dollars that will have as powerful an impact, both immediately and in the long term, than donating to YAL. There's a reason that dictators target young people so intensively when they assume power. There's a reason George Soros once said that the money he spends to convert a young mind to his cause is the best money he can spend.
In addition to being our future leaders, these young activists' efforts are helping win campaigns right now (and if you don't believe me, I can give you the names of more than a hundred of us YAL-trained activists who I know personally who helped Rand Paul win his primary in Kentucky, Justin Amash win his general election in Michigan, and who have worked in campaigns on a state and local level around the country to help liberty candidates win).
So please visit this secure page on YAL's website right now and make a contribution to our country's future! In the project code field on the bottom left, please put "Humble Libertarian." This is for tracking purposes only. I am not getting paid or taking cut to raise this money for YAL. This little mini-bomb is just an idea I approached YAL with myself, and really want to do in order to make a difference.
I love to educate about liberty and take rhetorical shots at the establishment on this website, but I'd like to start taking more action too. With the project code "Humble Libertarian," YAL is going to keep me informed of just how much we raise for them so I can keep you informed!
If you have any questions or want to hear more information from me before donating, please email me and I would be glad to speak with you personally about how important YAL is and what a difference it has already made in our political process in such a short time. Thanks so much!
Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
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