Young America's Foundation

Not to be confused with Young Americans for Freedom.

Young America's Foundation

File:YoungAmericasFoundationLogo.png
Abbreviation	YAF
Formation	1969
Type	501(c)(3)
Purpose	Conservative Youth Organization
Headquarters	11480 Commerce Park Drive, Sixth Floor, Reston, VA 20191
Region served	United States of America
President	Ron Robinson
Affiliations	Young Americans for Freedom, National Journalism Center, The Reagan Ranch
Budget	Revenue: $22,155,329 Expenses: $16,580,857 (FYE December 2012)
Slogan	The Conservative Movement Starts Here
Website	http://www.yaf.org

Young America's Foundation (YAF) is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, whose mission is to educate students about conservative principles through conferences and seminars, campus lectures, and campus activism.

History

Young America's Foundation was founded in 1969 at Vanderbilt University when students formed an organization called University Information Services (UIS). UIS was established to provide students with a familial atmosphere to express their conservative beliefs. When UIS became a national organization in the early 1970s, it changed its name to Young America’s Foundation. Young America's Foundation held the first National Conservative Student Conference in 1979. It is a co-founder of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and has been a prominent supporter of the event since then.

Ron Robinson has been president of Young America's Foundation since 1977.

In 1998, Young America's Foundation purchased Rancho del Cielo, the Santa Barbara, California ranch of Ronald Reagan.

Organizational information

Young America’s Foundation is a tax-exempt educational foundation. The Foundation's programs include lectures on college and high school campuses, conferences throughout the United States, and campus activism initiatives. These programs are broadcast on C-SPAN. Young America's Foundation also preserves the Ronald Reagan Ranch, runs the National Journalism Center (NJC), and oversees Young Americans for Freedom.

Organizational activities

Young America’s Foundation produces a magazine called Libertas. It is a quarterly magazine that reports on the Foundation's programs. The magazine also dedicates a section to recognize achievements by noteworthy alumni of the Young America’s Foundation.

Every year, the YAF announces the top 10 conservative colleges in the nation. In 2008, the fourth annual “Top Ten Conservative College” list was unveiled. The list was created in response to inquiries from members about recommendations for conservative colleges. YAF claims that other rankings, such as U.S. News & World Report's release of “America’s Best Colleges”, do not take into account the overall college experience. Young America’s Foundation focuses on the overall conservative experience offered by a college. The list for 2008 includes the following schools: Christendom College, College of the Ozarks, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Grove City College, Harding University, Hillsdale College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Liberty University, Saint Vincent College, and Thomas Aquinas College. The list was identical to the list published in 2007. All of the colleges listed have a Protestant or Catholic foundation.

Young America’s Foundation’s mission is to instill in young people the ideas of individual freedom, limited government, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. In order to achieve this goal, YAF provides conferences, seminars, educational materials, interships, and access to prominent speakers to young people across the country. YAF’s slogan is “The Conservative Movement Starts Here.” YAF considers itself the starting point to the Conservative Movement because it attempts to reach young students and educate them in conservative thought and rhetoric. A Time Magazine article written in 2004 details some of the rhetoric used by YAF. Author John Cloud says that conservative students have borrowed the left’s rhetoric of victim-hood. He goes on to say that conservatives carve out pockets for themselves among universities in which liberals control the faculty, the curriculum, and the resources. They have even gone so far as to support “intellectual diversity” on campus. The article also points to controversial tactics used when distributing fliers on college campuses. In 2000, before a speech given by conservative Michelle Easton, fliers were passed out reading: “What does a woman REALLY want? Husband. Children. Picket Fence.” YAF official Patrick Coyle recommends tactics to thwart liberal influence at conservative YAF-sponsored events. He tells students to take signs from people at events on the grounds that they may be used as weapons. He also advised conservatives to be ready with questions at the end of a lecture so that the left did not have a chance to “take over” Q and A sessions.

Conferences

Annually, Young America’s Foundation holds college and high school conferences to educate students from around the country on conservative principles. Well-known conferences include The National Conservative Student Conference; The National High School Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.; and the Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California. These conferences are intended to introduce students to conservative thought; no prior experience on the subject is necessary. The conferences consist of briefings and discussions with conservative leaders, as well as tours for the respective locations.

College conferences are also a part of YAF’s activities. The National Conservative Student Conference held its 30th annual meeting on August 3–9, 2008 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. This conference brings conservative leaders from across to country to speak to college students interested in learning about conservative thought. Some speakers from the 2008 conference include George Allen and Fred Barnes. Founder Ron Robinson, president of YAF, says that after attending these conferences, he hopes that students understand that “they are not going to get a complete education from their schools.”

The West Coast Leadership Conference was held November 14–15, 2008 in Santa Barbara, California. The conference featured several speakers on a variety of topics including free markets, limited government, national defense, personal responsibility, traditional values, and the ideas and principles of President Ronald Reagan. The conference is the largest of the Conservative Movement of its type. It offered books, resources, and networking opportunities.

Young America’s Foundation also holds a number of regional conferences across the country. Young America’s Foundation’s lectures and conferences have had noteworthy success even in more liberal settings. For example, in 2004, Ben Stein, a former Comedy Central host and Nixon aide, spoke at Duke University on behalf of YAF. According to a Time Magazine article, it was the biggest event of the semester in which 200 students had to be turned away at the doors.

Incentive program

In order to encourage young people to participate in their activities on campus, Young America’s Foundation has created a program called Club 100. Under this program, students gain points for organizing rallies on campus or attendance at YAF events. Attending the National Conservative Student Conference is worth 30 points. A total of 100 points earns an individual an invitation to attend a YAF-sponsored retreat at the Reagan Ranch Center. Other rewards include books from conservative authors, including Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, and Michelle Malkin. Points are also good for conservative videos and YAF merchandise. Young America's Foundation encourages its members to surpass the 100 point level. Those who achieve the highest amount of points achieve special benefits from YAF.

Campus chapters

In 2007, Young America's Foundation founded its first chapter at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. As of December 2012, it reportedly had chapters at 100 colleges and universities.

See also

• State Policy Network – a U.S. national network of free-market oriented think tanks of which Young America's is an associate member

References

Bibliography

• Tower, Wells. 2006. "The Kids are Far Right." Harper's Magazine 313, no. 1878: 41-53. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 24, 2008).
• Jacobson, J. (2006, January 6). "Conservative Group Cites Colleges of Like Mind". Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(18), A48-A48. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.

External links

• Official website
• Organizational Profile – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)