Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a non-profit organization “whose mission is to train, educate, and mobilize youth activists committed to “winning on principle”… [And to] cast the leaders of tomorrow and reclaim the policies, candidates, and direction of (American) government.”
YAL exists as a continuation of the group Students For Ron Paul (SFP), which established over 500 college and high school chapters in all 50 states, including over 26,000 students during Congressman Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign. YAL also operates in conjunction with Congressman Paul’s Campaign For Liberty.
YAL just released its 2010 Spring Semester Activity Report, which details the wide range of events that YAL chapters held on college campuses across the country. While the entire report is worth reading, several highlights include:
- Producing a video entitled “I Pledge”; a response to this video where celebrities pledge to “be a servant to our President,” among other things
- Sponsoring over 200 YAL students’ attendance at CPAC 2010, where they distributed nearly 1,200 pocket Constitutions to CPAC attendees
- Awarding activism grants to enable student groups to host pro-liberty speakers on campus
- Raising awareness of the Nolan Chart by giving students the opportunity to take the “World’s Smallest Political Quiz”
- Partnering with Senator-elect Rand Paul’s campaign staff to assist in voter outreach and improving youth voter turnout
While YAL has found exceptional success, they are not alone. Other organizations like Students For Liberty have increased their presence on college campuses across the country and around the world. Last week, I wrote about Students For Liberty’s 2010-11 Midyear Report (see that post here).
The success of each of these organizations coincides with a Canadian poll released earlier this month, which found 74% of Canadians aged 18-29 believe that the government should rely more on the private sector to accomplish infrastructure and public service goals (see my coverage of that poll here).
As pro-liberty organizations dedicated to student outreach experience sustained growth and success, they are proving that student outreach is not a zero-sum game. At this point it is safe to say that the student liberty movement has become impossible to ignore.
Harris Kenny is a research assistant at Reason Foundation