Young America's Foundation - Organizational Activities

Organizational Activities

Young America’s Foundation produces a magazine called Libertas. It is a quarterly newsletter that reports on the activities, conferences, lecture programs, Reagan Ranch, activist resources, and upcoming events. 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 Christian or Catholic foundation.

Young America’s Foundation’s mission is to instill, in young people, the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. In order to achieve this goal, YAF provides conferences, seminars, educational materials, interships, and 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 New York Times 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.