Young America's Foundation
Encyclopedia
Young America's Foundation (YAF) is a conservative
youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.
when students formed an organization called University Information Services (UIS). The reason for creating the UIS was 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. The goal of this organization was to bring conservative speakers to campus. It held the first National Conservative Student Conference in 1979. It has been a prominent supporter of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference
for many years.
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
.
. The cost of these programs is around 5.7 million dollars. The organization also cites their work on Reagan Ranch as a charitable contribution to society. The preservation of this center costs YAF around 3 million dollars. Another tax exempting venture includes the National Journalism Center (NJC)
. In 2007, the NJC gave scholarships to over 60 individuals in the amount of $174,269.46.
For 2009, the Young America’s Foundation reported net assets
of $36.1 million. That year, the organization had $13.5 million in total revenues, $13.2 million in total expenses and a net balance of $295,467. In 2009, foundation President Ron Robinson received total salary and benefits of $498,766.
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 conservative 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.
and the Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California. These conferences are intended to introduce students to conservative thought and no prior experience on the subject is necessary. The conferences consist of briefings and discussions with conservative leaders. Tours for the respective locations are also given.
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. There will be a Midwest Conference held in Chicago on March 13–14, 2009. 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 New York Times article , it was the biggest event of the semester in which 200 students had to be turned away at the doors. Stein’s speech garnered more interest than Maya Angelou
who gave a lecture nearly two months prior.
, 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.
in Washington, DC. The first of its kind in the nation, it has provided the model for future expansion efforts, although no other chapters have been founded to date.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.
History
Young America's Foundation was founded in 1969 at Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
when students formed an organization called University Information Services (UIS). The reason for creating the UIS was 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. The goal of this organization was to bring conservative speakers to campus. It held the first National Conservative Student Conference in 1979. It has been a prominent supporter of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States....
for many years.
Ron Robinson has been president of Young America's Foundation since 1977.
In 1998, Young America's Foundation purchased Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo
Rancho del Cielo, or "Sky's or Heaven's Ranch," is a ranch located on the top of the Santa Ynez Mountain range northwest of Santa Barbara, California...
, the Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
ranch of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Organizational Information
Young America’s Foundation is a tax-free organization. According to public records, YAF is exempt because of its organizational activities. These including lectures on college campuses, conferences throughout the nation, and internships. According to the YAF, these programs reach thousands of students and millions more nationwide when broadcast on C-SPANC-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
. The cost of these programs is around 5.7 million dollars. The organization also cites their work on Reagan Ranch as a charitable contribution to society. The preservation of this center costs YAF around 3 million dollars. Another tax exempting venture includes the National Journalism Center (NJC)
National Journalism Center
The National Journalism Center, established in 1977 by conservative journalist M. Stanton Evans, runs programs and internships for journalism students to help them to become professional journalists, and to educate them on topics which relate to conservative political issues and values.-...
. In 2007, the NJC gave scholarships to over 60 individuals in the amount of $174,269.46.
For 2009, the Young America’s Foundation reported net assets
Net assets
Net assets, sometimes referred to as net worth, is the shareholders' equity = assets minus liabilities. The term net assets is commonly used with charities or not for profit entities -- a measurement of their ability to reinvest profits toward their mission....
of $36.1 million. That year, the organization had $13.5 million in total revenues, $13.2 million in total expenses and a net balance of $295,467. In 2009, foundation President Ron Robinson received total salary and benefits of $498,766.
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
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
'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
Christendom College
Christendom College is a small Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, Virginia, United States, which is located in the Shenandoah Valley.-Educational Mission:...
, College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian liberal-arts college, with its campus at Point Lookout near Branson and Hollister, Missouri, United States. It is south of Springfield on a campus, overlooking Lake Taneycomo...
, Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic institution located in Steubenville, Ohio, west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. In 1974, Fr...
, Grove City College
Grove City College
Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
, Harding University
Harding University
Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A...
, Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
, Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in Marion, Indiana that is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church denomination...
, Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
, Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
, and Thomas Aquinas College
Thomas Aquinas College
Thomas Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college offering a single integrated academic program. It is located in Santa Paula, California north of Los Angeles. It offers a unique education with courses based on the Great Books and seminar method...
. 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
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, 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 conservative 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 high school conferences to share conservative views with high school students from around the country. More specifically, it hosts The National High School Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and the Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California. These conferences are intended to introduce students to conservative thought and no prior experience on the subject is necessary. The conferences consist of briefings and discussions with conservative leaders. Tours for the respective locations are also given.
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
George Allen (U.S. politician)
George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...
, and Fred Barnes
Fred Barnes (journalist)
Frederic W. Barnes is an American political commentator. He is the executive editor of the news publication The Weekly Standard and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program Special Report with Bret Baier...
. 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. There will be a Midwest Conference held in Chicago on March 13–14, 2009. Young America’s Foundation’s lectures and conferences have had noteworthy success even in more liberal settings. For example, in 2004, Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
, a former Comedy Central host and Nixon aide, spoke at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
on behalf of YAF. According to a New York Times article , it was the biggest event of the semester in which 200 students had to be turned away at the doors. Stein’s speech garnered more interest than Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
who gave a lecture nearly two months prior.
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 CoulterAnn Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
, David Horowitz
David Horowitz
David Joel Horowitz is an American conservative writer and policy advocate. Horowitz was raised by parents who were both members of the American Communist Party. Between 1956 and 1975, Horowitz was an outspoken adherent of the New Left before rejecting Marxism completely...
, and Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...
. 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 their first chapter at the George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in Washington, DC. The first of its kind in the nation, it has provided the model for future expansion efforts, although no other chapters have been founded to date.