Leadership:
- Ben Estell- Chairman
- Brian Cao - Vice Chairman
- Prosper Waldmann - Treasurer
- Sydney Wills - Secretary
Who We Are
Young Americans for Freedom at The University of Michigan is made up of passionate undergraduate and graduate students whose goal is to educate students about conservative values and the principles of limited government. Young Americans for Freedom is a project of Young America's Foundation, which is a national non-profit organization which was founded in 1960 to develop and promote conservative ideas among our nation's young people. While the YAF chapter at the University of Michigan was originally founded decades ago, the chapter was reorganized in 2015 after being dormant for several years. Since then, the chapter has hosted the likes of Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, and other speakers, in addition to weekly meetings, tabling, and social events. Our chapter also won YAF Chapter of the Year in 2019.
What We Do
Our chapter promotes conservative ideas on campus through weekly meetings, speaking events, tabling, and social events.
Meetings
Our chapter meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Room D of the Michigan League. We typically discuss current issues and important conservative ideas as a group. Board members often give presentations on specific topics of interest to spur a deeper dive into the issues. Members and non-members are free to join us at our meetings to discuss the issues and meet fellow conservatives.
Speakers
Our chapter promotes conservative ideas through speaking events each year. Our speaking events (typically one each semester) are designed to give U of M students the opportunity to hear from some of the most prominent and cutting edge conservative voices, as well as ask questions during the Q&A portion of the event. Our events are always free and usually live streamed on YAF's Youtube channel.
Tabling
Our chapter promotes conservative ideas on campus by tabling in support of various topics several times each semester. We typically set up a table on the Diag or in Mason Hall to discuss conservative ideas with students. We also take part in YAF's 9/11 Never Forget Memorial each September, where we place 2,977 flags on the Diag to honor those who lost their lives on September 11th.
Social Events
Our chapter also hosts social events to have fun together as a chapter. We typically hang out several times each semester to play paintball, walk around the Arb, go ice skating at Yost, or enjoy a bonfire.
Conferences
Members from our chapter typically attend several YAF conferences throughout the year. See yaf.org/events for more information
What We Stand For
Young Americans for Freedom at The University of Michigan is a non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization dedicated to promoting conservative ideas of free enterprise, limited government, and a strong national defense. We are not wedded to any particularly political party or candidates for public office: meaning that we advocate for conservative principles without the concern of pleasing Washington interests. Our goal is to provide a visible presence for the Conservative Movement, energize other students, and encourage students to speak out.
The Sharon Statement
In this time of moral and political crises, it is the responsibility of the youth of America to affirm certain eternal truths.
We, as young conservatives, believe:
That foremost among the transcendent values is the individual’s use of his God-given free will, whence derives his right to be free from the restrictions of arbitrary force;
That liberty is indivisible, and that political freedom cannot long exist without economic freedom;
That the purpose of government is to protect those freedoms through the preservation of internal order, the provision of national defense, and the administration of justice;
That when government ventures beyond these rightful functions, it accumulates power, which tends to diminish order and liberty;
That the Constitution of the United States is the best arrangement yet devised for empowering government to fulfill its proper role, while restraining it from the concentration and abuse of power;
That the genius of the Constitution—the division of powers—is summed up in the clause that reserves primacy to the several states, or to the people, in those spheres not specifically delegated to the Federal government;
That the market economy, allocating resources by the free play of supply and demand, is the single economic system compatible with the requirements of personal freedom and constitutional government, and that it is at the same time the most productive supplier of human needs;
That when government interferes with the work of the market economy, it tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation; that when it takes from one man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both;
That we will be free only so long as the national sovereignty of the United States is secure; that history shows periods of freedom are rare, and can exist only when free citizens concertedly defend their rights against all enemies;
That the forces of international Communism are, at present, the greatest single threat to these liberties;
That the United States should stress victory over, rather than coexistence with, this menace; and
That American foreign policy must be judged by this criterion: does it serve the just interests of the United States?