For the first time in years, a political club now has a presence at Rocky Mountain College. Young Americans for Liberty is a club that was formed at Rocky to advance liberty principles within the youth. For a small school with under 1,000 students, it can sometimes be a challenge to recruit people to join a new club, especially a club that enjoys a good political discussion. However, I encourage you to find out more about the club below, and come say hello at our next meetings. In the height of an important presidential election, it’s important to identify and understand key policy issues that have the potential to change your life.

Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a non profit that was established in 2008. It was originally formed by Students for Ron Paul, which was a group that was in support of the candidate when he was running for president. The group then transformed into YAL, and even gained the support of the ultimate libertarian candidate, Ron Paul himself. The mission of the national non-profit is to “identify, educate, train, and mobilize youth activists committed to ‘winning on principle.’” Their goal “is to cast the leaders of tomorrow and reclaim the policies, candidates, and direction of our government.”

With a base in Arlington, Virginia, they accomplish this goal by having over 700 YAL chapters throughout the country. Essentially, universities across the nation have student run chapters in the forms of school clubs where they advocate for libertarian principles. These clubs then meet, discuss policy issues, hold activism events around campus and in the community, and encourage honest discourse on real issues that are relevant to society.

Here at Rocky, we meet once a week on Wednesdays at 5:30 pm in Tyler 207. We welcome and encourage all political ideas and backgrounds to join. Although most of us define with the libertarian philosophies, the more beliefs we have represented, the more we may be able to delve into certain topics and policy areas. Keep an eye out for events we throw on campus advocating for more economic and personal liberties. For more information about the club, email molly.davis@rocky.edu and be sure to like our facebook page.