On December 16th through the 19th I got the chance to attend a conference with 600 likeminded high school and college students, it was amazing. The conference that I am talking about is Turning Point USA's Winter in West Palm Beach Activist Retreat. This constituted of 600 young conservatives, from all over the country, interested in finding out how they can spread their love of capitalism around their campuses. The retreat consisted of lectures from political figures spanning from Tomi Lahren to Congressman Thomas Massie, Ted Cruz, Ben Shapiro and even Donald Trump Jr.. The students learned how to combat leftist lies on campus and how to use social media and on-campus tactics to influence their peers.
Turning Point USA was founded by 18-year-old Charlie Kirk. He is now 22 years old and has appeared on multiple television stations hundreds of times. He has also written a book describing Turning Point USAs purpose called A Time for A Turning Point. The organization that was started just four years ago has already spread to over 1,100 high school and college campuses. The organization aims to educate students about limited governments, free markets and fiscal responsibility. They do this by reaching out to fellow millennials by putting their information into "meme" form which is the best way to grab attention on school campuses. Not only did the students get to learn more about Turning Point USA, but they also got the chance to learn more about other organizations that might interest them.
It is rare, but refreshing to see millennial conservatives, especially ones that are going out of their way to share their beliefs and try to start a movement. These young conservatives had plenty of chances to ask some of their idols for tips or tricks whether it came to being activists or wanting to go into politics. Many students also voiced their concerns over how their political views could interfere with the way that their professors grade their work. During this conference they learned about the different ways that they could combat this bias and hold their professors and colleges accountable.
These students had an amazing weekend in West Palm Beach. They got to see some of their favorite political figures, listen in on a debate and make friendships that will last a lifetime.
For more information about Turning Point USA and its conferences please visit http://tpusa.com/
