The Spirit That Drives Students For Liberty
In the course of fulfilling our day-to-day tasks related to Students For Liberty and the broader movement to advocate for economic and social liberties, it is oft forgotten to take a step back and reflect on the beauty and success of what we’ve created.
Whether in the wee hours of the night in meetings with colleagues, the long and arduous weekends at retreats and conferences that test the elasticity of the portions of our brains that memorize faces and names, or the endless weeks of toil that go into planning a long-term project or event, we are often so deeply imbedded in the execution of our work that we simply become blind to the totality of our accomplishments.
What makes Students For Liberty incredible is that hundreds, if not thousands, of young people around the world are working autonomously toward a goal that is defined more by its adherents than any envisioned plan.
Our ranks are replete with ambitious and creative leaders who individually spin the wheels and beat the drums of liberty according to their own magic formula derived from local culture, knowledge, and skill. It’s from these individuals that anyone who calls themselves an SFLer derives their drive and passion for spreading the ideas of liberty.
Luxembourgish Local Coordinator Bill Wirtz speaks at the 2017 LibertyCon in Prague.
Many of us began in this movement and this organization with an insignificant piece of the puzzle in hand.
Since then, thanks to our model of training and operation, we’ve been able to learn, to grow, to strive, and to prosper. We’ve become professionalized and articulate. We have the ability to mentor others. We’re now architects for building popular support for the ideas of libertarianism and classical liberalism. We’ve gone from small-time tabling on our campuses to managing weekend-long conferences with hundreds of students who want to carry on the work of spreading freedom.
I write these words because I believe it is vital, in the course of our work, to iterate exactly why Students For Liberty is exceptional when compared to any other movement and organization in the world.
Since I joined this movement as a volunteer in 2013, I’ve seen generations of leaders come and go, thrusting forward a unique spirit that burns hotter with each new face and soul that wants to promote liberty beyond just the walls of their own dorm room or home.
In my travels to help support and train our global leaders, whether in the United States, Australia, India, Brazil, or up and down the European continent, I’ve met passionate young people with creativity and thirst for new initiatives, fueled by the desire to educate, develop, and empower their peers and classmates.
On school campuses the world over, they engender spontaneous action and plot the course for spreading liberty, acting on the principles SFL has instilled in each one through our training programs over the years.
Events Associate Milica Kostic, Israeli National Coordinator Anna Shnaidman, Events Associate Michal Šindlář at the 2017 LibertyCon.
These fine individuals are carrying the torch of freedom handed down from previous generations of leaders who laid the foundation for our model of ideas-based activism.
I am entirely optimistic convinced that these visions and projects will be realized in due time. And that will be because of the beautiful and successful model many individuals worked tirelessly to perfect since the dawn of SFL.
I’m ecstatic to be a part of this organization and have big hopes about the future of SFL over the course of the next few months, and the next few years. That’s why I support the movement financially as a member of Alumni For Liberty. That’s why I meet with supporters and investors who believe in our cause and want to be a part of the change. They donate their hard-earned money so that we can invest directly into effective leaders who are training today to make tomorrow’s world a freer place.
That’s why I’m proud to say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without Students For Liberty, and neither would thousands of other dedicated pro-liberty individuals who are making a difference now.
If you want to continue supporting this movement, consider making a donation. If you want to get involved as an activist, apply to join one of the regional local coordinator programs. Get involved. Make a change.