Recently, we launched a debate program in which our students took on difficult questions like “Is Violent Revolution a Justified Response to Political Oppression?” The student leaders who participated in this tournament were given a challenging topic, providing them with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability as speakers and debaters. Their responses do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the students involved, or indeed of Students For Liberty. In fact, participants flipped a coin to determine which side of the issue they would champion.
Three prominent academics in the liberty movement, Dr. Randy Barnett, Jason Brennan, and Tom Palmer, served as judges. In the end, Isadore Johnson of the University of Connecticut took home the top prize.
We know that our students are the best, the brightest, and the most committed to the future of liberty. Still, they can sometimes take us by surprise with the scale of their dedication. Take Andrew Allison, for example.
Andrew, a Students For Liberty coordinator at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, signed up for our debate program – and, as first runner up in the semi-finals, received a $100 prize. He donated that money back to Students For Liberty, saying that he wanted to help the organization that supported him.
“I decided to become a local coordinator for Students For Liberty because I wanted to foster community among young libertarians in Waterloo,” Andrew said. “My time with the organization has been incredible. I’ve gained access to tons of resources that I wouldn’t otherwise have such as lectures, career advice, and other ways to get involved in the liberty movement. Students For Liberty has also given me an opportunity to connect with other libertarians within Canada and across the globe. Most importantly, they have given me the resources necessary to support my own small organization, Waterloo Students For Liberty, which has been a source of community, camaraderie, and support for the few of us that want to defend liberty in the city we love.”
Andrew said that it was important to give the same opportunity to others in the liberty community. “One of the resources that Students For Liberty provided was a debate tournament in which we were trained by Yusuf Mahmood in formal debate. I was fortunate enough to earn third place in the tournament and win $100. I donated my winnings back to Students For Liberty so that they can continue to support other local coordinators like myself and help foster the community that has become indispensable to my activism in other cities all over the world. The liberty movement needs the money more than I ever will.”
Looking to the future is what we do here at Students For Liberty. We educate, empower, and develop the future leaders of liberty to protect future generations from dangerous ideologies. It is incredible to think that those future leaders are also looking to the generations beyond themselves.
To support students like Andrew and Isadore, you can invest in the future of liberty by clicking on the button below.
