Young Americans for Freedom, the group founded by William F. Buckley in the 1960s to spread conservative thought among the next generation, has appointed a 20-year-old to be its next chairman.
Grant Strobl, a junior at the University of Michigan and student activist since he was in high school, becomes the youngest chairmen in YAF’s history. YAF, which has 220 chapters and works on over 2,000 campuses, has named Strobl its leading activist four of the last five years. Among other things, he successfully fought his school administration over their decision to ban a screening of American Sniper, and organized a widely covered debate between Bill Ayers and Dinesh D’Souza.
Buckley founded YAF in 1960 with the aim of increasing the number of young Americans that “understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values.” The group tries to spur conservative activism on campuses by talking to students and hosting conferences and other speaker events with notable conservatives like Ben Shapiro. At one point, Ronald Reagan was YAF’s honorary chairman. In 2011, the group merged with the Young America’s Foundation. Strobl is the first student to be picked as chairman since the merger.
“The responsibility that comes with the chairmanship of YAF, including its multi-million-dollar budget and network of thousands of activists, makes Grant the most important undergraduate in the country—a role for which he is remarkably well-prepared,” said Young America’s Foundation President Ron Robinson.
While this election has soured voters on the major parties, one recent study found that millennials are far more likely to identify as conservatives than the previous generations did at the same age. “As a current college student, I believe that my generation will be the conservative generation, and I am determined that YAF will make it so,” Strobl, who is from Grosse Point, Mich., said about his new position.
