Young Americans for Freedom

Young Americans for Freedom

Abbreviation	YAF
Formation	September 11, 1960
Type	Conservative Youth Organization
Purpose	Conservative Activism
Region served	United States of America
Program Officer	Lauren McCue
National Chairman	Grant Strobl
Affiliations	Young America's Foundation, National Journalism Center, The Reagan Ranch
Slogan	Passing on the Torch of Freedom
Website	http://www.yaf.com

Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960 as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians on American college campuses. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the chapter affiliate of Young America's Foundation. The purposes of YAF are to advocate for public policies consistent with the Sharon Statement, which was adopted by young conservatives at a meeting at the home of William F. Buckley in Sharon, Connecticut, on September 11, 1960: to promote social welfare and individual freedom; to study any legislation from any governmental bodies or agencies that seek to affect social and economic problems of the individual; to support the preservation and enhancement of individual freedom for all Americans; to provide aid and information to students and such young adults throughout the nation to assist them in achieving and maintaining the ideological realization of the beliefs in the Sharon Statement; and to maintain and operate a chapter-based organization with national, regional and local networks throughout the United States of America.

While the 1960s were its most successful years in terms of numbers and influence, YAF has experienced a resurgence in recent years, becoming active as a national organization with chapters on college and high school campuses throughout the United States. YAF's official publication is "The New Guard".

Historians have emphasized the bitter factionalism inside YAF starting in the 1960s. Kenneth Heineman writes, "YAF itself suffered internal strife. In 1969 the organization split into competing, irreconcilable factions." Gregory L. Schneider states, "In the mid-1970s YAF suffered from weak leadership based on factions and personalities rather than ability". Jerome Tuccile adds, "The second faction of rebels consisted of radical libertarians or anarchists, most of them belonging to Karl Hess IV's Anarcho-libertarian Alliance. This contingent was more interested in splitting off from YAF entirely." Rebecca E. Klatch writes, "When one young libertarian burned his draft card on the convention floor, the crowd turned into an angry mob and, ultimately, purged all libertarians from YAF. One libertarian faction stormed out of the meeting."