Event Overview
If you are a college or high school student at a Catholic school, Young America’s Foundation’s Standing Up for Faith & Freedom seminar is for you.
This one-of-a-kind program helps students at Catholic schools advance conservative ideas, with an understanding that young people encounter unique challenges and opportunities at modern Catholic institutions. The program is not restricted to Catholic students.
Standing Up for Faith & Freedom AgendaPlease click on the speakers name to view the live stream, watch below, or view entire playlist. |
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| Friday, April 6 | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | Ron Robinson, President of Young America's Foundation Welcome and Introductions |
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| 2:30 p.m. | Leila Miller, Catholic author and speaker Topic: Intrinsic Evils vs. Prudential Judgment |
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| 3:30 p.m. | Dr. John Lenczowski, President of the Institute of World Politics Topic: Beyond Theory: The Real-World Implications of Subsidiarity & the Just War Doctrine |
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| 6:00 p.m. | Dinner at YAF Headquarters | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Jay Richards, Catholic University of America professor Topic: Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem |
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| Saturday, April 7 | ||
| 9:00 a.m. | Dr. John Zmirak, Senior editor of the Stream Topic: God, Guns & Freedom: How America's Founding Principles (Still) Advance Catholic Social Teaching |
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| 10:00 a.m. | Dr. Paul Kengor, Grove City College Professor Topic: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century |
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| 11:00 a.m. | Rev. Jerry Pokorsky, Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, VA Topic: Can the Laity be Trusted? |
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| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Brian Burch, Author of The American Catholic Almanac Topic: Messaging Social Justice Issues |
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| 2:00 p.m. | Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America Topic: Advancing the Right to Life on Your Campus |
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| 3:00 p.m. | Patrick Coyle, Vice President of Young America's Foundation Topic: The Secret to Change Your Campus |
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| 5:00 p.m. | Optional: Mass at YAF headquarters | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Dinner | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Rev. William Saunders, Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, Virginia Topic: The Fight for Religious Freedom |
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Young America’s Foundation created Standing Up for Faith & Freedom to advance opportunities for young conservatives that had previously been overlooked by existing efforts. Student leaders are most effective when they address issues that match up with the concerns of students on their campuses. Decades of teaching young people how to identify and respond to issues specific to their campuses demonstrate that students at Catholic schools need specialized training.
Standing Up for Faith & Freedom teaches students of all faiths attending Catholic schools that Catholic teaching is consistent with the conservative principles of human dignity and human freedom.
THE FEE: The cost to attend is $20.00. This includes two nights lodging and four meals.
THE DETAILS: Click here to download all the frequently asked questions.
NEED TRAVEL ASSISTANCE? While travel assistance is never guaranteed, Young America’s Foundation will gladly consider all completed requests.
Travel assistance may be available on a case-by-case basis for those with financial need. If you have financial need, please email a brief essay (no more than a page) to travel@yaf.org that includes:
- Language regarding your financial need
- What you hope to gain by attending the conference
- Your travel plans
- The expected amount of your travel plans and the amount you are requesting. (For example, Expected travel costs from SBA to IAD $500. I am requesting $200 in assistance.) We will not consider your request until we receive the completed documents.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Please click this link.
Young America's Foundation
11480 Commerce Park Drive
Reston, VA 20191
Leila Miller
Catholic blogger and author
Leila Miller first became known as a Catholic writer through her blog, Little Catholic Bubble, but now has turned to books. She is the author of two books, Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak and Raising Chaste Catholic Men, and is currently working on a book for Catholic Answers with Trent Horn, on how to talk to children about the tough moral…
Full Bio
Paul Kengor
Author, Grove City College Professor, and Executive Director of Center for Vision & Values
Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, a four-year, private Christian liberal arts college located in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is executive director of the Center for Vision & Values, a Grove City College think-tank and policy center. He is also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and…
Full Bio
Jay Richards
Assistant Research Professor, The Catholic University of America
Jay W. Richards, Ph.D., is author of many books including the New York Times bestsellers Infiltrated (2013) and Indivisible (2012). He is also the author of Money, Greed, and God, winner of a 2010 Templeton Enterprise Award; and co-author of The Privileged Planet with astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez. His most recent book, co-authored with Jonathan Witt, is The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom…
Full Bio
John Lenczowski
President, Institute of World Politics
John Lenczowski is founder and president of The Institute of World Politics, an independent graduate school of national security and international affairs in Washington, D.C. IWP is dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of American founding principles and the…
Full Bio
Kristan Hawkins
President, Students for Life
Kristan was hired in 2006 to lead Students for Life of America (SFLA). Since launching SFLA’s full-time operation, Kristan has helped more than triple the number of campus pro-life groups in the United States, from 181 to almost 800 in 49 states, and grow the SFLA National Conference from 450 in 2007 to 2,000 in…
Full Bio
Rev. William Saunders
Pastor at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, Virginia
As a priest, Father Saunders has served as the Assistant Pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia (1984-1988), the Campus Chaplain and Adjunct professor of Theology for Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia (1988-1993), and the Assistant Pastor (1993-1995) and subsequently the Pastor (1995-2000) at Queen of Apostles Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. During this…
Full Bio
John Zmirak
Author & Senior editor of The Stream
John Zmirak is a Senior Editor of The Stream, and author of the new Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1986, then his M.F.A. in screenwriting and fiction and his Ph.D. in English in 1996 from Louisiana State University. His focus was the English Renaissance, and the novels of…
Full Bio
Patrick X Coyle
Young America's Foundation Vice President, Activist, Author and Speaker
Patrick Coyle is the vice president for Young America’s Foundation. Human Events named Mr. Coyle as one of the top ten young conservative activists in the nation, citing his success in reaching hundreds of thousands of students by sending high profile conservative speakers to college campuses. He is also co-editor with Foundation president Ron Robinson…
Full Bio
Jerry Pokorsky
Pastor at Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, Virginia
Fr. Jerry Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington who has also served as a financial administrator in the Diocese of Lincoln. Trained in business and accounting, he also holds a Master of Divinity and a Master's in moral theology. Father Pokorsky co-founded both CREDO and Adoremus, two organizations deeply engaged in authentic…
