Kevin DeAnna

Youth for Western Civilization is, in many ways, a victim of its own success.  We launched onto the national scene and immediately acquired a reputation far beyond our own resources.  We were a co-sponsor at last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and had a huge rollout featuring Tom Tancredo and Bay Buchanan.  We gained nationwide news coverage with the free speech controversies at the University of North Carolina and Providence College.  This past semester, we expanded around the country, with chapters from coast to coast. 

Our adversaries assume that we are like them – astroturfing operations with wealthy backers funding the illusion of a grassroots movement.  In fact, Youth for Western Civilization has been a guerilla operation since day one.  One hundred percent of our membership consists of students.  Every one of them has stood up to intimidation and threats to hold true to our vision of Western revival.  We’ve begged and scraped to even get where we are today.  We have grown from absolutely nothing.  Some multicultural groups on campus receive tens of thousands of dollars from mandatory student activities fees -- more than we received in our entire first year.  As I’ve argued before, the far left today serves as the militant wing of the system – Youth for Western Civilization, and only Youth for Western Civilization is raising the issues of mass immigration, multiculturalism, and ideological indoctrination that the powerful would rather ignore.  Only Youth for Western Civilization challenges the entrenched elites in American higher education. 

Now, Youth for Western Civilization faces a turning point.  To continue our progress, YWC must take the next step and have a full time staff.  It would be impossible for us to try to out-fundraise the lackeys of the powerful or out-huckster the careerists.  Instead, we are taking a new approach.  I have recruited three dedicated activists who are willing to work for no salary.  We are setting up a headquarters building that will serve as a combined residence/office for a full time YWC staff of four.  We also have a nearby chapter of YWC where our activists can help us build up our organization.  This is the most cost-effective way we can build this organization – and it is only possible because the dedication and courage of our activists cannot be surpassed.

I am asking for 300 donors to do what they can to match the courage of our activists who are struggling against all odds on college campuses around this country.  We are asking for $10 a month. In return, we will have a full time staff of four and an internship program that will further increase our strength.  There is simply no other organization that can take such a modest investment so far. 

For the cost of a movie ticket, we will give our supporters a movement that I believe will change the face of this country. Join the 300.  Stand with YWC by pledging $10 a month.

America's leading right-leaning daily has a column from Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs about the end of Europe and why Americans should care.  These kinds of articles are not uncommon in the American conservative press and this one is worth a read, as is Pamela Geller's material generally.  However, once you've gotten yourself good and outraged, what then?  Vote Republican?  Vent on your blog?  It will take more than that to save our civilization.

Europe's Looming Demise by Pamela Geller

"The Europe as you know it from visiting, from your parents or friends is on the verge of collapsing," Geert Wilders said in a speech in the United States last year.

The leader of the Netherlands' populist Party for Freedom added: "We are now witnessing profound changes that will forever alter Europe's destiny and might send the Continent in what Ronald Reagan called 'a thousand years of darkness.' " And not just Europe, but America as well.

Been to Europe lately? Thought it was bad? You ain't seen nothing yet. The passage of the Lisbon Treaty, hailed by President Obama, nailed the coffin shut on national sovereignty in Europe. The people of Europe fought it, but were overwhelmed by their political elites and the lack of American leadership in this age of our rather Marxist, collectivist U.S. president.

Read the rest here

Step one is to get off the couch and join the resistance.  Get active and join Youth for Western Civilization today! 

On December 3, some 230 of the most important conservative leaders and activists in the country gathered in the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., to honor the life and legacy of conservative luminary Paul Weyrich (founder of the Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation) at the first-annual Paul Weyrich Awards Dinner.  Paul Weyrich was a true titan of the liberty movement in this country, a champion of Western traditionalism, a master organizer and strategist, and we continue to mourn his loss.

In commemoration of Paul Weyrich's contributions to the conservative movement, numerous awards were given out to honor "leaders in the conservative movement who have made significant contributions in the cause of liberty."

Among the recipients of the awards was YWC's own vice president, Devin Saucier.  Devin was nominated and declared a finalist in the category of Youth Leader of the Year for his service as president of Vanderbilt's YWC chapter and vice president of the national group.  He received a plaque for his contributions to the cause of liberty.

Other notable honorees included Glenn Beck (Media Person of the Year), Senator Jim DeMint (National Legislator of the Year), and Phyllis Schlafly (Conservative Hall of Fame – Lifetime Contribution).

Pictured above is Devin with (from left to right), former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Morton Blackwell of the Leadership Institute (the man who gave me my start in youth politics and who founded and leads one of the most important organizations in the country), and Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring.  Devin and YWC are moving up in the world, and in the movement.  I couldn’t be more proud.

I congratulate Devin for his accomplishments, look forward to his leadership at Vanderbilt this spring, and anticipate future victories as we continue our work for the conservative movement. 

Congrats comrade, and keep up the good work. 

For the West,

Kevin J. DeAnna
President, YWC

I had to laugh when I read a headline claiming "YWC Defeated."  We are used to the media lying -- here, once again, nothing could be further from the truth.

Youth for Western Civilization has a great advantage over its violent, bigoted, and generally confused opponents.  If we openly organize, we win a great victory because our mere existence gives the lie to the idea that students do not resist radical multiculturalism and the left-wing indoctrination on their campuses.  If we are banned by the school, we show the real nature of the system that governs American higher education, and show what our opponents really think about true diversity, intellectual freedom, and serious scholarship.  We win, as long as our courage holds.

Tim's courage has held.  I have been in constant consultation with him over the last couple days, and we will continue to fight for official recognition from Providence College.  That said, I am not naive enough to pretend that the process has anything to do with objectivity, fairness, or any kind of real standard.  I do not grant the legitimacy of their system or their right to tell us what clubs can or cannot exist on campus.

We win as long as Youth for Western Civilization members keep the faith and keep fighting and organizing for real change on America's college campuses.  Our honorary chairman, Congressman Tom Tancredo once said of his time in Congress, "My ability to get things done does not depend on the rules of this place."  YWC at Providence College does not depend on the sanction of radical leftists to exist.  It exists at Providence, as with any other campus, as long as students want it to exist.  Having received emails and phone calls from Providence students for the last couple days, I am persuaded that the chapter exists, and that Tim is their leader.

We have shown the true nature of Providence College.  I look forward to the continued activism of Youth for Western Civilization at Providence College, as well as our other chapters around the country. It is going to be a great spring semester.

This past weekend Youth for Western Civilization was a co-sponsor at the College Republican National Convention. We were in the company of several other organizations like the David Horowitz Freedom Center, FairTax.org, GOProud, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Young America’s Foundation, and others.

While we are a non-partisan organization, the College Republicans have a number of hard working conservatives in their ranks and a number of our members are College Republican members, officials, or chapter chairmen. For example, both our Vanderbilt President and Vice-President will be serving as VP's of the Vandy College Republicans chapter. A member of the American chapter is Vice-President of the College Republicans there. We have chapter chairmen in Massachusetts and officials in other states.

Therefore, we decided to take our message to the students.

We received a great response and received new contacts that will allow us to grow our organization. We enjoyed ourselves throughout the weekend as we had many great conversations with other conservatives about such pressing issues such as illegal immigration, affirmative action and leftist indoctrination on college campuses. During the convention's dinner, we even had the honor of meeting Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Even though we as an organization are a 501c3 and thus do not support specific candidates, legislation or political parties, our members' individual involvement with the Grand Old Party made it necessary for us to show our link to the College Republicans. As we have established contact with possible new chapter leaders and made ourselves known to those who weren't that familiar with Youth for Western Civilization yet, the weekend was very successful. We are looking forward to increasing our presence, especially in the Midwest.