5th International Students For Liberty Conference
What: The World’s Largest Gathering of Pro-Liberty Students
Date: Friday, February 17 – Sunday, February 19, 2012
Where: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington DC
Map: Download the Hyatt DC Street Map here
Time: View the schedule here
Advanced Registration is now closed.
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We are pleased to invite all students and non-students interested in liberty to attend the 2012 International Students For Liberty Conference! The International SFL Conference is the premiere event of the year for students dedicated to liberty and advancing freedom on campus. The world’s largest crowd of pro-liberty students will gather for a weekend of learning about liberty from contemporary leaders in liberty, discussing best practices for promoting liberty on campus, and getting more involved in the larger movement for liberty.
In addition to being a weekend of celebration the ISFLC is an event where speakers are invited from all across the liberty spectrum. The presenters may believe in differing (and sometimes competing) philosophies of social change and views on society, providing a great opportunity to learn and grow. The subjects covered will span everything from activism on campus to liberty 101, civil liberties, anarchy, austrian economics, the drug war, gun rights working within the system and opting out, and much more.
As John Stuart Mill discusses in “On Liberty”, free discussion is necessary for intellectual progress and we all benefit from a constant reevaluation of our beliefs. The ISFLC provides a unique opportunity to discuss and debate in a friendly environment with peers and professors about all matters of liberty and have a great time doing it. After each day of intellectual stimulation there will be socials sponsored by SFL’s partners all around Washington DC. At these socials you can continue the discussion in a more casual environment with your new friends and philosophical sparring partners.
The ISFLC has grown every year in both size and quality of the experience:
2008 – The inaugural Students For Liberty Conference in 2008 drew 100 students from 42 schools in 3 countries.
2009 – The 2009 International SFL Conference brought 153 students from 86 schools in 13 countries together.
2010 – The 2010 ISFLC drew 304 young liberty advocates through “Snowpocalypse” to Washington DC.
2011 – The 2011 conference broke all the previous records with over 500 attendees (click here for a recap)
2012 – The biggest student libertarian conference yet, featuring:
- Top speakers in the liberty movement.
- Saturday & Sunday Breakout Tracks on topics ranging from “Intro to Libertarianism” to “Effective Student Organizing” to “Advanced Austrian Economics”. More details forthcoming!
- Sponsors and Exhibitors representing some of the most active organizations fighting for liberty today who are interested in networking with the future leaders of the liberty movement. Click here to become a sponsor or exhibitor.
- Special Housing Options.
- Networking with your fellow students and leaders of the liberty movement at nightly Social events with free drinks, both hard and soft.
- Alumni-specific opportunities for non-students to remain involved in the liberty movement.
Opening Performance by GoRemy
The 2012 International Students For Liberty Conference will open with a bang with a special guest performance by GoRemy, the creator and star of such videos as the Raise the Debt Ceiling Rap, The Arlington Rap, TurboTax: The Rap, and many more!
Alumnus of the Year & Friday Keynote Peter Thiel
We are thrilled to announce that the first recipient of the SFL Alumnus of the Year Award and our Friday Night Keynote will be libertarian entrepreneur, PayPal founder, Facebook investor, and venture capitalist Peter Thiel!
Peter Thiel first gained attention for innovations in banking and startup finance. Today he is known as the mentor of the PayPal group of entrepreneurs, as well as for his warnings of a coming technology deficit with severe economic consequences. He works to accelerate innovation to prevent such a crisis by identifying and funding promising technology ideas and by guiding successful companies to scale and dominate their industries.
In 1998, Mr. Thiel co-founded and lead PayPal. In 2002, he sold PayPal to eBay and founded a global macro fund, Clarium. In 2004, he co-founded Palantir Technologies, which offers platforms for finance companies and intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities to integrate, visualize, and analyze the world’s information. In the same year, he made the first outside investment in Facebook. In 2010, Mr. Thiel created the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship, which nurtures the tech visionaries of tomorrow. You can read his full bio here.
Saturday Taping of the STOSSEL Show
John Stossel is the most recognized libertarian spokesman alive today. His long run as a reporter for ABC’s 20/20 exposed millions of people to the follies of government intervention. His new show Stossel on Fox Business News provides a wonderful platform to discuss the ideas of liberty and get them out to a wide audience.
We made history in 2011 by recording an episode of the STOSSEL Show at the ISFLC which was later broadcast worldwide on the Fox Business Network. Featuring John Stossel, Cato Vice President David Boaz, and the hundreds of student attendees, that show was such a success that Stossel is coming back for a repeat performance in 2012!
This year John will be bringing with him not just one guest but a libertarian all-star lineup with different special guests for each segment. Our special guests will be announced as we get closer to the conference.
Last year we announced our presence and showed the world that the student movement for liberty is a force to be reckoned with. That not only do John Stossel and David Boaz believe in liberty, but hundreds of passionate college students as well. Now we have the chance to show them how quickly our movement is growing.
As with last year the STOSSEL taping is open to the public.
The SFL Awards Presentations
One of the highlights of the International Students For Liberty Conference is the Annual Awards Presentation. The student movement for liberty is full of passionate, hard working individuals, and we seek to honor their efforts. Award recipients are chosen based on their hard work, organizational skills, value creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
This year, SFL will present awards for Student of the Year, Event of the Year, and Student Group of the Year along with a new category for Alumnus of the Year. Click here to read about the finalists and vote for the winner!
Registration
This year we have dramatically reduced registration fees so that as many students and alumni* can attend the conference as possible!
Early Registration (Ends October 31)
Student: $10
Alumni $20
Standard Registration (Ends December 31)
Student $20
Alumni $35
Late Registration (Ends February 3)
Student $30
Alumni $50
International Students: Registration is free for students coming from outside the United States of America. Letters of Invitation will only be available to students who register before December 9, 2011. Click here for more information.
* We use “alumni” to encompass all individuals who are not students, but are supportive of liberty. The conference is not restricted solely to students or individuals who participated in SFL as students.
** Registration for the ISFLC provides individuals with access to all conference sessions including Keynotes, breakouts, exhibitor fair, and tracks. Note that in past years registration has included meals during the conference. However, due the growing size of the conference we are no longer able to offer food as a part of registration. There are many restaurants and delis near the conference site and breaks will be scheduled throughout the event so attendees can get food as they please.
Media
For media inquiries please contact SFL Communications Manager Megan Roberts at MRoberts@studentsforliberty.org.
Conference Features
- Schedule
- Housing & Parking
- Breakout Sessions, Something for Everyone
- Sponsorship
- Sponsors & Exhibitors List
- Social Events
- Full Speakers List and Bios
- For International Students
- Liberty Fund Session @ the ISFLC
