Do you have what it takes to entertain a crowd of 2,000+ libertarians? SFL is looking for two talented students to MC and DJ the 2016 International Students For Liberty Conference. Apply below if you think you’re up to snuff.

Have another idea for ISFLC16? SFL wants to hear it!

MC Application — As MC of ISFLC16, your comedic styling will open and close the conference to a packed ballroom. You’ll be responsible for keeping conference goers in good spirits and delivering important updates about the program. As an added benefit, you’ll have the chance to personally meet and introduce SFL staff as well as celebrity speakers. If you’re ready to shine, simply record a 2-5 minute video on YouTube or Vimeo telling your best libertarian comedy jokes. Apply now!

DJ Application — For the first time in ISFLC history, SFL is looking for a DJ to spin some tunes during transitions on the mainstage and events at the exhibitor hall. As the official DJ of ISFLC16, we’ll make sure that you get plenty of name recognition, with mainstage acknowledgements and mentions in the program. Plus, we’ll introduce you to our partner organizations in case they’re looking for a DJ for their evening socials. If you’ve got the chops, send us a link to your best mixtape, mashup, or playlist. Apply now!

Open Proposals — Do you have a big idea for ISFLC16 that you want to put in action? Send it to SFL through our Open Proposals project. Some of our best ISFLC programing has come from students’ ideas, such as the art show and Liberty Fund Conferences. If you’re interested, prepare a one to two page proposal with a budget and send it our way. Apply now!

Have you heard about Nah? He’s a Vietnamese libertarian rapper whose viral hit “F@#& Communism” is blowing up with 900,000+ views on YouTube. And he’s also SFL’s latest confirmed performer at the 2016 International Students For Liberty Conference.

That’s right, Nah will be performing his anti-authoritarian hit in front of the largest annual gathering of libertarian students in the world. Will you be in the crowd?

Nah’s story has gained significant media attention this week. Just yesterday, the Global Post published an article about the rapper’s background:

One of Vietnam’s most subversive new rap songs isn’t about partying, sex or even drugs. It’s simply called “F*ck Communism.” (We added the asterisk.) It’s a six-minute revenge fantasy targeting dirty cops, crooked bureaucrats and the so-called “professional thieves” who run the Communist Party of Vietnam.

 

This song is dangerously rebellious in Vietnam, an authoritarian state that attempts to crush anti-government dissent. It’s also growing really popular. Since its release in January, the track has racked up [900,000+] views on YouTube — and in a country with fewer than 40 million internet users, that’s a huge hit song.

 

Nah, 24, is currently in the US where he’s studying entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University. His student visa expires in the summer of 2016. That’s when he intends to return despite potential charges of creating “propaganda against the state,” a crime used to imprison hundreds of dissidents in the past decade.

Nah’s bravery to stand up against a corrupt regime despite personal risks is what inspired SFL to invite him to ISFLC. Though he may new to the music world, Nah’s strength to fight for liberty shows he’s more hardcore than most rappers in the game.

Come see Nah perform yourself at the 2016 International Students For Liberty Conference —February 26-28, 2016 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC. Register now!

I am pleased to announce the theme for the 2016 International Students For Liberty Conference: The Liberty Vote. Disillusioned by the two-party system, tens of thousands of students have become involved with Students For Liberty since our founding in 2008 in search of an alternative to the empty rhetoric and broken promises of our elected officials.

This is because the Millennial generation is a politically independent one. According to Harvard University’s latest youth survey, 41% of 18- to 29-year-olds identify as Independents, as opposed to Republicans (24%) or Democrats (33%). Our generation is not easily categorized according to the historical political mold. We do not rally around a single political party, strategy of social change, or philosophical stereotype. We are an unpegged generation that will soon decide the intellectual, entrepreneurial, and political destiny of the world.

This is what makes the ISFLC so important. For one weekend every year, thousands of student leaders from around the world descend into Washington, DC to discuss and debate all of the available avenues for bringing about a freer future. Will the two-party system survive? Is a third-party alternative possible? Or, is social change best created outside of the political realm altogether through entrepreneurial innovations like those which make up the sharing economy?

These are the discussions that will shape the future, and we are the generation having them. We are the Liberty Vote.

Some of you might be taken aback at first glance. Why would a big-tent libertarian organization that includes principled nonvoters among its ranks choose such an explicitly political theme? One obvious answer is that 2016 is an election year that will usher in a new president of the United States, and we want to provide a venue for the candidates to discuss the issues that matter most to young people.

However, the Liberty Vote isn’t simply about electing politicians to public office. The Liberty Vote is about the multitude of strategies for social change, whether that means voting for a candidate, voting for a party, voting with your pocketbook, or voting with your feet. There is not one liberty vote, but many different liberty votes, and SFL is dedicated to having them all represented at ISFLC.

So, come join us February 26-28, 2016 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC to feel the pulse of the libertarian student movement that will be voting on our future. Last year, we had over 1,700 attendees, and our plans for this year are even bigger and better. To give you a taste, we’re planning on incorporating an SFL Awards Dinner into our Saturday night programing. So, dust off your bow tie and save the date for another amazing ISFLC!