Empowering the Next Generation of Champions

Young Voices is freedom’s nonprofit talent agency. Leaving white papers and policy research to its more traditional think tank allies, this Atlas Network partner trains and elevates thought-leaders, writers, content creators, and communicators early in their careers. Originally a U.S.-based project of Students For Liberty, Young Voices’ award-winning efforts have been so effective that the organization has gone international, offering a bigger platform for freedom’s champions around the world.

Freedom’s Talent Agency

“We provide on a non-profit basis the kind of training that so many young people are on the lookout for,” said Jason Reed, global projects manager at Young Voices.

“They have their ideas. They know what they want to say, but they don’t necessarily have the contacts in the media industry.”

Young Voices offers training on how these rising leaders can write persuasive opinion columns, give effective TV interviews, or develop professional contacts at media and news organizations.

As one noteworthy example, Young Voices equipped a young Venezuelan refugee named Daniel Di Martino to share his story of escaping socialism—and the lessons he learned along the way—in an op-ed published in USA Today. The article went viral, becoming the year’s most-read op-ed on the topic of Venezuela, earning Daniel a mention from the president of the United States.

Today, Daniel is a fellow at Manhattan Institute, and regularly shares his insights and ideas through a wide variety of news sources.

A New Chapter

Young Voices’ success in the United States laid the groundwork for their expansion into Europe, prompting Jason to join the organization in 2021 to help launch Young Voices in the United Kingdom, expanding operations to the European Union only a year later.

“I knew so many young people who wanted to get their voices out there, who wanted help with writing and editing and pitching and speaking to TV and radio, and there just wasn’t any organization that was doing that on a non-profit basis,” Jason said.

“The media landscapes in these European countries are very different from the U.S. media landscape,” Jason said. “Even countries right next to each other that have a lot of cultural and political similarities often have totally different media markets.”

Despite these challenges, Young Voices Europe has recently published more than 80 op-eds in nine countries and oversaw eight placements of Young Voices talents in top-tier media outlets.

Collaborating for Maximum Impact

Young Voices’ efforts earned them a spot in Atlas Network’s 2023 cohort of Smart Bets partners. This accelerator program provides 10 high-potential partners with access to resources including grants, mentorship opportunities, and special Atlas Network Academy training courses.

“Young Voices is thrilled to be part of Atlas Network’s Smart Bets program, working with other free-market organizations from across the world, from Lithuania to Burundi,” Jason said. “We hope that by being part of the Smart Bets program, we can accelerate the work that we’re doing and target it in a way that will have maximum impact for the leaders of tomorrow, as well as the leaders of today.”