Young America’s Foundation is bringing its Middle School Expedition to Minnesota next week, pairing two days of conservative educational programming for younger students with a special evening event featuring national conservative commentator Nick Freitas.
The organization will host the program Sept. 23 and 24 at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club in Prior Lake.
Students in grades 6-8 will spend the day learning about faith, economic freedom, service and personal responsibility — but organizers don’t plan to keep them sitting in a classroom all day.
After learning about those principles, students will head outside to put some of them into practice through hands-on activities.
Freitas will headline a special dinner Sept. 23 centered on courage, conviction and living one’s values.
The dinner is being held in conjunction with the Middle School Expedition but is open to the public, including those who do not have a student participating in the daytime program.
More than a day of lectures
Students will hear from Dr. Michael Clark, who will teach a session titled “Service & Spontaneous Order,” and economist Dr. Anne Bradley, who will present “The Biblical Case for Economic Freedom.”
Then comes the hands-on portion of the day.
Students will choose between two activity tracks, including a Shooting Sports & Responsibility Track featuring supervised introductory instruction in sporting clays and rifles led by Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club instructors, according to YAF.
Students may alternatively participate in a leadership-focused track featuring team challenges and exercises designed around communication, decision-making and problem-solving.
YAF says the idea is to take concepts that can sound pretty big to a middle schooler — discipline, responsibility, teamwork and self-control — and give students an opportunity to actually practice them.
“Freedom isn’t guaranteed. It must be understood, practiced, and passed on,” the organization says in describing the Minnesota Expedition.
Freitas to headline evening event
Freitas will take the stage Wednesday evening for a dinner program open to students, parents and members of the public.
Before becoming a national conservative commentator, Freitas served in the U.S. Army, including with the 82nd Airborne Division and Army Special Forces. He served two combat tours in Iraq as a Green Beret before eventually entering politics.
The Republican was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015 and served in the General Assembly for a decade. He also sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018 and ran for Congress in 2020, narrowly losing to Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
In recent years, Freitas has developed a substantial online following through political and cultural commentary.
Registration and a meet-and-greet begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner from 6 to 8 p.m.
Tickets are $35 per person, while students registered for the Middle School Expedition may attend the dinner at no additional cost. Advance registration is required.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
