12 Days of AF: Southwest Hub

Looking back at the past year, AF-Southwest has developed a growing community of activists, scholars, and thought leaders prepared to defend liberty and advance the principles of our nation’s founding in their personal and professional lives. While the pandemic discouraged many individuals in our network from appearing in person at events, we sought to offer opportunities for people to engage with our southwest community online AND in person so that no matter their comfort zone, they could participate in our active programming. 

Through the course of this past year, our leadership team designed two keynote events we are now hosting each month – Garden Talks and Jeffersonian Dinners. Both formats empower attendees to engage with scholars who are experts in their various disciplines and network with other members of the Southwest Hub that are interested in various subjects. From debates on peaceful protests versus riots in 2021, to conversations about barriers to innovation in our “How I built My Business Series”, AF-Southwest offered a variety of programming to engage with any young professional seeking to expand their person networks. 

As for milestones, AF-Southwest successfully scheduled and executed at least one to two events per month over this last year and attracted key policy makers in the Arizona Valley including but not limited to; Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R), Arizona House Representative Cesar Chavez (D), and various new candidates to Arizona politics. These speakers and attendees attracted new members to AF-Southwest who were looking to make positive change to our local communities in the past but we had difficulty reaching these individuals’ ears. With the help of our leadership council, we were able to create a bridge between our membership and elected leaders to communicate on a deeper level to discuss real issues facing our state. Our Jeffersonian dinners garnered much of this interaction over the past year. 

As for educating our members to become stewards of a civil and engaged society, we hosted several high level executives and business owners whose companies have risen to the top of our nation’s growing economy. These leaders shared their stories of triumphs, pitfalls, and lessons learned when starting a business in a bureaucratic political society. From the Founder and Owner of multi-million dollar company Trainual, to the Founder and Owners of major national franchise Sugar Sugar – these executives shed light on how the idea of a socialist government impacts their daily decisions and how expansion is based on the friendliness of state regulations for new companies entering their boarders. Our members not only were able to have face to face conversations with these executives, but they were also empowered to gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to chase the American Dream. 

2021 is soon closing what was a memorable and exciting year of engagement, programming, and networking for members of the Southwest Hub. As the leader for this Hub, I am proud to say that we have connected dozens of young people with new job opportunities, educated 100s of young people on policies that stifle innovation state by state, and shed light on the many issues existing in our local communities and equipped them all with a plan to execute change. We have created a diverse community filled with young people from all sides of the political spectrum and have developed a network of liberty-minded young professionals who wish to rise and become the next generation of leading intellectuals, workers, policy makers, and political leaders. 

While there are challenges ahead of us all, the America’s Future Southwest Hub will remain steadfast in our goal to empower and strengthen all liberty minded young professionals seeking change in their community. And if this sounds like you, join us at one of our upcoming events!