Young Britons' Foundation
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The Young Britons' Foundation (YBF) is a not-for-profit training, education and research think-tank, established in July 2003 to "help train tomorrow's centre-right leaders and activists today".
They are not a membership organisation, and while they have close links to the Conservative Party youth organisation Conservative Future, they are independent of all political parties. They aim to provide training to those young conservative-minded people who "want to be better equipped to fight for conservatism and classical liberalism" by organising annual training conferences, where they provide heavily-subsidised training in media skills, interview technique, public speaking, image presentation, modern political campaigning, and the historical and academic foundations of conservatism and classical liberalism.
When YBF was established in 2003, they attracted some criticism from then senior members of Conservative Future, who felt that the organisation was trying to usurp the official Conservative Party's youth wing with its training and events. However, since Paul Bristow's election in October 2003 as the new Conservative Future Chairman, the two organisations have enjoyed close links and have worked together on various projects. Indeed, all three of the candidates to be Conservative Future Chairman in 2006 - Mark Clarke, Caroline Hunt and Andrew Young - are graduates of YBF's Activist Training Programme.
- Chief Executive: Donal Blaney
- Chairman: Patrick Nicholls
Parliamentary Council:
- Rt Hon Lord Parkinson of Carnforth
- Roger Helmer MEP (East Midlands)
- Nirj Deva DL MEP (South East)
- Daniel Hannan MEP (South East)
- Gerald Howarth MP (Aldershot)
- Bill Cash MP (Stone)
- Timothy Kirkhope MEP (Yorkshire and the Humber)
- Dr Julian Lewis MP (New Forest East)
- The Earl of Stockton (former MEP for the South West and former Member of the House of Lords)
- Chris Heaton-Harris MEP (East Midlands)
- Rt Hon Lord Trimble MLA (former Leader of the Ulster Unionists)
- Nigel Evans MP (Ribble Valley)
They run a Speakers' Panel programme, where students in further and higher education are actively encouraged to and assisted in organising speaker events at universities, colleges and sixth forms across Britain, using members of YBF's own panel of conservative-minded speakers to present a centre-right alternative view, which they say many students would not otherwise have access to.
YBF also runs a Job Bank for students and graduates, which can provide activists with work experience and employment in the offices of MPs, MEPs, AMs, MSPs and Peers, as well as journalists and other public figures. They also offer students opportunities to gain experience and employment in Europe and the United States.
In addition, YBF has its own research department, which periodically publishes opinion poll surveys and other studies into aspects of politics in Britain and abroad. Issues currently being researched include perceived bias in education and the media, and Britain's role in the 21st Century, as well as modern and innovative campaigning techniques.
Previous people who have worked for YBF include:
- Ben Pickering (Executive Director July 2003 - February 2006)
- Melissa Erica Bean (Operations Director August 2004 - July 2005)
- Greg Smith (Co-Founder and Executive Director July 2003 - July 2004)
- Andrew Fox (Development Officer December 2003 - April 2004)
- Rebekah Byrd (2004)
- Trish Thornfeldt-Stack (2004)
