Anthony DeFazio Ignites Virginia Youth to Educate Each Other in Politics

Story by Tiffany Aziz and Emily Baer – 

Anthony DeFazio, age 17, has been interested in politics since he was a child. During the 2012 election, he argued with family members and friends about the merits of the presidential candidates. His passion for politics drove him to become the president of American Individualists, located in Purcellville, Virginia.

“We would have 30 email reply chain arguments with extended family to the point that my mom would say ‘Anthony, stop,’” Anthony said.

The non-partisan organization American Individualists was founded in 2013 in the wake of President Obama’s reelection. In January of 2016, Anthony became the president and with a group of his peers, leads weekly debates among the members. They debate topics ranging from current issues, such as drafting women or historical ongoing arguments such as the size and role of the government.

“We are trying to encourage our peers and spark a love for being involved, being aware and having an appreciation for the system of government that we have,” Anthony said.

The American Individualists group is a place for young adults who are passionate about the political issues they view in the news and in their history textbooks. They equip the next generation of leaders to think for themselves and to hear and respect the opinions of their peers.

“At its core it’s a forum for ideas for young people to come together and discuss politics but not feel pressured by politics,” said Anthony.

The organization encourages discussion without dividing along partisan lines. Anthony witnessed the political apathy common among high school and college-aged students in recent years. After participating in weekly debates amongst their peers, however, these once more apathetic students evolved into passionate, opinionated individuals.

“The most efficient way to change things is to plant seeds in people’s minds,” Anthony said.

The American Individualists leadership team participated in an American Majority training session in July 2015. The conversation and lessons learned from the seminar sparked subsequent ideas that the team integrated into their weekly meetings. Following the training, all of the group members were engaged in the debates. Now there are no spectators at the American Individualists, everyone is involved and participating.

“For young people there are so many distractions. Kids care about sports and video games.” Anthony said.

The danger is that young eligible voters don’t know what they believe. To Anthony, that is the most dangerous thing to society. These teens become discouraged by candidates’ comments in the news and then become less likely to vote for those that reflects their values.

“The minute that you are driven away from being engaged in the process, that is the minute that you lose the battle,” Anthony said.

Anthony claims that the best part of being president of American Individualists is the opportunity to invite guest speakers to share their views and experiences with the group members.

“Hearing from different perspectives and experiences is something that young people don’t get enough of,” Anthony said.

Anthony encourages members to listen to their peers’ opinions based on the merits of their argument and the evidence they provide, not to merely dismiss their arguments because it does not agree with their preconceived notions.

“There are a lot of really bright minds out there that just aren’t given the intellectual respect of having these debates because nobody thinks that they care. Well there are actually a lot of them and we have found about 20 of them in the Purcellville, Virginia area and they keep coming back,” Anthony said.

Becoming involved in politics is not as daunting as it may seem at first. Anthony assists with campaigns and local elections and encourages interested students to do the same.

“Get involved. Find the candidate who lines up with your beliefs and go help them,” Anthony said.

Anthony is living proof that you don’t need to do something massive to make a difference. Instead, start small. Change is gradual but it starts with the individual who is willing to speak their mind and make their voice be heard.

“What you can do is limitless but as long as you are doing something that helps, it all adds up,” Anthony said.

Follow Anthony and American Individualists on Twitter!