Liberty Seminars 2012

The attendees of the two one-week seminars ("Liberty Camp" and "Liberty Academy") first learned about classical liberal ideas and then applied them to various current topics.

These seminars are unique in that they bring together a diverse group of attendees and lecturers, both in terms of their national and cultural backgrounds as well as their professional and educational paths.

The seminars offer more than “food for thought”. There are also social events, like screening movies and bonfire dinners, as well as sightseeing tours of the Slavica waterfall, Bled castle, canoeing on Lake Bohinj, etc.

The lecturers in 2012 included world-renowned experts:

• • Doug Bandow, PhD (USA)

  • Bob Chitester (USA),

  • Gia Jandieri (Georgia), 

  • Dan Mitchell, PhD (USA), 

  • Adam Martin, PhD (GB), 

  • Tom G. Palmer, PhD (USA), 

  • Larry Reed, PhD (USA) 

  • Tanja Štumberger, MA (Slovenia) in 

  • Katarina Zajc, PhD (Slovenia).

The application deadline was July 1, 2012. We filled all 80 positions with attendees from 29 countries (see chart).

For more information about the project, visit www.liberty-seminars.org

Speakers Reflect on the Liberty Seminars 2012

"The Liberty Seminars are quality events. Everything is smoothly organized, allowing scholars and students to pack a lot of learning into a relatively short period of time, yet still allowing some amazing sightseeing and fun in a beautiful part of the world. There's also a great sense of camaraderie, with people from all over Europe joining together to discuss the ideas and ideals of a free society. I hope to return over and over again."

-- Dr. Daniel J. Mitchell, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

“Tanja and her team deserve our thanks and praise for assembling so many young people in a perfect setting to explore liberty from many angles. The energy and passion of the attendees were apparent from start to finish. I know from talking to many of them that they were eager to put what they learned to good use. Ten, twenty, and thirty years from now, when they are making history as men and women of influence, they will be telling stories about what a boost it was to be at a Liberty Seminar. Thanks to the thoughtful and generous donors whose investments in this event will be paying dividends for decades to come.”

-- Dr. Lawrence W. Reed, President, Foundation for Economic Education

"The Liberty Seminars combine fun, scholarship, inquiry, and fellowship. The participants from across Europe (and occasionally from further afield) who have taken part are already changing the world for the better. These seminars attract smart, motivated, and energetic young people who care about liberty, about justice, about peace, and about the future. And what better place than beautiful Slovenia for them to meet?"

-- Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Economic Research Foundation

"The Liberty Seminars are a chance to dive deeply into some of the most profound, important, and stimulating ideas in the world. The participants are smart and passionate, the discussions and debates are lively and robust, and the setting is breathtaking. Tanja and her team have put together a top-notch, intensive learning experience that equips attendees with the mental tools to ask a vital question: "how can free people live better together?""

-- Dr. Adam Martin, Professor, King's College London, UK