It can be difficult to find informative and relevant educational opportunities for young, liberty-minded Australians. True education requires more than just a class or a textbook; it requires debate and conversations with colleagues and mentors, as well as hands-on experiences that cause students to engage with ideas that really matter. Meeting these challenges requires a new approach. Enter the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.
The Mannkal Economic Education Foundation has won the 2019 Asia Student Outreach Award for it’s redesigned Leadership Development Program (LDP). The Regional Liberty Award program was made possible through the continued generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.
The new LDP prioritizes the discussion of the philosophy of liberty and its real-life implications through intense discussions and international travel. Mannkal Scholars will conduct study tours in three regions: the Americas (Canada, U.S. and Latin America), Indo-Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and more) and Europe & the U.K. In each region, scholars will be equipped with an understanding of and an ability to convey classical liberal principles through seminars, events, skill-building exercises, and crash courses in Austrian economics and the history of libertarianism.
“The new format will be a more ‘intense’ experience for students, explained Mannkal Content Coordinator Eva Christensen. “They will interact with many different think tanks and experts, they will have the opportunity to gain the full suite of libertarian perspectives—not just coming from Mannkal staff. They will see with their own eyes how and why property rights are vital to a prosperous society and why free trade is key.”
Scholars will now have the ability to develop a deeper understanding with hands-on opportunities that will create a broader perspective about what it means to really be free. This education is vital for today’s youth, as universities and younger generations are more sympathetic to the arguments of collectivism and more government intervention.
“Australia has a severe nanny-state problem with so many leisure activities essentially getting banned every year” continued Christensen. “Our intention is for students to bring back these ideas and apply them in Australia.”
The continued work of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation has resulted in an award-winning program that will provide life-changing experiences for many Australian students who will use the program to benefit the country as its future leaders.
“Mannkal is extremely humbled to receive this award,” concluded Christensen. “We hope it will make more students across Australia aware of the opportunities we can offer them. Our founder and chairman, Ron Manners (83 years old) will undoubtedly be overjoyed at the news — he has spent the overwhelming majority of his life dedicated to helping young adults understanding the true meaning of government and regulation.”
