About Youth For Freedom
Years Running
Conferences Held
Attendees
Youth For Freedom facilitates the development of Leadership Skills through emotional, mental, and personal freedom.
Youth For Freedom began as a three day youth conference which enables youth ages 12-19 to live exciting and successful lives with a deep and personal freedom. Filled with empowering and life changing experiences, Youth For Freedom continues today as a five day summer camp held at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, and other locations. Everyone involved in our camp leaves knowing themselves at a deeper level, with higher levels of trust, love, and value for themselves and for others.
Today Youth For Freedom hosts 1-5 day events in cities all over the United States. Our speakers are asked to speak at events worldwide and they share our intention to change lives internationally. You can request us to come to your home town and hold a Freedom Extreme, come speak to your school, hold a simulation with your class, or other events.
The Youth For Freedom conference is arranged, organized, set up, and run by Sisters in law Heather & Erika Ludwig.
Heather and Erika work closely throughout the year with Session Directors Daniel Patterson, Ryker Smith, Benjamin Beals, Caleb Lake, and Daniel Aranda to hire and intensely train the YFF counselors that work with the youth, plan and schedule all itinerary items, and arrange all of the “behind the scenes” preparation work prior to the Youth For Freedom conference. This ensures the attending youth have the most powerful experiences available to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many questions that surround the attendance of Youth For Freedom. Most answers can be found here. If you have further questions, please contact us HERE
What is Youth For Freedom?
Youth For Freedom (YFF) is an annual Youth Leadership Conference currently held in St. George, Utah at Dixie State University. Prior to being known as Youth For Freedom, the program was called Youth for America. Youth For America was sponsored by the George Wythe University. The conference was established by W. Cleon Skousen and William H. Doughty of the Institute for Constitutional Education in the 1980s to teach youth about American Government, leadership, education and community service, which values continue to be upheld in Youth For Freedom today.
Love Language Quiz
We believe the ideals and concepts described by Dr. John Lund regarding the 3 Love Languages; Visual, Verbal & Physical/Touch. Youth For Freedom teaches that “quality time” and “acts of service” look and are understood differently for each of these 3 Love Languages. Connect more to yourself and others by learning what your love language is!FAMILIES FOR FREEDOM
One of our newer products as of 2017 is Families For Freedom. This is a weekend event with our head staff who create a YFF experience for the whole family to allow learning and growth together. Everyone is presented with an opportunity to recreate their world, take ownership of their lives, and live from a place of power. Families are united and lives are changed.
Our Mission Statement
Meet Our Team
Kami Mitchell
Youth For Freedom Founder, Speaker
Kami has three healthy and happy children. She founded Youth For Freedom in 2001, creating the program originally with the assistance of her sisters. Kami has presented over 900 times and has created 16 personal development CD’s and has taught their content through many different conferences and speaking engagements. She was selected as the American Young Mother of Washington County, Utah, for 2013. She is a gifted and powerful mentor, trainer, teacher, mother, friend, and most of all a student. Time spent with Kami will be full of experiences, aha’s, and laughter.
Heather Ludwig
Chief Executive Officer, Speaker
Heather is a master listener and committed to empowering individuals in creating opportunities to access and shift into life-altering, more powerful results. She has a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling and is sought after as both a Life Coach and Licensed Clinical Therapist. Heather has over 15 years of experience of working with youth. She has an affinity for truly getting the people she associates with, and knowing what is going on for them. That gift has served her in all areas of her life & has contributed to her ability to truly love others. She loves everyone she comes in contact with, and loves BIG.
Erika Ludwig
Chief Operating Officer, Speaker
Erika Ludwig currently lives in Las Vegas and, along with her sister-in-law Heather, she enjoys running Youth For Freedom. Her favorite part is coaching and working intensely with the youth as they become powerful leaders. She is also a licensed EMT and enjoys helping people in that role as well. She has worked closely with the youth for over ten years and desires to help them realize how incredible they truly are. She has had the opportunity to work in many different positions for several youth conferences, programs, and camps. Erika is powerful in assisting others in learning that who they choose to be MATTERS. Everyone has the ability to act powerfully and make a difference in this world. Her personal motto is Latin and it states “vixi discrepo audeo” or “dare to live differently”.
Shelby Smith
Improvisation Actress, Speaker
Shelby has a gift and passion for being present in the moment. This gift enhances her ability to powerfully listen, connect heart-to-heart with others, live joyfully and authentically, and imagine and create with synergy. Acting on stage and in film, and teaching acting to youth, are means by which she shares this transformative power. As a mentor, she utilizes her vast knowledge of personal development, experiences with connecting, and skills in creative expression, to invite others to become the very best versions of themselves.
Daniel Patterson
Session Director, Simulations Expert
Daniel is a regular dude. He likes reading comic books as much as he loves playing sports. Daniel dreams big and encourages others to do the same. Daniel has recently graduated with a double bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology. The past year Daniel has been living in Weihai, China studying to learn Chinese as well as teaching English at an Elementary school. This 2019 year will be his fourth year being involved in YFF. He brings an attitude of possibility, growth and hard work to the program. Daniel’s mentality can be summed up in two words “No Shortcuts”. To understand better, you will have to ask him to explain it when you meet him.
Shaina Richardson
Chief Financial Officer, Registrar
and fShaina is the Registrar and Financial Systems Manager for Youth For Freedom. Shaina graduated with a Bachelors in Statistics from Brigham Young University. She has worked as a Project Manager for two nationally-funded grants for the BYU Math Department and has been a part of the tremendous growth of Utah Valley University as their Student and Alumni Database Analyst as well as their Donor Prospect Researcher. Currently, Shaina is a stay-at-home mom with three young, red-headed children who often provide her with more than enough work! She is incredibly talented at everything she does, loves to do crafts and spend time with her family.