Dixon High School Student Speaks at Conservative Political Action Conference

Dixon High School student, Devon Minnema is 15 years old and one of the youngest Tea Party organizers and activists in the country. On Friday, he took his message to the nation’s capital, where he spoke to over 10,000 who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference. His message: How to get good media.

Minnema was just 13 years old when he organized Dixon’s first Tea Party protest. He went to , posted on a corner with ample street traffic, and held up a sign he made with crayons. The sign read, “I’m 13 years old, and trillions in debt.”

Since then Minnema has organized two more tea parties in Dixon that has each brought out 200 activists to join him, and much media coverage. Minnema refers to the Tea Party events as “a good old fashioned protest,” stating, “It feels good because everyone gets the feeling of being excited again for America and wanting to take back what we once had.”

To date he has been on Fox News and in the Sacramento Bee. Shortly after, he began a chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, a national organization that, according to its website, “seeks to recruit, train, educate, and mobilize students on the ideals of liberty and the Constitution.”

Minnema believes in maximizing personal and economic freedom. Still, the young conservative recognizes there are many different views within his party.

“There’s a left of the conservative movement, there’s a right to the conservative movement and then there’s a whole bunch of things in the middle," Minnema said.

At the root of the movement, Minnema said the main idea is focused on shrinking government. He admits, however, that some take the message and its delivery too far, but states that he always tries to remain respectful with the events he puts together.

“There’s this large demographic  that have this rebellious streak where you almost want to do something that’s just insanely out there in order to attract attention and get people to focus, but that’s just not constructive,” he said.

Still, you can’t deny the young man feels strongly about his fight to change this country. He has not only organized protest events around Dixon, but puts on events at with the YAL. In the past the group has had rallies and speakers on the subject of national debt and anti-war victuals. The events are not meant for just members of the Tea Party Movement. In fact, Minnema said the Tea Party Movement itself did not start with a particular political party in mind.

“It started out and it was supposed to be something very principled, and not limited to just people who consider themselves conservative,” said Minnema.

English teacher, and YAL advisor, Kas Zoller, lends the group his room for meetings. Zoller said that his political views differ from that of the groups, and he often has opportunity to discuss the differences during club meetings. Still, he said Minnema is very bright, committed, and passionate about what he believes in.

 “We have some great debates and some great discussions and I enjoy them thoroughly,” said Zoller.