Teenage Voice Making (Air)Waves

Jayson Veley was a spy.

Well, at least when he was a child. At night, Jayson would sneak up on his father yelling at the TV in their Wethersfield, Connecticut home as he watched the evening news and the talking heads.

   

"I had small conversations with my dad about political issues in America, and over the years these conversations became more and more frequent,” Jayson said. “I really owe a lot of credit to my dad, because without him, I never would have started political commentary in the first place.”

Jayson’s true love is broadcasting his conservative views over the airwaves.

In high school he co-founded with his buddy Caiden Cowger Junior Factor Nation to spread the conservative message to youth. Their network provides radio programming, video clips, and columns – all created by teenagers and young twenty-somethings.

“As it stands right now, liberalism will be the dominant ideology in America’s near future, primarily due to the youth’s increasing exposure to classroom indoctrination and media bias,” Jayson said. “The reason I established Junior Factor Nation is essentially to counter these factors, and present the youth with a side of politics that they are not being exposed to.”

Jayson just finished his freshman year at Eastern Connecticut State University, where he majors in communications with a focus on radio broadcasting.  But you can often find Jayson cohosting a conservative radio show on the campus radio station.

Every Monday and Thursday night from 7 to 8 p.m. EST tune in and hear Jayson as the Factor Talk Radio host. The program airs live on the website for listeners to hear along with other shows like The Founding Voice, The Caiden Cowger Program, and The Whitfield Analysis.

Jayson was thrilled when he got a special invite to make a guest appearance on Glenn Beck’s TV show in April 2010 – calling it his “biggest honor.”

“Connor, my local access co-host at the time, and I were given the chance to teach a political lesson at Beck’s chalk boards, which was a very neat experience. It has definitely motivated me to keep up the fight for freedom, and it is something that I truly will never forget,” he explained.

Jayson first learned of the Leadership Institute through his uncle Scott Veley, also an LI graduate. He registered for LI’s Youth Leadership School in August 2010 as a high school sophomore.

“My experience with the Leadership Institute was fantastic. I still have all the notes I took during the course when I learned how to organize on college campuses and how to promote the ideas of conservatism to my peers. Now that I am in college, the skills that I learned at the Leadership Institute are much more relevant, and I am definitely going back for more training in the near future,” he said.

You too can get trained like Jayson. Register now for LI’s Youth Leadership School.

“The Leadership Institute staff genuinely wants you to succeed, whether you are interested in radio broadcasting like me or organizing in other ways on college campuses. They are completely committed to spreading the conservative message, and have certainly been helpful to me and my professional journey. LI’s Mr. Steve Sutton has been particularly helpful, and has provided me with many opportunities to advance my political broadcasting career.”

Jayson has also published his own book called The Other Side. In it, he discusses conservatism and its importance to today’s youth.  The book is currently available on Amazon.

“Freedom is something that everyone deserves to have, and everyone should be fighting for,” Jayson said. “As Ronald Reagan once said, ‘freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction’.  If we don’t pass on these principles of limited government and constitutional values, then I fear that the Republic will one day disappear altogether. Young people should get involved because it is their country too, and the future of America is in their hands.”

Jason’s recommendation for getting involved? It starts with Leadership Institute training.

“The Leadership Institute is committed to teaching college students how to organize and spread the conservative message on campus. Like everyone at Junior Factor Nation, the staff at LI wants to see freedom protected in this country. They are an organization that wants to educate the youth and ensure that future generations will hold true to our founding values and principles. I would highly recommend the Leadership Institute to anyone willing to join the fight for liberty,” Jayson said. 

Follow Jayson on Twitter @JaysonVeley and @FactorTalkRadio.

Please congratulate and welcome Jayson Veley into conservative broadcasting and as LI’s Graduate of the Week.

To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member to be featured as LI's spotlight of the week, please contact LI's External Affairs Officer Lauren Day, formerly Lauren Hart, at Lauren@LeadershipInstitute.org.