"Freeing the world from its socialistic ropes"

Few activists have accomplished as much as Carl Andersen has at his age.

The son of a successful construction entrepreneur and raised on a chicken farm in South Jutland, Denmark, Carl has begun fighting for the conservative cause in his home country. 

Despite being a 19-year-old recent high school graduate, Carl is already very involved in Danish politics.

“I have been a member of Liberal Alliance and Liberal Alliance Youth since 2009, and have risen in the party on every single level,” he said.  “I am on some boards at local, regional, and national levels, and run some campaigns for our candidates.  I got elected to the county board in Vejen last year.  I am now sitting as a member of the Technique and Environment Committee.”

In September 2014, Carl began working as an intern at the Leadership Institute (LI).  As an intern, he has been able to take trainings he believes will help him continue advancing conservative principles in Denmark. 

“Especially, I like that LI is an international organization; LI does not only focus on Americans and America, but on freeing the world from its socialistic ropes,” said Carl.

He first heard of LI from a fellow member of Liberal Alliance, Lars Seier Christensen, a former LI speaker and current CEO of SAXO Bank.  Carl was impressed with the level of knowledge and experience LI has in fields he believes are important in the modern political landscape.

One of the tools Carl uses very successfully is social media.  He runs Liberalisten1995, the largest political YouTube channel in Denmark with over 5,000,000 views and 3,000 subscribers. 

“I am self-taught in IT (WordPress and Photoshop), and do some freelance work in that field as I am the CEO of Place2Translate and GratisKonkurrencer.nu,” he said.

One of the classes Carl recently took was the Comprehensive Online Activist School.  Among other things, the class teaches how to build and grow an online community, and how to effectively use the new generation of social media.  It’s a class geared towards all levels of learners, from beginners to experts.  Carl was one of 13 international students who attended, illustrating the diversity in the classroom.

As an activist with extensive history working with social media, Carl learned a lot from the more technical aspects of the training. 

“The information about the Facebook algorithm was very useful.  I did not know that before, and I am already seeing how the tips are working on my pages,” he said. 

Along with the techniques he learned in this Leadership Institute training, Carl is taking other innovative outreach ideas back to Denmark with him. 

“Currently, I am working on the first political direct mail letter in modern Danish history.  I could not do this without the training from LI,” he said. 

Carl is excited to put his new knowledge into practice this coming spring during Danish national elections. 

“The training I have received at LI has given me a lot of great knowledge and tools to fight for our ideas in the public,” he said.

Following his internship, Carl will return home where he hopes to attend Copenhagen Business School and study International Business and Politics, while continuing his work as an activist.

As for his long term ambitions, Carl said he dreams of working as a connection between the private sector and politicians.

Carl is part of a young generation of conservatives who recognize the power of social media outlets and he is using social media in innovative ways.

Please congratulate Carl on receiving the Leadership Institute's Conservative Leader-In-Training Award and encourage him in his future efforts to make Denmark and the world a freer place.

To nominate a Leadership Institute graduate or faculty member for the Conservative Leader Award or Conservative Leader-In-Training Award, please contact LI's Director of External Affairs Carol Wehe, at Carol@LeadershipInstitute.org.

The Leadership Institute offers over 43 types of training programs, working with more than 1,591 conservative campus groups, and helping employers connect with conservative jobseekers. Since the Institute’s 1979 founding, more than 159,225 conservative activists, students, and leaders have been trained. Graduates include members of Congress, state legislators, local officials, media personalities, and conservative organization leaders. For more information, please visit: www.LeadershipInstitute.org.