Jongerenorganisatie Vrijheid en Democratie (Netherlands)

The Youth Organisation for Freedom and Democracy (JOVD) is a Dutch political youth organization affiliated with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), though it operates independently. The JOVD focuses on political education, advocacy, and the promotion of liberal principles among young people.

This page is designed to help you to get to know our organisation and - more importantly - help any liberal youth party to improve their own organisation by learning from the things we do well. We are very interested in learning from other organisations and are always open to cooperation.

Most of the subpages are only for those with IO wiki rights. We do this for good reason: since we talk about our challenges, there is no need to share too much of this outside of the liberal bubble. Getting those rights is worth it, however: there will be a lot of information behind the barrier.

The JOVD was created in 1949 to never again experience the horrors of World War 2. Only through involving young people in the fight for freedom and democracy, we believe this is possible. Our statement of principles is the core description of the values we hold dear: freedom, responsibility and tolerance. This document has not changed over the last decades.

[Statement of Principles](https://www.notion.so/Statement-of-Principles-1d8d157a8b3e80ac91f8dc588e286637?pvs=21)

As a youth organisation, we believe we should be the liberal architect of the Netherlands of 2049. This ambition guides much of what we do. Strategically, we have written down what this means in our vision statement.

[Vision](https://www.notion.so/Vision-1d8d157a8b3e80bbaa80c3d9cac4a156?pvs=21)

Since our founding in 1949, more than 50 000 people have been a member of JOVD. Many of them have gone on to take leading roles in Dutch business, science, the civil service and politics. If you would like to read more about our history and honourary members, please visit this page.

Chapters form the backbone part of our organisation. Realistically, this is the place where most of our members spent most of their time. Our chapters are the place where you make friends, take up responsibility and learn.

Our Executive Board oversees daily national operations and is elected for a one-year term. They are all volunteers - we don’t have much paid staff. You can read more about their responsibilities and election process here. They are assisted by our national committees, of which the international committee is one of. If you have a similar position in your respective organisation, the Executive Board is excited to get in contact.

Finances and statutes form the backbone of any organisation, including ours. We have created pages specifically for national treasurers and secretaries where we share our challenges, (translated) internal documents and best practices that make our organisation run smoothly administratively.

Alongside our statements of principles, we have a policy book that determines our current political positions. We both have a social and classical liberal wing who like to often debate the future of liberalism. Every year, we review our policy book during our political assemblies.

Our youth party is politically independent from VVD. Many of our members do not necessarily vote or campaign for VVD. We make independent statements in the national media and do not consult our mother party in that process.

We attract members from word of mouth, attending high-school and university events, social media and our presence in national media. One of our main challenges is how we can attract a larger and more diverse pool of members.

- making friends: our social events - alumni network

Our have put a lot of work in our educational, training and talent programmes over the last years. We believe non-formal education is the key to train your members effectively. From the day you become a member, you can participate in our training programmes offered both at a local and national level. Over time, when you have contributed as a volunteer, you can apply for our talent programmes that give you the tools to succeed as a liberal.

Contributing as a volunteer is the most important way you learn in our organisation. Our members can contribute both at a local level, in local committees and chapter boards, and on a national level, in national committees and the executive board. At the beginning of the year, we have a training weekend for our local volunteers where we train them to be effective while having a lot of fun.

We take training our trainers very seriously. If you want to become a trainer, you go through an intense 3-month training and selection process where we learn you how to become an inspiring educator.

Our international wing exists to give our members an international perspective, to learn from the best in the world and to share our best practices. Ultimately responsible for the international wing is our international officer, a member of the executive board.

Our international committee is the bridge between our members and the international sphere. Every member of our committee is assigned a portfolio, that defines his/her responsibilities besides the general responsibility as committee member. Representing JOVD at IFLRY and LYMEC is only a small part of the total work we do: we give presentations at chapters, travel to international high school conferences to attract members and work together bilaterally

The JOVD was founded on 15 February 1949 by a group of young liberals who sought to create a platform for political engagement and ideological development. Since its creation, the organization has served as an incubator for liberal thought, contributing to the revitalization and expansion of the liberal movement in the Netherlands.

Former members of the JOVD include Mark Rutte (Former Prime-Minister of the Netherlands, currently Secretary-General of NATO), Hans Wiegel (Former VVD party leader), Johan Remkes (Former Minister of Home Affairs) etc.

public:mos:jovd:new

The JOVD aims to:

• Foster political and societal awareness among youth.
• Promote and develop liberal ideas and policy proposals.
• Serve as a bridge between young people and political institutions.
• Facilitate political education, debate, and networking opportunities.

Although ideologically aligned with the VVD, the JOVD maintains formal independence, enabling it to adopt positions that may diverge from official party policy.

The JOVD identifies with both classical and social liberalism, emphasizing core values such as individual freedom, economic responsibility, and personal development. It advocates for a small, efficient government, free markets, international cooperation, and the protection of civil rights. The JOVD often adopts progressive liberal positions, especially concerning climate policy, education reform, and digital privacy rights.

The JOVD is structured as an association with a national umbrella body and 18 local chapters across the Netherlands. The General Assembly (Algemene Ledenvergadering, ALV) is the highest decision-making authority, while the Executive Board (Hoofdbestuur, HB) oversees daily operations.

Internationally, the JOVD maintains active relationships with liberal youth organizations such as the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) and the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC).

The International Secretariat of the JOVD is a team of dedicated members responsible for managing the organization’s international affairs. This includes maintaining relationships with international liberal youth organizations, organizing events abroad, arranging international traineeships, and representing the JOVD in global liberal platforms.

Photo	Name	Role	Background Summary
	Friso van Gruijthuijsen LinkedIn – Instagram – Email	International Officer	Friso studies econometrics, is a member of the Dutch Navy's reserves and is a representative in the local district council (Kralingen). In his free time, he loves to read about international relations, travel and eat good food. He is passionate about learning languages, though he lacks the time to actually improve his Duolingo status.
	Guido von Backer LinkedIn – Instagram	Training & Development	Guido is an International Corporate Tax Lawyer. He was the Vice Chair of the West Wing (youth think tank of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Furthermore, he has advocated for youth and student rights in several positions and organisations, primarily focusing on education. Guido is honoured to be a continuous part of facilitating the connection between all liberals and like-minded people.
	Sebas Overbeek LinkedIn – Instagram	Politics (LYMEC)	Sebas studies International Relations & Organizations and Law at Leiden University. Besides studying, he likes to debate, was active in several debating contests and enjoys engaging in conversations to find a way to realize change. In the middle of the night, you can wake him up to discuss liberalism (with or without a beer).
	Amparito Sanders LinkedIn – Instagram	International Traineeship	Amparito works as a marketing specialist at a marketing agency. Growing up in a bicultural family, where Dutch and Mexican traditions were equally valued and embraced, Amparito developed a deep appreciation for diversity. Next year Amparito will help organise our international traineeship, providing JOVD members with the opportunity to explore a region far from the Netherlands.
	Kristen Beukers LinkedIn – Instagram	Communications	My name is Kristen and this year I will be in charge of our social media communications via our socials, ranging from promoting our international opportunities to political statements. Besides politics and the JOVD, I also like to row, cook and bake and make plans with friends. I’m looking forward to this second year of being a member of the international secretariat and I can’t wait to meet all the new people at congresses.
	Lennart Kerkvliet LinkedIn – Instagram	Secretary	Lennart has studied Data Science at the University of Amsterdam. He currently works for a Berlin based start-up. Where he develops graphic design and animation applications. As our secretary, he shares as much a passion for the statutes of IFLRY and LYMEC as he does for technology and entrepreneurship.
	Hugo Beishuizen LinkedIn – Instagram	Politics (IFLRY)	Hugo studies International Relations and Organizations at Leiden University. He was raised in France, bringing with him an ever-lasting appreciation of everything that is French. He is passionate about politics, debating and will never hesitate to watch or play a sports game.
	Erwin Sikkes LinkedIn	International Events	Erwin studies International Relations at the University of Groningen. He was born and raised in Friesland, a picturesque region with 11 cities. Combining a chapter board with the international committee, he certainly knows how to create amazing events. He is six feet and has blue eyes, but he assures us he “does not have a trust fund”.
	Bodine Kornman LinkedIn – Instagram	International Events	Bodine studies law at Leiden University, with an interest in European Law, Public International Law, and data and tech. She is known for her uncanny ability to dissect personalities—whether through tests or unsolicited psychoanalysis. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, cooking, reading, and going to the gym. She also has the masochistic habit of occasionally cramming French vocabulary.