Q: What is the Valiant Defender’s Party? A: The Valiant Defender’s Party is an organization and network of Christian students, mostly from an alternative education background, all around the world representing the new generation for His glory. With this organization, we can be anything we set our mind to be, Lord willing.
Simply, the VDP is what you make of it. Q: What are the goals of the VDP? A: As a student leadership society, our main goal is the advancement of our members through our three principles of Integrity, Innovation, and Initiative. We want our members to be successful and take leadership positions in politics, media, business, and culture. In this regard, we honor the accomplishments of students in academics and beyond, in light of God’s glory.
Q: What are the functions of the VDP? A: The VDP functions as a: Student and Alumni Society : The Valiant Defender's Party is primarily a leadership society and network of Christian students and alumni involved in alternate education such as accelerated distance learning, homeschooling, etc. It is fraternal, societal, professional, and honorary. Academic and Professional Advancement Organization : The Valiant Defender's Party provides regularly scouts opportunities for members, such as internships, scholarships, and job opportunities. We also provide scholastic resources written by our members. Charitable and Service Organization : The Valiant Defender's Party offers to serve communities by organizing volunteers on occasion and donating money to causes and charitable projects. Mutual Aid Society : The Valiant Defender's Party is a mutual benefit society for its members .As a society, each VDP Member is tasked of a responsibility for each fellow member and will aid each other in the best of their ability, often through prayer, fundraising, etc. Student Union : The Valiant Defender's Party represents our members as a student union, independent from any educational institution. We represent and advocate for our members that are students of colleges and college programs. We also represent our members and students of alternative education as a whole on local, state, national, and even international issues.
Q: What are the principles of the VDP? A: Our principles of Integrity, Innovation, and Initiative are outlined here, along with sayings and insights from our members.
Q: What are the membership requirements? A: In order to join the VDP as a member, you must be at least 12 years of age and under 25 years of age. Exceptions may be made by the recruiters. Anyone above 25 years of age may be considered for a guide status (as a parent or mentor) or alumni status and anyone below 12 may be considered for trainee status. For a leadership position in the High Command, you must also be a avowed Christian with good standing in your community.
Q: What makes the VDP different from other youth and student organizations? A: We are the first and only Christian school and homeschool-based student leadership society for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students and also alumni. There is an honor society for homeschoolers, that is Eta Sigma Alpha, but it is limited to only homeschooled youth with high school education. Our services is not limited to academics. Our emphasis is to train members to become leaders in their community, region, and beyond.
Q: Is the VDP a religious organization? What is its statement of faith? A: Yes, we are a Christian organization with Biblical beliefs. We see the VDP as a continuation of our spiritual upbringing. We use the Authorized King James Bible as the basis of our faith and officially on our literature because of it's elegance that befits our Party.
That is not to say that the VDP replaces the local church ministries of Sunday schools, youth groups, and the such. The VDP is also extracurricular in this regard. Members are encouraged to be part of a local church and youth group unless unable to. We also are not part of a certain denomination, however the leaders of the High Command are part of churches that place the Bible in high regard and in faith and practice. Our statement of faith can be found here.
Q: Is the VDP a political party? Why is it a “party”? A: A party means “faction”, “group”, etc. In some games, parties are groups of people working together toward a common goal. In that sense, we are a party. We may do political things, but we aren’t an elections political party that runs candidates.
We are not only a political, but cultural, spiritual, educational, media, etc. party. We try to cover all areas of life. We do support our members who are running and have become politicians, and we do have a political platform. Our focus is on leadership as a whole, not only political leadership.
The name comes from our history. We were once a party for student government elections. It may cause some confusion in our current status as a leadership society, but we honor what the name has stood for in our short history.
A Party to us is a group of People that are united by common Principles. And those Principles need not only be political.
Q: What are the benefits of joining the VDP? How can I join the VDP? A: Lifetime membership for free (as of right now). Our community is tightly knit, so everyone knows at least one of the High Command leaders personally, so if you have any ideas, it goes straight to the top. Any members get assistance in their productive endeavors; we will hold a fundraiser, sponsorship, promotion, or similar event for any member, regardless of status within the party. We also regularly update each other with prayer and prayer meetings. Your membership opens up a vast network of potential.
You may join by applying here or by invitation. Any VDP member may invite another student. Members usually sign up their siblings into the VDP, as well.
Q: How does one get invited to the VDP? Another member must invite or refer you to the VDP. Referrals and invites streamlines the approval process. If you cannot get either, the application page is always open.
Q: How much time commitment does the VDP require? A: The VDP requires only as much time as you are willing to invest in it. Most of our activities range from simple signing of a petition, voting in our elections, and just networking in our community, only a few minutes a day. Our Party-wide activities which include events like conference calls, gift exchanges, tournaments, etc. may take a few hours in the week. As you rise in leadership, you will be given more tasks to handle in organizing and policy deciding.
We do understand, as students, that VDP activities are extracurricular. That is, if the VDP interferes with your studies, we will understand if you cut back from it. We strive for academic excellence.
Q: How much financial commitment does the VDP require? A: The answer is… none! Our membership is currently free (As of now, so do take advantage while it’s free.). We do hold fundraisers and things of the like, but no member is forced to participate or donate. We want you to earn money, therefore we will list your businesses in our directory, for free. You get much more out than what you put in.
Q: What are honorary memberships in the VDP? A: Honorary memberships are granted to those who are non-members that perform a service for the VDP. They may have the same benefits and responsibilities at request. Once they are ready, they may upgrade to a full membership at any time.
Q: Who leads the VDP? A: The VDP is led by the leading officers of the organization, corporately called the High Command, which acts as the international executive committee. The officers of the High Command are appointed or elected to their positions. Each sector leader is responsible for his own chapter, though international assistance may be requested. The VDP is of students, by students, and for students.
Q: What are the branches of the VDP? And why are there so many? A: To achieve our mission, we need to cover all bases. This is the function of our branches. Each is a specialized department handling a different aspect or our organization. Think of them as government branches and government departments rolled into one.
Our current branches include our international leadership branch, the High Command, consisting of the leaders of the other branches and the executives; our cultural and spiritual branch, the Royal Family, acting as an aristocratic high society; our bureaucratic and political branch, our Parliament of Ministries; our internal judicial branch, theJustices Supreme, who reviews our programs and policies; our ethical branch, the Order of Knights, upholding the Knight’s Code of honor in modernity and is a subset of the Royal Family; our artistic-technical branch, the Guild of Innovation, responsible for all the graphics on our media and website and is a subset of the Parliament; and lastly, our performing arts group, the Advent Orchestra.
The High Command creates and eliminates branches as necessary. For more detailed information, visit our branches page.
Q: What is the VDP's mode of operation? A: The VDP operates by balancing both the individual and collective, internal and external. Action of the society consists a mixture of both official action of the governing body (the High Command); spontaneous, organic action based on a decentralized core group philosophy; and the pejorative of our members. This is to observe the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the federalism between VDP government, VDP core groups, and VDP individual members. Q: What are sectors of the VDP? Are sector memberships the same as the national/international memberships? A: Sectors are, at the basics, our local, state/provincial, and regional chapters. Some sectors also function as the headquarters for various regions, nationally, and globally. For example, Sector O functions as both the current National Headquarters and the headquarters of VDP Ohio, though that will change in the future.
Sector memberships are given honorary national and international status, to be listed on the global list, but it is up to the member to participate in national and international events and activities, other than the local and regional ones.
Q: Does the High Command provide by-laws to the sectors? A: We allow sectors to establish its own by-laws. We will gladly share a template by-law to start-up sectors.
Q: What other names does the Valiant Defender's Party Student Leadership Society go by? A: The Valiant Defender's Party Student Leadership Society goes by commonly The Valiant Defender's Party, its abbreviation VDP, Student Society for the Valiant Defense, Student Leadership of the Valiant Defense, its Latin Counterpart Virtus Defensor Populi, and Valiant Defenders.
