LONDON, UK - February 19, 2025
The sold-out Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Conference 2025 concluded on February 19th with speakers such as Konstantin Kisin, Ian Rowe, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Jordan Peterson. The ARC focus this day was on “bring out the builders,” to showcase how to make a difference.
Konstantin Kisin, an author and social critic, is an immigrant from the USSR to the UK. He said he is proud of the UK, which means he hasn’t fully acculturated yet. He said the West is “being criticized for the things we lead the world in, such as fundamental freedoms and free enterprise. If things are as bad as they say, why do people keep trying to get into the UK?” He said simply open your eyes to what is around you. The West has built the most prosperous societies in the history of humanity. At the core are fundamental freedoms. For example, free speech is a Western value. He looked at failed experiments, a significant one being “multiculturalism” (which is different than “multiethnic”)—it promotes disunity rather than diversity. Things are so gloomy in the West that people say they won’t have kids due to climate change. Yet, there are many positives in this society, from economic prosperity to fundamental freedoms.
Ian Rowe is an educator and founder of Vertex Partnership Academy, Brooklyn, NY. He goes against the norms in terms of his approach to education. He explained that the life-defining decade is ages 14-24. Are students optimistic? About 70% of students believe that the US is racist and that they are doomed to limited opportunities. There is a defeatism and a sense of victimhood. That needs to be changed. “The West won’t fall in parliament but will fall in the classroom.” Students need to be told that there is hope. There are predictors of upward mobility: parents, religious worldview, and high-quality education system. The ones who break the cycle of disadvantage have developed a sense of agency. There are four key factors to success for students: 1. family – a key is to have a stable and well-functioning family; 2. religion – a moral code; 3. education; and 4. an entrepreneurial mindset – a future orientation. He also promotes four key virtues for success: courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom.
Jeff, Jordan, and Neal Harmon shared the amazing story of Angel Studios. The humble brothers described themselves as potato farmers from Utah who simply wanted good media content for their kids (the three brothers have 22 kids among them). They said they started Angel Studios because they could then create original stories. A motivator was that media culture was heading in a much different direction than their values. They didn’t see anyone else trying to make the type of content they desired. They ran into opposition—from an unexpected source. Disney sued the company. Angel Studios soon became a pariah. Yet, they persisted in the goal of developing the content they wanted. One unique concept is that they set up a “guild” of supporters to get people involved in shaping the type of content produced. The Angel Guild now has 940,000 people from 70 countries. Membership comes with a pledge to positive content creation.
Vivek Ramaswamy is a former Republican presidential candidate and author of Woke, Inc. He described the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) movement as a means to shape corporate mission. In his view, the tide seems to have changed, and companies are increasingly focused on reviving their own purpose separate from the DEI agenda. He wants to revive the concept of merit. His position is that there are things outside of the political realm and that business should focus more on meritocracy rather than being preoccupied with a DEI agenda. His view is that “we are victors and not victims and we are not dependents—that is the American dream.” He stressed the values of discipline and hard work
After three days of ARC, with an astounding array of speakers, what was next? Baroness Philippa Stroud, Co-Founder and CEO of ARC, noted that renewal comes through dense networks. She asked, "Do we accept decline or build anew?" She wants to have ARC be about mobilization and action.
The final presentation was by ARC co-founder and McGill PhD graduate, Jordan Peterson. He asked, "What now do we do to build ARC?" We take inspiration from the story of Noah, who was a good man and a wise man. The storm is brewing. Noah overcomes his heritage of Cain. Noah walks with God. He is oriented upward. Despite skepticism, he builds an ark. How do we build a state that is an ark? How are we to conduct ourselves as responsible citizens? This is the story of Abraham. To leave security and venture forth. He establishes an eternal covenant between God and Man. Then your life will be a blessing, and you will get the respect of your peers, and your name will become known, and you will establish something of genuine permanence. This will create abundance for everyone else, too. You conduct your life so you can detect clouds on the horizon—you develop your intuition. You pay attention to the problems that speak to you, that bother you. You become an encouraging voice that goes across the generations.
Welcome aboard ARC—pick up an oar and row!