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National Right to Life
Affiliates Host Teen Training Camps Part Two of Three
By Becky Miller "Mom, I want to go back to camp!" my three-year-old daughter, Katherine, keeps saying out of the blue, ever since we left Wisconsin Teens 4 Life Camp in July. One of the youngest "honorary campers" ever, Katherine clearly enjoyed camp as much as the 28 teens who attended. Blending fun and entertainment with sobering education, pro-life camps have a powerful shaping impact on up-and-coming pro-life leaders – even the very youngest ones. Wisconsin is only one of the state affiliates that runs pro-life camps or training sessions for teens. If your organization is looking to build a youth education program that includes a camp or retreat, National Right to Life is working on rolling out a camp program to help you get started in your state. Here are some ideas to get the gears turning in your head as you dream up what youth education could look like in your area. Share information and learn from each other
Learn from the state organizations that are already running camps. Each of the camp organizers in this article would love to talk with you, share their advice, and encourage you in beginning your own youth program. Wisconsin Right to Life has been running Camp Esther and Camp Nehemiah twice each summer, once in the northern part of the state and once in the south, for seven years. Camp Esther teaches teens all the basics of the life issues. Camp Nehemiah offers more advanced courses on everything from international abortion laws and eugenics to assisted suicide and lobbying techniques. WRTL has developed fantastic games (like a living Clue mystery game with suspects like Nancy Pelosi and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a Human Race adventure game that gets campers running) and excellent education sessions. Get more information at www.wisconsinteens4life.org or e-mail Joleigh Little at jlittle@wrtl.org. Louisiana Right to Life Federation hosted Camp Joshua twice this April. They've been doing camp for three years, and when their attendance jumped from 35 the first year to 90 the second, they decided to hold two different camps. You can see a great video about their camp at www.prolifelouisiana.org/youth/camp-joshua.html. They also just held a week-long Joshua Leadership Institute for 20 older teens with a more intensive practicum focus than their shorter camps. Contact Ben Clapper at (504) 835-6520 or Kacie Hampton at kacie.hampton@gmail.com for more information. New York has been running three-day Camp Esther in August for two years. They incorporate traditional summer camp activities--like water balloon fights--into their pro-life training. To learn more about NYSRTL's camp, contact Lori Kehoe at lhougens1@aol.com. Make a plan that works for your state
My state of Rhode Island is the smallest state--you can drive across it in 45 minutes. We've used the closeness to our advantage by hosting our second Summer Academy in our Providence state headquarters up the street from the RI State House. Students from all over the state (and a few from neighboring Massachusetts) attended our Wednesday afternoon sessions for eight weeks this summer. Stellar speakers come in each week for one-hour lectures on the life issues, which we follow up with one-hour workshops and practicums, helping the students cement their learning. If your state or local chapter would be interested in developing a similar academy, please email me at bmiller@rirtl.org. Camp doesn't have to run in the summer. Oregon Right to Life does their retreat over spring break. This year, they held their four-day Camp Joshua in March. In addition to education sessions and games, they take field trips to the ORTL office, the capitol building, and women helping centers. For more information on Camp Joshua, go to www.campjoshua.net or e-mail Amy at amy@ortl.org. Just go for it Make a plan and then jump in! Texas held their first-ever four-day Camp REveAL this July and had 30 students. The campers broke into four clubs throughout the event to develop their leadership and organizational skills and to practice forming pro-life clubs back home. Learn more from Melissa Pici at mpici@texasrighttolife.com. Educate and inspire the teens Balance educating the students with inspiring them. Help them learn about the life issues, remembering to focus equally on euthanasia, abortion, and stem cell research, and bring in the global perspective. Then inspire them with a passion to do something with the information they're learning. Encourage them to stay involved with your state organization and start pro-life groups in their schools, churches, and communities. Mentor the camp staff Joleigh Little from Wisconsin RTL and I were talking about youth education strategy, and she pointed out that as much as she focuses on training the young teens at camps, she spends even more time and energy mentoring the camp team that helps run the event. Over the years, she has noticed campers with the most leadership potential and has gradually given them more and more responsibility. I was blown away by the caliber of high school and college age camp team members who taught many of the camp sessions with great knowledge and skill. Texas RTL takes a similar approach - their college Generation Now scholars help facilitate their camp.
Knowledge is power, but relationships are dynamite. Build ongoing relationships with the young people in your state through participating in the National Right to Life oratory contest and attending the National Teens 4 Life Convention, holding camps, and involving teens in your state conventions and chapter activities. I went to Camp Esther and Camp Nehemiah as a guest speaker, but I left as a part of the camp team. Building and deepening friendships with some of the brightest and most energetic young pro-life leaders made that week the best I've had all year. Campers and camp team members alike bonded quickly over our shared passion for defending the weak and vulnerable. I've enjoyed the social networking aftermath – Facebook is buzzing with campers friending each other, posting camp pictures, reminiscing, and making plans for seeing each other soon. Attend the National Teens 4 Life Summit in January "I want to go back to camp, Mom!" my daughter says again. I sigh. "Me too, honey. Me too." Next summer is too long to wait to see our camp friends again. We are already making plans to be a part of the National Teens 4 Life Summit, January 21-23. I hope you'll join us in Washington, D.C., the weekend of the March for Life, for the NTL Summit. And I hope you'll touch base with the excellent state coordinators mentioned in these articles and begin planning teen camps in your area. Becky Miller is the Education Coordinator for Rhode Island Right to Life. She blogs about pro-life issues at www.beckycastlemiller.com |
Focus
on relationships