By Dave Andrusko
Blogging from the NRLC
Convention...One of the great pleasures
of attending a conference that is
jam-packed with workshops as this one
is, is you can stick your nose into one
for a few minutes and then move on to
another...and another...and another.
But not late Thursday afternoon. My
wife, Lisa, and I walked into "Pro-Life
Camps: Training the Leaders of Tomorrow"
at 5:15 sharp and never left.
Part of the explanation is the
caliber of the speakers. Joleigh Little,
Amanda McCone, and Kacie Dobson are
associated with Wisconsin Right and Life
and know the topic backwards and
forwards. But knowing to budget for a
pro-life camp, how to attract speakers,
and how make sure the kids have
boatloads of fun at the same time they
are learning about abortion, euthanasia,
and assisted suicide–while hugely
important–is second to the enthusiasm
and love they so clearly have for kids.
We've run at least one article about
pro-life young people in National Right
to Life News every issue for the past
several years. Most of the time Joleigh
authors the account. And nobody but
nobody is more steeped in how to relate
to teenagers about our issues than
Joleigh.
I asked Lisa what struck her about
the workshop. She replied that Joleigh,
Kacie, and Amanda make putting a summer
pro-life camp together seem almost easy.
It just requires a committed team, some
pre-planning, and an understanding that
the future of our Movement is in the
hands of young people who may be as
young as 14.
Pro-Life camps are part and parcel of
the aggressive outreach of National
Right to Life and its 50 state
affiliates to train up the next
generation of pro-life leaders. For
example, year in and year out an influx
of interns have come through NRLC to
learn from staff. And, more recently,
NRLC has established the National Right
to Life Academy, which gives promising
college students a rigorous exploration
of the major pro-life issues as well as
an in-depth look at the history of the
pro-life movement.
A fascinating first day at the NRL
Convention. And it will only get better.
Please send your thoughts and
comments to
daveandrusko@gmail.com.
