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NRL News
NTL
Second Annual Youth Leadership Summit WASHINGTON, D.C.—They never cease to amaze me! This isn’t the first time you’ve heard me say that and it certainly won’t be the last. After spending three days with the young people at our National Teens for Life Summit, my hope for the future of our Movement is brighter than ever. I guess that’s the best thing about working with pro-life youth—they are a constant source of inspiration for those of us who have (gulp!) been around for a while! This year’s summit brought together young people from as far away as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Carolina to our nation’s capital. Amid the monuments and history of the great city, a dedicated group of future pro-life leaders gathered to learn all they could about impacting the world for the cause of life. This year’s numbers were somewhat maller than usual due to a variety of factors, but these young people more than made up for it in terms of heart and devotion. Among the attendees were a young woman who plans to one day run for her state legislature and another whose life’s dream is to work full-time in the pro-life movement, both laudable goals that will do much to save the lives of the unborn and vulnerable. Ranging in age from 17 to 21, these future stars of the right-to-life movement proved that they have what it takes to carry the cause of life into the future. The weekend provided a crash course on such topics as euthanasia, international abortion issues, the history of the pro-life movement, dealing with the media, and how to answer the really hard questions on abortion and euthanasia. As an added bonus, the young people in attendance were treated to roundtable sessions with speakers ranging from Bobby Schindler of the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation and Brother Paul O’Donnell of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, to the International Right to Life Federation’s representative to the United Nations, Jeanne Head, and her associate Peter Smith of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. Attendees also participated in a question and answer session with NRLC Executive Director David N. O’Steen, Ph.D., and Co-Executive Director Darla St. Martin. Their time together covered everything from NRLC’s legislative strategy to the 2008 presidential race. “Wow,” said one young woman, “we learned so much, it’s hard to take it all in!” Among other sentiments were those of 18-year-old Kaitlin from Minnesota: “This is the best pro-life conference I’ve ever been to!” Probably the highlight of the summit, for everyone involved, was the interaction between the young people and the speakers. The give and take discussions did much to educate the teens, as well as to impress the adults! This was summed up best by speaker Wayne Cockfield, an at-large member of the NRLC board, who said, “Y’all are a really great group!” This attitude was echoed by other speakers, among them Dorothy Timbs Yeung of NRLC’s Powell Center for Medical Ethics and her husband Dr. Patrick Yeung, who spoke to the group about abortion and euthanasia. Participants had a fantastic time quizzing a “real live doctor” about the life issues, and Dorothy’s experience as a lawyer and pro-life advocate did much to encourage them in their own defense of the pro-life cause. There is no question that this year’s NTL Leadership Summit planted seeds that will unfold in years to come. It is a project we plan to continue far into the future. If you know of young people who might be interested in next year’s summit, to be held the weekend of January 18–20, 2008, please e-mail their names to us so we can get them more information! Joleigh Little works full-time for Wisconsin Right to Life as Wisconsin Teens for Life director and region coordinator. She can be reached at jlittle@wrtl.org. |