This February six Ranch students attended Teenpact at our state capital in Nashville, Tennessee. Teenpact’s mission: We seek to inspire youth in their relationship with Christ and train them to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend the Christian faith, and engage the culture at a time in their lives when, typically, they do not care about such things.
Two students attended the week-long camp, where they participated in all aspects of governance – running a campaign, electing a governor and representatives from among the attendees, forming committees, writing and debating bills, and praying for our elected leaders. Three students joined them for the Friday political communication workshop, where they were divided into fifteen teams, each representing a different nation. The teams negotiated treaties and trade agreements for their respective countries in a fast paced, interactive game. Best of all, students were taught to share their faith and given the opportunity to practice. A sixth student attended the one day workshop for 8 to 12 year olds which included a prayer walk through the capital and an interactive overview of the legislative process.
Here is what they had to say:
“It was very fun, educational, and interesting…. If I had the option, I would love to go again… I love how the teachers were there and everyone including the students were so friendly.” — Nevaeh
“Teenpact was really fun!  I really loved it!  I learned a lot.  My favorite thing about it was meeting new people.  I would love to go back next year!” — Victor
“It was very educational.  It gave a good understanding of leadership no matter your age.  My favorite part was the game in which we learned how to work as a team and complete our objectives.  I would like to go back and learn more at the week long camp.” — Rachel
“One of the most impressive things I experienced was the way that they train student leaders. While there is adult oversight, so much of the program is run by teen leaders themselves, and they did it so professionally that you’d never guess some of them were fifteen or sixteen years old. And I’m thrilled with the way that they emphasized sharing the gospel. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to do this and hope we can do it again.” — Andrew Wood, Humanities Director St. Andrew’s School