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A Growing Passion

Kayla Goodman , a high school junior from Roanoke, skipped out on her classes last week – but she wasn't playing hooky.

Instead, Goodman spent Monday through Thursday in Richmond with 70 other enthusiastic students, learning about government hands-on as a participant in TeenPact , a nonprofit Christian organization that holds intensive leadership classes in 38 state capitals nationwide.

"The main thing I take away (from TeenPact) is a passion to learn more about my government and how it works and what is going on," Goodman said. "I really want to be involved in my government now. Before I didn't really care about it … but now I want to come back and research bills and people who are in positions in the government."

TeenPact provides a fast-paced week of training about government, leadership and the importance of student's relationship with God and their personal involvement in their local government. Students contribute in a number of field experiences during the week including analyzing bills and media, interviewing lobbyists, participating in a cross-fire debate and viewing the House and Senate in session.

Students also take part in a prayer walk around the grounds of the Capitol, praying for the local government officials and for wisdom for them as they serve our state.

Before students arrive, they are responsible to fulfill a number of assignments including writing letters to their senators and legislators, writing a mock bill, studying sections of the Bible and praying for their legislators by name. This allows participants to come prepared and ready to participate in events such as the daily committee meetings, a part of the mock legislature to help students understand how a bill becomes a law.

"The entire class is divided into … five committees," said Kate Lewanowicz , TeenPact field staff. "So the kids write their bills and the legislature assigns bills to a committee. What I do is lead a committee and we go over all of the bills that have been assigned to our committee and we vote to pass or fail them or sometimes amend them."

Lewanowicz said that if the committees vote to pass any of the bills, then they go to the floor of the TeenPact House of Delegates and they are debated further.

This is one of many of the fun, interactive ways that TeenPact strives to teach students about government. Other events are student campaigns for governor and delegates as well as constitutional power grab, a game that students play that helps to educate them about the three branches of government.

TeenPact provides an opportunity for students to not only receive and learn about government, but for the staff to impart their passion for God and government as well. Many of the staff members became interested in government at their own TeenPact class as a young teenager.

"I think my passion for politics in general came from after being a student in TeenPact," said Lewanowicz, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University. "Getting to actually see it and see what went on in government. … Learning more about it really spurred it on."

Lewanowicz, a double-major studying English and political science, said that her passion to staff TeenPact came from several different things.

"Actually wanting to staff it came from really loving the subject matter, but also really enjoying ... interacting with and leading the students," she said. "I really enjoy the re-communication, passing things on that I've learned."

The Christian values TeenPact is built upon is one of the main things the staff endeavors to impart to their students. Jonathan Morris , TeenPact program director from Moonville, S.C., said this is the part of TeenPact that he is most passionate about.

"Something that I've been telling students is while its very important for Christians to be involved in politics and to be aware of what's going on in the political arena … to change the heart of a nation, you have to be out in the streets telling about the love of Christ," Morris said, adding that while it is very important to be involved in politics, our culture's view of God is at the core of every issue.

TeenPact has motivated students for 14 years and Morris said that in the years to come, former TeenPact students will rise up in our culture to "become powerful tools for Christ."

"At least one of our students ran for a public office, I believe for a town hall position in his town and is now working as a security guard in the capital," Morris said. "We have people who are getting their degrees in law and pursuing judicial positions."

Because of the staff's energy and passion and the effect of TeenPact on lives, students return year after year. Goodman was a second-year attendee of TeenPact, but said she wanted to come again.

"I learned a lot my first year going of how our government works and (wanted) to come back and learn," she said.

Goodman said this year her younger brother came for the first time and she was able to enjoy talking to him about government.

"We got to talk about it and I got to teach him as we went what different things meant," she said. "TeenPact is a great way to learn about how your government works."

For more information about TeenPact, visit teenpact.com.

Bethany Emerson is a reporter for Capital News Service.