Jump to content

TeenPact

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aytea (talk | contribs) at 17:39, 28 October 2014 (Improved with criticisms integrated into article; pursuant to WP:NPOV, WP:CRITS, and WP:CORG). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

TeenPact Leadership Schools
Founded1994[1]
FounderTim Echols
Typenon-profit, 501(c)3[2][3][4]
FocusEducation focused on leadership and government, geared for young adults
Location
Area served
United States, except California, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia
MethodClasses, workshops
Revenue
$1.6 million (in 2012)[5]
Websiteteenpact.com (who.is)

TeenPact Leadership Schools (a.k.a., TeenPact) is a Christian non-profit educational organization, catering mostly to students between the ages of thirteen and nineteen years old, especially homeschoolers. The organization teaches annual classes in the capitols of 41 American states.[6] Their vision statement is "Changing Lives to Change the World," and their more extensive mission statement is, "to train youth to understand the political process, value their liberty, defend their Christian faith and engage the culture at a time in their lives when, typically, they do not care about such things." [7] Their curriculum and programs generally align with the beliefs of the American Christian right.

Programs and Events

TeenPact offers several different programs and classes on many topics; however, all students must complete the four-day State Class at least once before they are allowed to participate in the rest of the events.

The State Class

The State Class is the base level and foundation of the TeenPact organization. This class runs from Monday through Thursday of the given week at their respective state capitol, is designed for students of ages 13 through 19, and is billed as a "hands-on learning experience."[8] In this class students participate in a variety of differing activities, encompassing many aspects of their particular state government as well as the Christian nature of the program. The class consists of student mock legislative sessions, learning how bills become law, field experiences, and special speakers, as well as a worship session, bible study, and prayer walks throughout the various state capitols. Because of the on-site exams and pre-class homework, TeenPact describes its class as being worth one-third of a high-school carnegie unit, though this is an unaccredited value. Despite this, some homeschoolers still cite TeenPact on their self-prepared high-school transcripts.[9] All students are required to wear "formal business attire" at their politically-oriented "State Classes,"[10] female students are required to wear skirts and dresses (pants are allowed in casual settings, but not in professional ones) and students are sometimes confronted and, on rare occasions, even dismissed by staff for infractions. [citation needed] (During events that do not take place in what TeenPact deems a "professional environment," dress codes are much more relaxed for both sexes.[11]) TeenPact has responded to criticism of this policy, noting that the organization does not believe that pants worn by women are unprofessional or risque, in the same way that they do not believe that a man wearing a collared shirt without a tie is unprofessional.[citation needed] After completing the four-day State Class, a student is eligible to attend Alumni Events.

TeenPact also offers a one-day State Class (formerly known as "TeenyPact") for younger students. It is a branch of the four-day class, held on the Friday immediately following TeenPact "graduation." This class is designed as a compact and simplified version of the longer class, tailored to students ages 8 through 12. It includes all the events of the upper level in a more age appropriate and fast-paced environment. [citation needed]

A Political Communication Workshop (formerly a Public Speaking Class) is also offered as an extension of the week for four-day students, and is also held on the Friday following the normal TeenPact program, occurring simultaneously with the one-day class. In the workshop, the older students are developed and polished in the simple fundamentals of oratory, including eye contact, stage movement and gestures, speech writing, impromptu speaking, and the basics of civilized debate, as well as drafting mock resolutions similar to mock legislation drafted during the State Class.[citation needed]

Alumni Events

Once a student has attended the four-day class, he or she is classified as a "TeenPact Alumnus" and is eligible for participation in any of the several additional events TeenPact offers.

The largest Alumni event in terms of size and participation is TeenPact's National Convention (commonly referred to as "NC" by students and staff alike). The week-long event includes speakers, worship sessions, small group activities, an Ultimate Frisbee tournament, and student elections. Students run in the elections for various mock positions, including President and Vice-President, Senator, and Representative. This aspect completely immerses the students into the campaign process, with candidates creating websites, t-shirts, flyers, posters, and commercials. The entire elections process is tracked from primaries to the general election via a live news program, "TPN News."

TeenPact also offers week-long events focused on the three branches of government. TeenPact Congress, held at the Florida State Capitol, immerses students into the legislative process, complete with elected officials, lobbyists, and journalists. TeenPact Back to DC, held at the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia, offers a more comprehensive curriculum on campaigning, which students use to run mock presidential campaigns. In addition to this, students commute to downtown Washington, D.C. daily, where they have the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill, tour the monuments and museums, and attend political conferences such as the Values Voter Summit (which Back to DC is usually scheduled around). Finally, TeenPact Judicial is legal-oriented course held at Liberty University School of Law, which includes lectures from various presenters and a moot court. While TeenPact is an independent non-profit organization unaffiliated with a political party, the state and alumni event curricula generally support conservative values and principles.

Three of TeenPact's Alumni events - Venture, Endeavor, and Survival - are not politically oriented, and are run in the tradition of a summer camp for males, females, and co-eds, respectively.

Staff

TeenPact is run through several tiers of administration. A board of directors[12] has executive control of the organization, with Founder and President Tim Echols serving as chairman of the board. A separate staff of employees in Richmond, Virginia,[13] headed by CEO Peter Martin, directs the state classes and handles public relations. However, the bulk of TeenPact's field staff responsible for executing classes is composed of two sets of volunteers. A group of traveling student interns[14] is assembled each year to travel to and lead each state's classes, while individual staffing volunteers - student alumni selected via an applications process - stay in their home state or travel at their own expense to assist the interns. Whether an intern within the multi-state group or an individual in a single state, TeenPact volunteers are required to have attended the four-day class held in their state at least once. Traveling interns must also have previously staffed a state class, and have had sufficient experience with the Alumni programs.

Political activity

TeenPact's founder, Tim Echols, has also been criticized for using the organization to recruit volunteers for political campaigns under the moniker of "Student Projects." Emails from 2007 to 2010, recently published online, show Echols and his staff using ministry mailing lists to encourage TeenPact alums to "apply the civic skills you have learned through TeenPact in an actual political environment."[15] During John Oxendine's unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial campaign in 2010, a formal ethics complaint was filed against Echols, then serving as Oxendine's campaign manager, alleging that his Gold Dome Consulting firm improperly benefited from TeenPact volunteers.[16][17][18][19] The complaint was later dismissed.

To address these concerns, more recent TeenPact publications clarify the ministry's status as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is "unable to endorse any specific political candidate or party," and insists that "Student Projects are organized by parents and/or students, not the ministry itself."[20][21] The "Student Project" moniker may therefore be applied not only to political campaigns, but also to a number of service and volunteering opportunities available to TeenPact alums. [22]

Echols stepped back from the day-to-day operations of the organization since pursuing political office himself. He currently serves as a commissioner on the State of Georgia's Public Service Commission.[23]

Partnerships

Notable Alumni

Footnotes

  1. ^ First paragraph
  2. ^ Federal form 990 for 2010
  3. ^ Federal form 990 for 2011
  4. ^ Federal form 990 for 2012
  5. ^ Federal Form 990 for 2012
  6. ^ As of 2014, taken from TeenPact's latest class schedule
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ From "About TeenPact"
  9. ^ Using TeenPact for high school credit
  10. ^ TeenPact Dress Code
  11. ^ TeenPact Dress Code; note Casual Attire sections
  12. ^ Official list of board members
  13. ^ Official list of office staff members
  14. ^ Official list of traveling interns
  15. ^ "TeenPacters Speak Up: Part Eleven, TeenPact Needs Integrity, Not Money" at HomeschoolersAnonymous.com (Originally at "Between Black and White")
  16. ^ Archived copy of the ethics complaint, later dismissed
  17. ^ "TeenPact kids' campaign efforts raise questions," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 1, 2010.
  18. ^ "Teen outreach for Oxendine questioned," MyFoxAtlanta.com, July 1, 2010. (Archive.org)
  19. ^ "Teen outreach for Oxendine draws ethical questions," Associated Press, July 1, 2010.
  20. ^ Georgia TeenPact newsletter referencing Student Project policies; see Page 8
  21. ^ TeenPact policy on student projects
  22. ^ [2]
  23. ^ About Tim Echols
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TeenPact&oldid=631489702"