TeenPact: Changing Lives to Change America

by Gretchen Louise Glaser (a proud sister)

Three years ago I walked into my fifteen-year-old brother William’s bedroom, sat at his desk, and announced, “I am filling out the application for you. You are going to write your testimony to go with it. And that’s that.” I literally forced him to complete the application process, and victoriously put an envelope in the mail addressed to TeenPact. Little did I know what an impact that would have on my brother and our entire family.

That application was for a week-long class at the Oregon State Capitol, led by a group called TeenPact: a Christian organization, founded in 1993 by Tim Echols. It had been advertised in our homeschool newsletter, and sounded like just the thing for my brother since he loved to study politics and history. But according to my brother, “I was terrified. I did not like to be around strange people and do new things, and I dreaded a whole week of doing so.”

Despite William’s dread, he spent the week with twenty other students touring the Oregon State Capitol and going on prayer walks. They learned the political process and the basics of state government. Each student wrote his or her own bill, and then presented it before the mock legislature. William became an expert on points of parliamentary procedure. He remembers, “I was afraid of public speaking, and hardly lived through reading the summary of my bill. But by the end of the week I had gained a lot of confidence and actually enjoyed what we had done. I was hooked.”

As required for each TeenPact student, William sought out his State Representative, Jeff Kropf. The Representative was so impressed with this homeschooled boy that he invited Will back to intern in his office later in the legislative session. And so William’s adventures in politics began.

As William says, “TeenPact was the extra push that I needed to get me involved in politics. It gave me a better understanding of the legislative process, and helped me to see the effect that I could have in government. It was especially helpful to be taught from a Christian perspective, a perspective that has become far too scarce in the political arena.”

The next year, I didn’t have to fill out Will’s application for TeenPact. And afterwards he declared, “It was twice as fun as my first year.” He participated extensively in the mock legislature, served as a committee chairman, and wrote a bill proposing to change Oregon’s state animal from a beaver to a nutria.

TeenPact began taking William out of state in the summer of 2002, when he went on TeenPact’s week-long trip to Washington, D.C. 2003 found William not as a TeenPact student, but as staff for Oregon and Washington’s TeenPact classes. TeenPact is unique in that its staff are but young people themselves. Will’s first year he was amazed to learn that the mature young woman who had led them on a tour of the state capitol was only sixteen years old.

In July, William began campaigning for title of TeenPact President. The parties this year related to Homeland Security—candidates could choose Anti-Expansionist or Reorganization of Homeland Security. The election was held in August, where over 200 students met at the TeenPact National Convention in Georgia. Will, along with his running-mate Danielle Rebman from Florida, handed out pencils, key rings, pocket knives, and green candy with their slogan “On Target from Coast to Coast.” The Glaser-Rebman team won the primary election for the Anti-Expansionist party. The final election gave all the students an education in the electoral process—William Glaser and Danielle Rebman won the electoral votes, even though they’d lost the popular vote.

Now my little brother is president of TeenPact—when he didn’t even want to fill out the application two years ago. I am continually amazed when I think about the impact TeenPact has had on his life. His job this legislative session as an aide in our state representative’s office was due to the fact that he was forced to go meet his representative at his first TeenPact class. Will also feels that the public speaking experience he gained through TeenPact was responsible for his participation in the American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest. He placed second in the nation, and earned over eighteen thousand dollars in college scholarships.

Beginning in January, William will be traveling to many different states, helping teach other young people in state capitols across the U.S. about their own state government. He says: “I am convinced that the only hope for our nation lies in a resurgence of Biblical standards and morality. The most important means to bring about this goal is found in evangelism, which of course is also our greatest responsibility as Christians. But while sharing the gospel is our first duty, we should not abandon the realm of government. In conjunction with evangelism, we as Christians need to hold our ground in the halls of authority. It is this twofold focus of TeenPact that I greatly appreciate. TeenPact does not attempt to bring about change solely through the government, but also stresses the importance of changing our nation by changing individual lives.”

TeenPact has changed my brother’s life and his life is helping to change America. Michael Farris, president of Patrick Henry College, says, ““I highly recommend TeenPact to families who desire to see their kids make a difference in America.” So do I.

Next year TeenPact will be going to 32 state capitols with its message of “Changing Lives to Change America.” Maybe you or your child will be one of the lives changed. TeenPact is a living civics course. There are classes for all ages—a four-day class for students ages 13 and up, and a one-day class for ages 8 to 13. While the majority of TeenPact students are homeschooled, all Christian young people are welcome to attend.

To learn more, visit www.teenpact.com, email knowmore@teenpact.com or call 1-888-343-1776. And when Will Glaser runs for President of the United States, vote for William…to continue to change America.