Why TeenPact Legislature?

Ask any TeenPact student what the most memorable element of the Four Day Class is and they will likely point to one thing: TeenPact Legislature. A large portion of every class is devoted to learning how a bill becomes a law and, like all of the program’s facets, this learning ought to be as hands-on as possible. As part of the pre-class homework, students are asked to write a bill proposing legislation that they believe in. Once on-site, they will spend time discussing and debating their bills in TeenPact Legislature through first reads, committee meetings, and, eventually, in front of the entire student body.

All throughout this process, students abide the rules of Parliamentary Procedure, just like the “real life” state legislatures around the country. Parliamentary Procedure refers to the commonly accepted way in which a group of people come together to present and discuss possible decisions in an orderly fashion. Robert’s Rules of Order is the most widely accepted collection of guidelines toward this end. In order for students to clearly understand and easily participate in the mock legislature process, TeenPact uses a set variation of Robert’s rules.

The vision for TeenPact Legislature is extremely important to the State Class program. TeenPact purposes to teach critical thinking, communicating with order and respect, listening with discernment, and asking valuable questions. These skills take practice but are essential to becoming a compelling communicator. In addition, students practice being an effective disciple by learning to stand up for what they believe in, help other people with their cause, and to set an example among their peers.

TeenPact is about equipping a generation to defend the Christian faith and engage the culture.

Not all of our students will be in a position after the class that requires them to use the Parliamentary Procedure that they learn in TeenPact Legislature. However, the training that students receive at TeenPact goes far beyond vocational practice. It is about equipping a generation to not only understand the political process and value their liberty–as they will by imitating the work that their legislators do in the House and Senate everyday–but also to defend the Christian faith and engage the culture. TeenPact Legislature provides students with an environment to practice these disciplines in a way that is exciting and engaging.

It is true, TeenPact Legislature is a simulation–none of the bills that students propose actually become law at the State Class. Still, the experience of going through the process is impacting to the student and powerful in training leaders for God’s Kingdom.