“Patriot Academy: Today’s Generation”

Over the years, many requests have been made to have a Patriot Academy Session for adults over 25. We are excited to announce the unveiling of our new adult track program, just in time for our 10^th Anniversary!

COME JOIN US THIS SUMMER!

What: Patriot Academy 2012

Where: Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas

When: July 30 – August 4, 2012

Who: YOU!

NEW! Adult Track Program: 26 yrs old and up

Student Track:  16-25 years old

 WHAT IS PATRIOT ACADEMY?

The vision of Patriot Academy is to equip a new generation of Patriots to become leaders in local, State, and Federal governments and to help bring our nation back to the principles of liberty on which we were founded. Founded by former Texas State Representative Rick Green, our first student session began in 2002. To read more about our history, click here.

Our goals are to:

1. Train students and adults to develop government policy with a conservative worldview like that of the Founding Fathers of America.
2. Teach the political process through hands-on training that prepares these leaders to win in the arena of ideas.
3. Motivate students and adults to be leaders in politics, business, entertainment, media, and all areas of the culture.

President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Unless we motivate and equip the rising generation to take up the torch of freedom and carry it forward, it will become extinguished forever. We desire to help students and adults alike become agents of positive change and to give them the tools they need to successfully engage in the political process.

Our desire is that every person who attends Patriot Academy will understand that it is their duty and the privilege to guard the precious legacy of freedom.

For more information about the program, please visit www.PatriotAcademy.com. To contact us, email us or call 512.858.4825.

NEED HOPE? WANT CHANGE?

Now is the time to take leadership to a whole new level with our Adult Track. You can be a part of this revolution of leadership! If you already feel a stirring in your soul to be a part of today’s generation of leadership, then you owe it to yourself and our nation to attend Patriot Academy.  A Partial listing of our “Today’s Generation” training workshops:

• Citizen Duty 101
•  Revolution!…just not the French kind!
• Using Social Media to win the culture war
• EFFECTIVE citizenship that wins elections and passes legislation
• The Power of Purposeful Communication (5 hours of communication training)
• Thinking Biblically, Speaking Culturally

Many adults are concerned about the direction our Nation is headed and want to know how they can be involved, how to make a difference and stand in the gap!  The Adult Track will not only help attendees learn how bills are written and the committee process works, but how to effectively lobby elected representatives and work to get patriots elected in their community and state. Speakers will address specifically the situations we adults face as we wonder how to make a difference within our sphere of influence. By the end of the week’s training, attendees will be able to confidently carry the Torch of Freedom while effectively passing it to the next generation!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADULT TRACK AND TO APPLY, CLICK HERE.

Paid Internship Opportunities in the CollegePlus Admissions Department

Imagine you’re the CEO of a company. You need to fill a position in your consulting department. Yesterday. After sifting through countless resumes and conducting numerous interviews, you’ve got it narrowed down to two people. Both recently graduated from college with a Bachelor’s in Business and did well during the interview process.

You take another look at their resumes. The first one is 22, graduated at the top of his class and has his degree. That’s the extent of his resume. The second is 20 and also has his degree, but his resume appears much richer. While he was earning his degree, he had the opportunity to have a 12 month internship in a similar position, was responsible for nearly $450,000 worth of business, clocked over 2,000 hours of experience and comes well recommended by his employer. You look at both resumes again and pick up the phone. Time to see when the 20 year old can start work.

Now put yourself in the applicant’s shoes. Which one would you rather be – the first who has the book learning, but not much else to recommend him or the second one who has the book learning but also has experience in that field? A lot of experience.

CollegePlus is Currently Hiring Admissions Advisor Interns

The Admissions team at CollegePlus wants to help you gain that invaluable experience and we are currently hiring Admissions Advisor interns for the work-study program in our San Antonio office.

Our work-study Admissions Advisor interns receive world-class sales training followed by real life sales experience putting that training into practice. Housing is provided, as well as part of the cost of your degree through CollegePlus’ Bachelor’s Degree Program. And after your 12-18 month internship is complete, you get first priority to be hired on full time!

Testimony from a Current Intern

Karsten Bousfield has been an Admissions Advisor since January and I asked him the other day to tell me about his job. I was blown away by his response:

“There are so many positive aspects of my job: there’s the experience, there’s the resume, there’s the mentorship, and there’s the joy you find in serving others. However, as much as I enjoy the experience and no matter how great this is going to look on my resume, I believe the finest aspect of this job is the fact that it is not just a job.

I came in as an Admissions Advisor and spent months in intense training with some of the world’s greatest sales trainers. I was already building up my resume without even talking to someone on the phone. The more I trained the more I realized that the tools I was learning would be applicable no matter what I did or where I went. They weren’t just job tools, they were life tools.

As I transitioned out of training and into work I soon discovered that while this is labeled a job, it is much more than that. I talked with a young lady who is dying of heart failure and yet wants to get a degree in the time she has left so she can influence others through the skills that she learns. Another lady I spoke to is struggling with HIV and wants to start a clinic for other women and children dealing with HIV. I talked to a guy who runs sound for one of Christian music’s biggest bands but really wants to run a gourmet coffee business. I talked to men and women who have dreams that they are pursuing and I was helping them not just watch their dreams fly by but actually catch a hold of them.

And as inspiring as helping others launch their dreams was, I didn’t expect what happened next. I spent so much time helping others to follow their dreams that I soon found myself starting to re-pursue my own dream. A dream I had given up on. A dream I had told myself I couldn’t do. But a dream that my clients inadvertently told me I could reach. Not only did I help them fulfill their dreams, they helped me start to fulfill mine.”

Want to Learn More About Becoming an Intern With CollegePlus?

Want to join Karsten and the rest of the Admissions team in helping people catch a hold of their dreams? Find out more information and learn how to apply here.

Leadership: Noble Character Meeting a People In Need

When turbulent times arise, it is more important than ever to have a strong grasp of courageous leadership. More than ever, the American people are asking questions, and they’re not looking for armchair quarterbacks, slothful clergymen, greedy politicians, or narcissistic newscasters to answer those questions. They are looking for leaders who hold an understanding of transcendent truths, and who manifest those truths in their daily lives.

Many think that leadership is a position of command, but while this may be an external manifestation of leadership, leadership at it’s best is a series of internal suggestions resulting in immediate action towards a noble goal, and the selfless character necessary to help others reach the same. Jim Mellado summarized it well when he said leadership is, “The expression of courage that compels others to do the right thing.”

In his book Talent is Never Enough, John Maxwell says, “Courageous Leadership simply means that a man has developed:

1.) Convictions that are stronger than my fears.
2.) Vision that is clearer than my doubts.
3.) Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion.
4.) Self-confidence that is deeper than self-protection.
5.) Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure.
6.) Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo.
7.) Poise that is more unshakable than panic.
8.) An attitude of risk taking that is stronger than safety seeking.
9.) Right actions that are more robust than rationalization.
10.) A desire to see potential reached more than to see people appeased.”

You aren’t a leader until you’re walking ahead of the group, taking bold steps of character-driven action, and others put their trust in you to guide them to their destination. Like the locomotive on a train, when you start pulling the weight not just of yourself, but of all those around you, they can’t help but follow you. But it’s impossible to follow a stopped or detached locomotive anywhere.

You won’t be a leader, until you’re first a man of noble character, a grandiose vision, and a stomach for the fight.

So what does this mean for young patriots?  How do we demonstrate vision, character, and a fighting spirit in small and big ways across the nation?  Come to Patriot Academy and find out.

Stand fast.

Fundraising–it’s one of the biggest tasks on practically every PA student’s agenda. And for good reason: most students don’t have an extra cache of $800-$995 lying around to spare. Even if you do, PA strongly suggests that you raise your funding from outside sources in order to gain firsthand experience in this crucial aspect of the political process.

Most people’s first instinct is to hit up their family and friends for donations. This can work really well, and if that’s what you want to do it’s a great method. However, if you’re not wild about doing that (again!), or if you’re interested not only in raising funds but also in spreading the message of Patriot Academy and expanding your personal horizons, I’ve got another option for you.

I stumbled upon this fundraising method my first year as a PA student, and it has funded all three years I’ve attended. Not only that, I’ve made valuable contacts within my local political world and been offered excellent opportunities for future training and impact. In addition, people all over my region now know about Patriot Academy and the important work it’s accomplishing.

Nor is this something that only worked for me or in my area. There’s a readymade audience throughout the country that wants to hear what you have to say and is already interested in helping you succeed. They’re just waiting for you to find them.

I’m talking about local conservative organizations. Call them what you will—Republican clubs, TEA party groups, grassroots coalitions—they all have a similar motivation: to promote the conservative cause. And most of them are really excited about helping out young conservatives. They realize that the future of this country lies with us, and they are committed to helping us prepare for leadership.

But in order to help us, they have to know who we are and how we need help. This is your job. Here’s how I’ve done it.

First, identify the conservative groups in your area. I recommend picking two for starters (you can always add more later). You need to find out their regular meeting schedule and who’s in charge.

Then you have to establish contact with each group. This can happen in different ways. Once, a mutual friend introduced me to the secretary of the local Republican women’s club; another time, I attended a grassroots group’s regular meeting and introduced myself to the president afterward. Tell them you’re going to be attending a program called Patriot Academy and ask them if their group might be interested in hearing more about it and possibly supporting you.

At this point, it’s possible that they will want to take your case to the group themselves and get back with you on what they decide. But unless they have heard of you or PA before, they will probably want to hear more. In this case, set a date with them when you can come and briefly (five minutes-good, ten minutes-max!) explain to the group who you are and what you’re doing.

When that day comes, be prepared. These groups want to invest in young people, but you still have to convince them that you are a young person worth investing in. Arrive early. Dress professionally. Speak clearly. Above all else, stay within your time limit. Exactly what you say is up to you—if you are an alum, you definitely want to talk about the impact PA has had on your life so far; and if you are a freshman, I would recommend expressing your current interest in politics and/or leadership and how you expect PA to move you forward. If you have time, get the PA office to send you PA brochures to pass out. Plan to stay for the entire meeting, and meet as many people as you can before and after.

In your presentation, tell them the cost of your tuition (be sure to note that all contributions are tax-deductible). Each group donates differently: some like to donate as a body, and others prefer to allow their members to contribute individually. Either way, know how donations are supposed to be made so that nothing has to be fixed later. For instance, checks should be made out to PA, not you. If someone gives you cash, then you need their address, and so on. Because there’s a lot to remember, I strongly recommend creating a simple half-page info sheet on donations so that you can hand it to people without having to go over everything verbally. Plus, this way people have something to take home, and there’s always the chance you may get an additional donation later!

Of course, once you receive donations, whether at the meeting or in the mail, write thank you notes promptly. And it’s a very good idea to make arrangements to come back after Patriot Academy and share what you learned. If you only get money from these groups, you’ve lost half your reward. These are people you want to develop relationships with. Keep in touch.

One last thing. If you’re reluctant about asking a group of total strangers for money, I understand. I was too at first. But keep in mind that these people want to support you. They are desperate to see young leaders rising from our generation. By sharing your aspirations with them and asking them to invest in your training, you are giving them an opportunity to impact the future and assuring them that the principles they are fighting so hard to preserve will not be lost tomorrow. Everyone benefits.

If you’ve never done this before, I encourage you to step out and try it. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain, not to mention a lot to give. Your world will be wider than it was before, and you’ll earn funds—and maybe even a few friends!—in the process. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

This post was written for a scholarship competition by Patriot Academy alumnus Patton Ritter.  You can vote for Patton’s post here: http://www.wyzant.com/scholarships/v2/essay55871-Alvin-TX.aspx

Often, in the political world, we are told that we must hold fast to our principles. However, there is not much discussion on what this really means. Being principled is not just knowing what you believe.  This is simply not enough. When looking to be an individual who is fully convicted in the principles you rely upon, there are three things that must be remembered.

You must first establish your principles. Of course, just establishing your principles is not enough, but it is a definite step in the right direction. When, though? When do you start establishing your principles? We cannot wait until the decision-making moment to establish our principles. Before the time for decisions arise, we must have decided what we believe and decided how we will respond to a given situation.  A person who waits until that moment to decide what is right or what is wrong will find himself greatly unprepared for the decision he has to make. . . and be much more likely to make an ill-advised decision!

When you become convicted of your principles, they must remain constant. Principles must not be changed based on your situation or circumstance. If they are changed, you are no better off than if you had never established your principles to begin with. I have come to learn that conviction is rarely true conviction until it has withstood the temptation to compromise. Conviction in your principles becomes much stronger after you have been through the battle to change, to back down, to just “tweak” your principles to make things a little easier. We as patriots must have the strength to stand by our principles when it would be so much easier to become weak and take the easier path.

Finally, conviction is of little use until you have opposition. That is when a real test of conviction and character come into play. Again, if you are willing to compromise, change, or succumb in order to avoid opposition, your principles are useless to you. You must be willing to stand with those principles because they are right and must only follow them because they are right. If you are principled because it is easy, or because people stand with you, your conviction is in vain. If you are committed to doing what is right, you must do it–regardless. To one who is genuinely committed to truth and principles at all cost, you must never expect the path to be easy or result in popularity. But you can expect it to result in doing right.

All people must have a set of principles that guide them in their decision making. Before decisions must be made, principles must be set. Once principles are set, they must not be altered for each situation, but must be acted upon no matter the opposition. It’s the way we as patriots must strive to be if we are to be genuine patriots. We must do what is right simply because it is right.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist, or a whiz in political science to figure out that the upcoming election is an important one. The debt crisis, out of control spending, weakening economy, and joblessness, (just to name a few of the publicly known issues!) all loom over our nation like a dark cloud, threatening to overtake it. Whoever gets into the White House will have a real mess on their hands, and what they do with it will very well determine whether America will gain any traction in its run for survival, or if it falls, losing the race altogether.

Here in America, the officials determine the government, our votes determine the officials, and our beliefs largely determine our votes. Therefore, with the majority of Americans voting based upon the belief that situations such as the debt crisis, unemployment, and economic collapse are threats to our nation’s survival, how then do the problems still remain, vote after vote after vote?

If we all have the same simple beliefs, that there are problems in our country that need to be fixed, and our votes as a whole are not electing officials that are correcting the problem, then one can conclude that something in the process between the belief and the election has been throwing off the effectiveness of our vote in electing officials that can correct the issues that we believe need to be corrected.

If you really think about it, there are only two types of voters; people who vote based on what they believe, and people who don’t. The two major reasons for our voting as a nation not effectively correcting the problems we believe need correcting is that one; we all believe the same things need correcting but have different ideas as to how to correct them. Or two; there are those of us who have our beliefs, but are not voting in a way that would reflect the beliefs that we claim to have.

Last week I was speaking with a friend of mine through Facebook, and we began talking about the upcoming presidential elections. And when she told me which candidate she planned on voting for, it totally surprised me. Not because of any beliefs I had concerning the candidate, or who I would vote for, but rather because I knew what her views were, and where she stood. She could go on in length and detail about different things this candidate had done that would make anyone who believed it never want him even involved in politics again!…and yet, here she was so very firmly stating that she would be voting for him in the upcoming elections.

When I asked her what caused her to make such a decision concerning her vote, I received an answer that gave me an even greater surprise than the initial; she simply said that she was making the vote not for him, but simply because of his wife!

Apparently, my friend’s great dislike for the candidate’s actions was countered only by her greater like for those of his wife, mostly concerning charitable and community work. As I read through all of her reasons for liking the candidate’s wife, my memory replayed everything she had believed, and still did, concerning the candidate himself, and why she believed that he should never have been in office to begin with. Her feelings had overshadowed her beliefs!

This is when I realized that even more dangerous than believing wrong is believing what is right and choosing to disregard it.

If you know abortion is wrong, do not vote for a candidate who believes it is right. If you want to see our economy restored, vote for the candidate with the best record of doing so. Let the foundation of your beliefs outweigh the swaying of your feelings, vote accordingly, and you will begin to see the foundation of your beliefs make an impact in the society around you.

Many times, when working to restore the Biblical foundations upon which theUnited Stateswas founded, you won’t see results right away. After putting your everything into this cause, you may find yourself asking, “Why isn’t this working? Why can’t I see change happening?” During the 2011 session ofPatriotAcademy, Rick Green told a story about someone who was put in this exact situation, and it went like this:

Even though the Founding Fathers intended The United States of America to be a nation without slavery, this didn’t happen right away. In the beginning years of our nation’s history, the majority of Congress was opposed to the emancipation of slaves. Despite this fact, one man fought tirelessly for the freedom ofAmerica’s slaves. This man was John Quincy Adams. For 28 consecutive years, he consistently fought for this cause- even when it seemed that he was making no progress at all. One day, while he was leaving the Capitol building, a reporter stopped him and asked why he kept pushing for the emancipation of slaves when it seemed hopeless?Adamsturned, looked at the reporter, and said simply, “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” He then walked on.

In 1847, a man who looked up toAdamscame to serve in Congress as freshman legislator. Soon,Adamstook this man under his wing and became his mentor- they grew so close that this man was a pallbearer atAdams’ funeral. After one term in the legislature this man went home, andAdamslater died after serving 28 years in the legislature- seeing none of the fruits of his labor. Now some time afterAdams’ protégé returned home, he ended up running again for office, and again, and again. In fact, he lost multiple elections, but one of the elections he did win was the most important one- the race for the seat of the President of theUnited States. This man’s name was Abraham Lincoln. He went on to be one the most important Presidents in our nation’s history- and the one who ended up freeingAmerica’s slaves.

Adams’ response to the reporter’s question was an extremely wise one. He understood that you cannot be distracted by what you see when working towards a goal; you have to live by faith and trust that God will bring out the fruits of your labor. While we are leading the change, we must always remember to keep our eyes upon the goal up ahead likeAdamsdid. We must always remember that “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” The Lord knows what He is doing, and He knows when the day will come in which Americans will once again recognize His hand in the affairs of men.

Around Christmastime of 2002, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was working on passing a ban on Fox hunting. For those who don’t know, Fox hunting in Britain is a major pastime and a highly popular activity with the people living in the English countryside. Naturally, the English people who hunted foxes would not put up with the government suppressing their right to hunt, so they stormed into London in protest. My dad, being a missionary to Europe, happened to be doing an outreach in London at the time of the protests, and unknowingly walked into the tens of thousands of protesters’ and their vehement march on London. He described the protesters as an army marching onto Parliament. The streets were filled with civil unrest. It seemed like a war was about to erupt. Police helicopters flew above the chaos below. Police cars were everywhere, and mounted policeman even barricaded the streets. However, the enraged protestors managed to break through their barricades and continue their march into the heart of London. It’s hard for one to imagine that all of this was over a ban on fox hunting! However, this is not the amazing thing.

A couple years later, Parliament began to pass “hate-crime” laws. These laws restricted speech that could be perceived as “harmful” to people such as gays and minorities. Pastors would be limited on what they could say from the pulpit. This caused a stir in the Christian community, for it was ultimately a restriction on their freedom of speech. Given my last paragraph, it would be easy to assume that the Christians held their own protests that garnered the attention of Parliament towards their legitimate claim, but that was not so. They did protest, but instead of showing up in crowds of 15,000 to 20,000 like the fox hunt protesters, only about 1500 Christians showed up to protest. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that something is wrong here. When the government placed a ban on fox hunting, the protestors poured into London to voice their dissent, but when the Christian’s freedom of speech was being taken away from them, they did practically nothing. Take note: I am not at all glad of how the fox hunters acted, violent protests are not the answer. I am showing these scenarios to beg the question: Where were the Christians?

Even today I am asking the same question: Where are the Christians? It seems even at church being a Christian teenage conservative who is politically active is becoming dangerously rare nowadays. The problem is that many Christians don’t seem to care about politics and our nation. Wake up, people! We are on the verge of losing America, and if we stay silent like the people in England did, she will be gone. Charles Finney stated the importance of the Church in our nation by stating, “Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree….If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren; but let us lay it to heart, and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility in respect to the morals of this nation.” I am not going to end this article on a happy note, for if we as Christians do not wake up to the realization that we are the ones responsible for saving this nation and bringing it back to God, the history of this nation will not end on a happy note either.

As evil rears its head in America, I ask you this: Where are the Christians?

“…December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”  On that day, America changed forever.  Millions of people would lose their lives over the course of the next few years.  Thousands of surviving WWII veterans die every day.  If these men had stayed home and neglected their duty, this post would probably be written in German or Japanese.  We must never forget their sacrifice or miss a chance to honor them.

In order to meet the few remaining members of the “Greatest Generation”, my family and I traveled to Pearl Harbor on the 70^th anniversary of the attack, Dec, 7^th, 2011.  We had the great honor to meet and shake hands with dozens of Pearl Harbor survivors, ranging from 86-99 years of age.  Nations forget the providences of God so easily, and it is my duty to be able to tell my children and grandchildren what God has done for America.  It was shocking to see the flippancy that most Americans have for that day.  Conspicuous by its absence at the ceremony on Dec 7^th at 7:55 am, was an official comment from President Obama on the anniversary.  Long gone are the days of President Reagan’s eloquent speech to the “boys of Pointe Du Hoc”.  But things changed when Pearl Harbor survivor Mal Middlesworth rose and addressed his comrades and thousands watching on television.  “Let no author, historian or politician attempt to rewrite the history of what happened here 70 years ago. Let no one disturb the sacred water in the harbor. They hold the watery graves of that date in infamy… You sitting in the audience must be the guardians of our truth.”

Thank a veteran the next time you see one.  Hold fast to the truth, and never allow the torch of freedom to be extinguished.  We owe it to those men and their sacrifice.  And remember, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Edmund Burke