Life = Freedom: Defend Theirs, Preserve Ours.(National Teens for Life convention)(Column)

I like to talk on the phone...sometimes too much. But every so often, one of my extended phone conversations provides not only a reconnection with an old friend, but great ideas for NRL News stories.

One such recent conversation was with my dear friend Joleigh Little, a former board member of National Teens for Life (NTL) and currently the advisor for Wisconsin Teens for Life. Jole and I talked about everything from massage therapy to our need for a vacation to a time not so long ago when we were on the NTL board.

In addition to reminiscing about our time in NTL, we discussed how exciting and invigorating this year's National Teens for Life convention (held last month in conjunction with NRLC 2003) was for everyone who attended, including us "old-timers."

Jole remarked that this year's convention was "one of the most exciting conventions in recent memory." We talked and found that we agreed why: the excitement came from the fact that the roughly 100+ teens who came from all over the country brought with them a thirst for knowledge matched only by what seemed to be unending energy to protect our unborn peers.

Truly it was a great time. But it wasn't only the teens who benefitted. Jole and I agreed that spending time with this remarkable group of teens has helped to re-energize our own pro-life work.

Under the theme Life = Freedom: Defend Theirs, Preserve Ours, the NTL convention was three days packed with workshops, general sessions, games, and mixers. This year's attendees definitely received plenty of information and helpful hints to take back to their communities and made lasting friendships at the same time.

Teens had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of how to jump-start a Teens for Life group in their own communities from Joey Patton of Topeka, Kansas, and Beth Haworth of Superior, Wisconsin, both of whom have worked to keep their local TFL movements strong and active.