The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Kayla M. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Tactics - Promote SSI
A few months ago I asked our youth pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church about the possibility of promoting the Student Statesmanship Institute at a Sunday night high school service. Most students there would love the experience of attending SSI, both as a faith builder and as an excellent learning opportunity. I described SSI to my youth pastor and he agreed to give me a venue to share it with the other students. Every Sunday night the youth pastor chooses a different student to put on the “hot seat,” where he and the audience ask general and spiritual questions to get to know that student. He decided to put me on the hot seat, where I could share information and personal experience about SSI as well as answer questions about the program from other students.
Before the event, I printed dozens of SSI flyers, made a photo collage in PowerPoint and prepared a five-minute talk on the basics and the blessings of the program. The night of the event, I began by describing the legislative track, complete with that daunting but exhilarating speech on the House floor. I mentioned the business, media, mock trial and moot court tracks, describing the hands-on components of each one. For example, students wanting to learn business techniques can gain firsthand experience by operating a mock business in a competitive market for a week. Media students enter their field by publishing a daily newspaper and filming news broadcasts for the other campers. Students interested in the judicial field can work as lawyers for a week, either arguing civil cases in the mock trial track or examining constitutional law in the moot court track. I enjoyed sharing this wide range of options SSI offers.
Then our youth pastor asked me to describe the spiritual significance of SSI and the reasons it would strengthen the faith of Cornerstone students who attended. I described the Biblical worldview sessions each day of camp on topics such as Christian citizenship and creation versus evolution. I told the students how the information presented in those sessions had helped me think Biblically and respond to the challenges I heard at school. Next I talked about SSI chapel, the inspiring speakers and the worship music similar to that in our youth group. Finally, I described the wonderful people who attend SSI, a great mix of strong Christian students, ADCs, chaperones, and leaders who encourage and inspire us to follow their example by following Christ.
After the service, friends and students asked me a little more about SSI. One mom was especially curious because she is now planning to send her son there this summer. Through the experience of promoting SSI, I learned the difficulty of speaking in front of about thirty friends and peers. It was rewarding, however, to spread the word about an excellent program that God uses to bless students and draw them close to Him. Because God has blessed me so much through SSI, it was exciting to share the opportunity with other students striving to walk with Him.
