OnSite Report

Jackson Area Home Educators, March 22-23, 2007

Our relationship with Patti Sailor and the Jackson Area Home Educators organization goes all the way back to the year 2000. JAHE agreed to be a 'guinea pig' and sponsor one of the first Onsite Programs as we sought to determine whether we should take SSI on the road. Recently, Patti said, "It has truly been a privilege to be involved with a ministry like SSI - a ministry that I believe so strongly in and am so confident of the potential and difference it has in impacting the lives of young & old!"

I am happy to report that since then, the Onsite has partnered with 24 educational institutions and - because of repeat locations - been conducted 50 times in cities throughout Michigan involving over 2000 students. Wow! There are so many success stories and meaningful relationships that have been developed through the Onsite Program. We encourage every school or home school group involving high school students to sponsor an Onsite. Check out these testimonies from school administrators and teachers.

We just completed our fourth Onsite with JAHE Pioneer Co-op which was by all accounts a great success. Here is a newspaper article featuring this SSI program in the Jackson Citizen Patriot. After a slow start with registrations, we finally ended up with 45 students, of which an unusually large number were not that excited about being there. Par for the course! They were great kids though, and their interest climbed steadily as we guided them through the intense two-day legislative simulation.

Once again, we were blessed with an outstanding lineup of local community leaders including State Representative Mike Simpson, former State Representative Rick Baxter, Jackson County Commission Chair James Shotwell, Fourth Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson, Jackson County Prosecutor Henry Zavislak, Jackson County Sheriff Dan Heyns and Hillsdale County Undersheriff Jeremiah Hodshire.

The Committee Hearings on day two always mark an important turning point in the student's understanding and level of engagement. All of a sudden, everything seems real. There is a Committee Chairman with a gavel. There are lobbyists who present passionate and persuasive arguments to the student "Representatives" from both sides of the issue. Finally a vote is taken setting up the legislative session that will take place on the House Floor later that day. Students have said that SSI is as real as it can be without being the real thing.

That is the point! Leadership training takes place when a young person is put in the position of being a leader. Learning is best accomplished by doing, and although the SSI learning curve is always very steep, the JAHE students rose to the challenge. The final legislative debate was outstanding. Parents were often amazed with the professionalism and extraordinary level of understanding and articulation. For me, the greatest pleasure was seeing the excitement in the students and hearing them tell me that they actually liked SSI. Afterward, one young lady told us that she expected a bad experience, but actually had fun! She didn't want to her mom to know that, though. Kids these days!

Thanks to Patti Sailor and Eunice Slocum for sacrificing so much time and energy to make SSI possible. Also thanks to Ganson Street Baptist Church and Greater Bible Way Temple for the use of their facilities.

- James Muffett, SSI Founder & President

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