Do your kids have an interest in medicine, law, national security?

My 16 year old is interested in the CIA.  So, this spring he will attend the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D. C.. In case you have a child interested in leadership, national security, medicine, law or crime scene investigation I want to let you know about this amazing opportunity.  The information below is from the forum's website.

"STUDENTS EXPLORE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY DURING SPRING FORUM
National Youth Leadership Forum Provides Insight into U.S. Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This spring, outstanding high school students from across the United States will take part in a unique career development program in our nation’s capital. During the six-day program, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security (NYLF/NS): Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense will introduce students to the challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more.

“Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver’s seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security,” said Dr. Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. “The combination of interacting with professionals and with other students in this setting ensures that leaders are being developed
so the future of our country will remain very bright.”

The curriculum for the Forum on National Security is based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examine how the U.S. plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employ a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation’s top policy makers. Students also participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military personnel. In addition, leading institutions open their doors to Forum on National Security students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy. In the past, students have explored several government institutions and military installations, including the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, a variety of embassies and many others.

Founded in 1992, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers. Forums are offered in 14 cities across the United States in a wide variety of career fields, such as national security, law and medicine. Over 50,000 young people have attended NYLF programs.

For additional information, visit us at www.nylf.org." (click here for  NYLF website)

 Students can earn one college credit after attending the forum!

The National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security: Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense has partnered with nationally ranked George Mason University to offer one college credit to our attending scholars! George Mason University was featured in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2009" ranking as the number one national university on its list of "up-and-coming schools."

Click here to view a mind-boggling sample schedule for the forum!  

 Until a few months ago I didn't know anything like this existed.  Please share with others who may be interested.

Do you know of other opportunities like this?  If so, please share it, and other opportunities for high schoolers, in the comment section!

My Word for 2013

Happy new year!  I hope you have a great year.

My word for 2013 is...................................................................................FAITH.

Click below to see more about choosing a word for the year.
My words from 2011 and 2012.

For the past two years I've picked a word at the beginning of each year to "cast a vision of the person you want to be in"  the next year.  (K-Love website)

Our family will experience some big changes this year- potentially.

• In the summer we will move back to Germany after being in the States for three years.
• We may have our second oldest driving with a learner's permit before we leave.
• For the past year, we've been working on adopting so it's possible we could increase the size of our family.
• Our oldest will apply for colleges in the fall!   

Recently I've seen a few movies that make me think about important our faith is.  A line in one of them, Life of Pi,  went something like this..."You don't really know God until He has tested your faith."   

Some things I do are relatively easy for me to do.  If I took some of those endeavors to the next level, that might require FAITH! 

What are you doing that is easy?  What would it take to do something similar, but having faith to take it to the next level,  and get to know God better? Or, what are you already doing that requires faith?  I bet some of you have an enormous list!