This Spring, fifteen Tennessee Teen Eagles students, and parents landed in Washington, DC for a long-awaited trip-of-a-lifetime.

Teen Eagles is affiliated with Eagle Forum, founded by conservative pioneer, Phyllis Schafly.

After a year of studying history and politics, these bright students arrived to see history for themselves. 

First stop -- the Leadership Institute.

While touring the U.S. Capitol at night, catching a free opera concert at the Kennedy Center, and visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Teen Eagles soaked up customized training taught by expert faculty and stayed in the LI dorms.

Steven Sutton, Leadership Institute’s Vice President of Development, spoke on the Real Nature of Politics.

“Never attack the opponent; rather, define the opponent. Work in your community - do things that make a positive difference.”

Guest lecturer and former LI Regional Field Coordinator, Matthew Hurtt, taught effective grassroots activism techniques and messaging.

“Build coalitions among various conservative groups - remember, it's better to add and multiply than to subtract and divide.”

Jeremiah Lorrig, of Generation Joshua https://www.generationjoshua.org/GenJ/, took the students on a journey through historical political ads, including a Reagan ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-IBF8nwSY, discussing media messaging and bias. 

Of course, if you have something to say, you ought to say it well.  Dr. John Shosky brought his talents in public speaking, challenging students to step out of their comfort zone and bravely face the mic. 

Through every session, the theme remained the same:

"We are a government 'By the people, For the people.' But that only works if the people are engaged and involved. And you're never too young to make a difference." -- Jeremiah Lorrig

Engaging and practical, the Teen Eagles left D.C., a bit sunburned but excited to get involved when they returned to Tennessee.

“The training I received at the Leadership Institute was an eye opening experience to how politics really work.  It was extremely informative and very well prepared.  It also made me want to come back soon for more training,” said Janey age 18.

 “Leadership Insitute Training helped me realize that I could be an influential role in America's present and future.  Each speaker was very passionate about what they were teaching and I obtained so much knowledge from them.  I left each class feeling inspired and longing to learn more,” said Rachel, age 17.

Interested in making a difference for the conservative cause? Check out the complete list Leadership Training here.