The Student Summer Academy is a three-day program organized by Massachusetts Citizens for Life, designed to educate rising high school freshmen through college seniors about the pro-life movement.

What's the Student Summer Academy?

An annual program designed and sponsored by Massachusetts Citizens for Life, the Academy’s purpose is to inform young adults about the pro-life movement and encourage them to become advocates for society’s most vulnerable members: the unborn. The 2023 Academy, a donor-supported initiative offered at no cost to families, will be held in a three-day workshop. Materials will be provided by MCFL and do not include any graphic content.

CURRICULUM

June 27, Day 1

• The Dignity of Human Life: fetal development & the controversy of protecting life
• Special guest: Myah Abraham, Director of Hosea GreatLife Teens will engage with participants via afternoon Zoom session.

June 28, Day 2

• Culture of Death: Abortion, stats, state & federal law; how abortion infiltrated our culture.
• Special guest: Kathi Aultman, M.D. will engage with participants via afternoon Zoom session.

June 29, Day 3

• Youth Action Plan: How to Build a Culture of Life, Abortion alternatives, pro-life arguments, effective messaging.
• Special guest: Amy Gaudet, outreach coordinator at Clearway Clinic, will engage with participants via afternoon Zoom session. 

Registrants may attend one, two or three days of the Academy but are encouraged to participate in all three daylong sessions, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of pro-life issues and effective arguments to defend life.

Why did we create the Student Summer Academy?

In Massachusetts, girls as young as 16 may legally obtain an abortion without parental notification or consent. Pro-abortion legislators are currently trying to eliminate even that age restriction. Fathers of unborn children have no rights. As our culture continues to present abortion as empowerment, freedom, risk-free and the obvious “choice” for today’s women and girls, teens and young adults must not only hear that each of those is an untruth but must also understand that every individual, from the moment of conception, bears an inherent right to life that those falsities ignore.

The Academy provides this learning opportunity. Participants will be given tools to use to defend the unborn.

Who is eligible to participate in the Student Summer Academy?

Rising high school freshmen, both boys and girls, through rising college seniors may enroll.

Educators

The academy sessions are led by one or more experienced educators, who will send introductory email messages and their bios to each participant/family before the Academy begins.

Guest speakers will supplement the curriculum through virtual presentations and Q&A sessions. These will include pregnancy resource center staff from Clearway Clinic; Kathi Aultman, M.D.; and Myah Abraham.

Dates

June 27, 28 & 29, 2023; 9:00AM-2:00PM; includes 30-minute lunch provided by MCFL each day

Locations

The Academy will be offered this year at three sites:

Cape Cod: Trinity Christian Academy, Barnstable
Metro West: St. Brendan’s Parish Center, Bellingham
Western MA: Blessed Sacrament Parish Center, Westfield

Cost

The MCFL Student Summer Academy is FREE, thanks to the support of our members across the Commonwealth.

Help us spread the word in your local schools, parishes, and community centers! Use this downloadable and printable flyer to spread the message!

How to register

Advance registration is required. Because we will provide learning materials and lunches, we need to plan accordingly well in advance of our start date. Walk-in registration is not possible.

Each student should register online by June 15, 2023. Students under 18 must have permission from one parent or guardian.

Please complete the form below. Once you submit your registration, we will send you an email confirmation and updates as the Academy nears.

We can't wait to welcome you! Each of us has a role to play within the pro-life movement. Every voice is needed. Equip yourself or your teen with the tools to confidently communicate truth and fight for the right to life.