Did you know that less than 5% of the population of school age children is homeschooled?¹  When you’re in a thriving homeschool community and a large percentage of those in your regular circle are fellow homeschooling families, it’s easy to forget that we are still a very small minority in the big world of academia.  However, as one of the modern homeschool movement’s earliest defenders, R. J. Rushdoony, notably said, “History has never been dominated by majorities, but only by dedicated minorities who stand unconditionally on their faith.”²

Many victories have been won by dedicated homeschool families so that since 1993 homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states. But the right to homeschool is the beginning of the battle, not the end. Now that we have been granted educational freedom, it is up to us to stand unconditionally on the only Rock who can keep us from collapsing in the increasingly hostile storms of our anti-Christian culture: Jesus Christ. That is the vision behind Adventures In Character (AIC) and the driving motivation behind this year’s theme:

AIC runs concurrently with the Teaching Parents Association (TPA) Convention each year – June 1-2 this year. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where homeschool students of all ages will be inspired, trained, and equipped with solid biblical teaching and skills that will prepare them to make a difference in the world. AIC is a multi-faceted program that includes the following areas:


DRAMA
Young people and adults ages 13 and older are invited to audition for a role in an original drama that will take place throughout the weekend. Rehearsals are held during April and May and provide an opportunity for those interested in drama and film to work with a team of dedicated staff and young people to stage a live production. The rehearsal times include spiritual encouragement, acting coaching, blocking, the art of costuming and make-up, prop and set design, and more. Auditions will be held Saturday, March 31, from 1:00-4:00 at Heartland Community Church in Wichita. Please contact Drama Director, Isaac Thonen, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you are interested in being involved in any part of the production process.

TEACHING and DISCIPLESHIP
Young people ages 13 and older may apply to serve as a teacher or assistant teacher for a team of 15-20 children during the weekend program. Applications should be submitted via the website: Adventures in Character. Applicants that are accepted will be given the opportunity to participate in five training sessions that will equip them with effective communication skills, principles for discipleship, team management, and encouragement to go deeper in their own walk with the Lord. Specific dates and times are listed on the website, but please feel free to contact Director of Communications, Lauren Dunn, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for additional information.

WEEKEND OF FUN AND LEARNING
The AIC children’s program is open to children ages 6-12 whose parents are attending the TPA convention. The fast-paced weekend will be a collection of assemblies, Scripture memory, songs, an ongoing drama, small group teaching times, games, object lessons, stories, and more! The program will conclude with a special presentation for the parents at the end of the convention on Saturday. This year’s theme will transport the students to Chicago just before the now-infamous Black Tuesday in 1929 when the whole world seemed to come crashing down. With the economy wavering, tensions in the Marshall family newspaper office begin to mount. Suspicions are cast from one to the next when it becomes evident that someone is leaking information to a rival newspaper. Will the culprit be discovered before the business goes under? As the drama unfolds, AIC students will be doing their own newspaper reporting as they learn about the reality of who Jesus is and how He makes a difference in the lives of individuals.


Children may be registered for AIC via the convention registration form on the TPA website or by requesting a brochure. Please contact AIC Director, Natalie Wickham, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you have any questions or would like additional information about any aspect of the program.

¹http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_040.asp (accessed 3/15/2012)
² http://www.biblicalchristianworldview.net/Quotes/quotesHistory.pdf (accessed 3/15/2012)

2012 AIC Staff

L-R: Brandon Witt, Natalie Wickham, Isaac Thonen, Cori Brooks, Tyler Hiebert, Lauren Dunn, Mark Bradshaw, Michelle Stockton