Recapping the Two Forge Leadership Summits in Summer 2024

Looking back at Summer 2024, I am so grateful for how our Forge supporters changed over a hundred lives and prepared them to impact their community, state, and nation! If our founding principles are to be preserved and revived, we will need faithful, determined leaders. This summer, 115 new students were selected for the 2024 Forge Leadership Summits and joined the ranks of those trained by Forge.

A young conservative’s journey with Forge begins each summer with the weeklong Forge Leadership Summit. New Forge students travel in from across the nation to be trained in timeless conservative principles, practical skills workshops, and a simulated campaign and legislative process.

Our summers are focused on recruiting and training new young conservatives ages 18-25, which allows us to then choose the standout students to invest in through our subsequent yearlong Mentorship Academy. All of our Forge alumni, who comprise the Forge Fellows Network, started their path at the Summits, the launchpad for their future impact on politics and policy.

This summer, new students gathered in our expansion site of Nashville, TN in June and our traditional site of Columbus, OH in late July to be equipped to influence politics and policy for years to come.

Here are Four Highlights from new students this summer…all thanks to Forge supporters!

• Lindsey attended the Nashville Summit and had this to say about her goals after leaving the Summit: “I desire to impact others by writing and forming policy in state legislatures, ultimately giving a voice to those who do not have the resources or time to speak for themselves.”
• Amber said: “I would love to impact the next generation. Ultimately, this country will be theirs. I want to train them in Christian moral values and raise them to be patriots from a young age. I want to teach them the truth of their country and, ultimately, the truth of the Gospel.”
• Erich shared this goal after the Columbus Summit: “I want to start an organization with other Forge students dedicated to electing young conservatives to school boards across America.”
• Caroline realized: “I left Forge Nashville feeling like a much better communicator in every sense. Connecting with people professionally became more of a joy than ever before. My public speaking has improved immensely, and I feel more equipped to do media hits than ever before.”

 Forge graduates often cite four major categories of outcomes in their lives and professional future through Forge:

• Professional clarity and accelerated careers
• Equipped to “enter the fray” of politics and the demanding public arena
• Gained a network of life-changing friendships and mentorships
• Deepened, renewed, or even newfound faith in God

After the Summits, we have the privilege of selecting standout attendees for deeper investment and preparation for the public arena. This year’s Mentorship Academy begins in September and is full of future defenders of the constitution, champions of free enterprise, culture shapers, faithful support staff to our nation’s most prominent leaders, and principled statesmen and stateswomen in office in states across America.

Celebrating our Tenth Year of Impact

This July we honored our supporters and Forge Fellows (program grads) at the Forge 10-Year celebration gala!

The Lord has been good and gracious to bless our vision to raise up the next generation of faithful conservative leaders through you and your generous donations!

In Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 it says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” The Gala was a special time to reflect and celebrate the achievements of Forge students produced by the generosity of our faithful financial partners who have shared this mission.

In the weeks to come, we will share a number of videos from Forge Fellows who spoke that evening. If you haven’t seen Andrew’s Story, you will be greatly encouraged by it.

Cheers to a monumental summer and more decades of even greater impact!

Thank you for empowering the rising stars who will lead and restore our states and nation.

Sincerely,

Adam Josefczyk
Co-Founder and President
Forge Leadership Network