The Forge Mentorship Academy is a year long program offering experiential learning in state and national politics, training in argumentation and current events, an individualized mentor match, and connections to top internships and jobs. Designed to supplement full-time studies or employment, the Academy admits standout graduates of the Forge Leadership Summit.
Forge facilitates the Mentorship Academy through digital platforms, video calls, mentoring relationships, and trips to Washington DC and a regional summit. Through this year of dynamic training, students create deep relationships with like-minded peers and mentors from around the country, building lasting networks for years to come. The Mentorship Academy features:
Argumentation and Current Events
Throughout the year, students:
- Engage in moderated digital conversations as together they wrestle to apply the Judeo-Christian worldview to current events in culture and politics.
- Participate in monthly video calls providing unique access to nationally renowned thought leaders and power players of the conservative movement.
Gatherings
Students gather twice during their time in the Mentorship Academy:
Winter Meeting
Located in a rotating location every year, students gain a better understanding of state-based politics, their career, and impacting their local communities, while strengthening relationships with their Academy class. So students gather and reconnect for the first time since the Forge Summit the previous Summer to foster relational connection within and across the regional cohorts. This unique trip is an opportunity to press into their thinking on their career path and how Forge can help them accelerate it!
Forge D.C.
Students experience national policy and politics firsthand. During four days in D.C., students interact with the political process from 360 degrees, meeting with Congressmen, key staffers, leaders of conservative organizations, cultural leaders, think tank scholars, and ambassadors. Students discuss principles and process during intimate roundtables with leaders in the presidential administration, and from the organizations that drive the conservative movement. Evening activities include a nighttime monument tour with a focus on the character and leadership of each Founder, and a private, after-hours tour of the U.S. Capitol led by Congressmen and their staff.
Mentor Matches
This signature piece of the Forge Mentorship Academy matches each student with a high-caliber mentor of strong character and professional achievement. We believe this “friendship with a vision” fosters growth at every level–professional, personal, and spiritual. Every mentor match is individually crafted to ensure student and mentor share vocational interests and aspirations. Throughout this unique mentoring relationship, mentors commit to a minimum of six conversations, leading discussions of four recommended resources, and inviting the student to one career shadowing experience.
Internship Placements and Career Services
Young adults often find themselves asking, “what comes next?” Throughout their time in the Forge Mentorship Academy, students ponder and pray over this question. Productive discussion with their mentor helps students begin to see the contours of their future. Forge staff then act as a catalyst for that vision, providing students with thoughtful career advice and practical guidance. Forge staff leverage their extensive networks to connect students with top internships and jobs. Forge staff identify and inform students of competitive placements, facilitate connections between students and prospective employers, and advocate for the selection of Forge Mentorship Academy students.
