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2017 Conference Seminar and Speaker Details
Speakers for 2017
Keynote Speakers: Hal and Melanie Young. (Keynote Address, Raising Real Men, How to Be Happily Married While Homeschooling, Homeschooling is not Enough)
Hal & Melanie Young are the award-winning authors of Raising Real Men and My Beloved and My Friend: How to Be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses.
They are parents of six real boys and two real girls. They have homeschooled through eight high-risk pregnancies, three re-locations, two decades, and 181 degrees of longitude. Hal and Melanie served on the Board of Directors of North Carolinians for Home Education for over 14 years, including three terms as President for Hal.
They are sought after conference speakers who routinely draw standing room only crowds with their mix of uniquely entertaining cross-banter and practical, powerful Scriptural principles. Despite it all, the Youngs live in noisy familial bliss in North Carolina.
Special Guest Speaker: Sam Oosterhoff MPP
Sam Oosterhoff is the Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook. His election to the Ontario Legislature in November of 2016 made history, and headlines across Canada, as he became the youngest ever Member of Provincial Parliament.
Sam grew up in the Niagara Peninsula, and has always had a deep appreciation for the value of hard work. Growing up, he spent countless hours working on the family farm, and was home educated along with his seven siblings, by his caring and inspiring parents. Sam considers his home education to be a great blessing. The varied schedule and course options of a customized home education gave him the opportunity to interact with various politicians, and perhaps most importantly, the opportunity through copious reading to struggle with the great ideas of truth and lies, good and evil, God and man, and make them his own. A proper understanding of these foundational ideas is vital to a comprehensive leadership role, and Sam credits his home education with challenging his beliefs and perspectives, and helping shape his political orientation and aspirations.
After getting involved in conservative politics early on, he worked on the federal Conservative campaign in the 2015 federal election, before moving to Ottawa to work as a Legislative Assistant and policy analyst for a Conservative Member of Parliament.
In the fall of 2016, a by-election was called for Sam's home riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook. While simultaneously studying Political Science at Brock University and working a part-time job, Sam organized and successfully fought an underdog campaign for the Progressive Conservative nomination against established veteran politicians, before winning a high-profile victory in the by-election. He increased the PC Party of Ontario's margin of victory by 13% over the previous election result in the riding.
Sam is incredibly proud to represent his home community of Vineland, and all of the hard working families of Niagara-Glanbrook as their MPP.
Workshop Speakers: Susan Laird; Cory McAree; Nancy Schreimer; Diana Rolston; Ingrid Poupart; Mike and Linda Lemke; Mary Ann Stevers; John Janssen; Jason Lindsay; Alan and Naomi Gilman (father and daughter); Robin Gilman; Stephen Priddle; Bill Stevens; Stephen Shew; and more!
Session Sneak Peek:
The Art of Teaching; Choosing and Using Books; Strong Willed Treasures; Science Supports The Scripture; The Amazing Things Youth Can Do; Preparing an Educational Philosophy; Stress Free Homeschooling; Homeschool 101; Teaching Through High School... and so much more!