What people are saying about Equipped for Life Academy:
"Equipped for Life Academy combines powerful pro-life arguments with a winsome, charitable demeanor honed by its creator's years of real-life experience dialoguing on this issue. I highly recommend it!"
- Trent Horn, Catholic Answers
“If you’re an educator or youth leader or a parent who wants to prepare the next generation to be thoughtful, effective advocates for life, I wholeheartedly recommend Equipped for Life Academy. This game-changing tool will empower young people to engage in meaningful, impactful conversations that ultimately can help to save lives.”
- David Bereit, Founder of 40 Days for Life
"Equipped for Life Academy by Equal Rights Institute is an invaluable resource for high school students who want to engage in meaningful, compassionate conversations about abortion. Josh and his team have poured tremendous thought and care into creating a program that goes beyond simply teaching arguments. They emphasize the importance of empathy and understanding, encouraging students to consider the full spectrum of people's experiences and approach this deeply divisive topic with kindness and respect. It's a must-have for equipping the next generation with the tools to navigate one of today's most challenging discussions with grace and thoughtfulness."
- Missy Martinez-Stone, President and CEO, Center for Client Safety
“The lessons in Equipped for Life Academy have been designed with students and teachers in mind. You will find the material to be challenging and yet meet students where they are. This material will not just provide ‘facts’ (it does) but help students learn how to reason and discuss pro-life issues. We have used ERI materials in our church, and our young adults fondly recall the lessons years later. Even better, they still put them into practice! This current curriculum has taken their material to the next level and made it accessible for high schoolers.”
- Matt Troupe, Pastor, Free Grace Church
“Equipped for Life Academy is a thorough, intentional, and graciously bold approach to teaching the next generation how to talk about the issue of abortion. After implementing the Equipped for Life Academy curriculum in our local homeschool enrichment program, the students in my class went from having a basic understanding of the issue of abortion to being passionate and confident defenders of the pro-life philosophy. Students shared that they gained a greater understanding of both pro-life and pro-choice arguments, and pro-choice arguments that initially seemed indisputable became much easier to address. Other students who admitted to being chronically angry at pro-choice people later reflected that the course inspired them to stop consuming internet content that fueled this anger, and instead develop a much more effective style of communication. Equipped for Life Academy emphasizes active listening and critical thinking on the issue of abortion, and helps guide the students to use both their mind and their heart when defending the pro-life position. As an instructor, the curriculum was easy to follow and flexible enough to cater to the specific needs of my students. I highly recommend Equipped for Life Academy for any teacher or academic institution that wishes to instill a lasting pro-life foundation for their students.”
- Staycie Kirkendall, Equipped for Life Academy teacher
“At Oregon Right to Life, we’ve had the privilege of working with Josh and his team for many years. The ERI courses are an integral part of our employee and volunteer onboarding because we believe so strongly in the approach and philosophy that Equal Rights Institute brings to the table. It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend the Equipped for Life Academy Curriculum!
The curriculum is impeccably organized, beautifully presented, and thoroughly researched. In my experience, students often see through surface-level talking points and jargon. They seek a deeper understanding, and we must offer them opportunities to accomplish that for themselves. Equipped for Life Academy does exactly that, and they’ve done so much of the heavy lifting for you as a teacher, pastor, or parent.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the moment when a young person’s eyes light up, realizing that they now have the tools to engage in meaningful discussions about the value of human life and the necessity of protecting it. This curriculum doesn’t just teach—it inspires. It equips students in a profound way, preparing them to confidently advocate for the value of human life.
I couldn’t be more excited about the impact this curriculum will have on the next generation of pro-life advocates. I highly recommend it!”
- Lois Anderson, Executive Director, Oregon Right to Life
“I run an organization that reaches 200,000+ college students each year and I can tell you how critically important it is that students know and understand the pro-life message. If we let our high schoolers reach college without forming a pro-life worldview, they will be susceptible to the lies of the abortion industry. A weak foundation can shake their belief system and even their faith in God. Thankfully, Equal Rights Institute has stepped into the gap with the creation of Equipped for Life Academy. Now, high school students have access to a thorough and engaging course that teaches them everything they need to formulate a pro-life worldview and advocate for women and children in need. I'd go as far as saying that this curriculum is critical to every student's success. It is worth every penny and I encourage every school and youth group to implement this into their curriculum. After all, this is life or death, and it is up to educators like us to ensure our students are prepared for the world we deploy them to.”
- Christen Polo, Executive Director, Protect Life Michigan
“Equipped for Life Academy builds on an already great product, the Equipped for Life Course, and molds it into a tool for teachers to incorporate into their classroom. It gives all the pieces necessary to allow teachers/instructors to build lessons around the information being presented…
The slides, documents, and lesson plan overviews are a great addition as well. As someone who works with teens, this is a great tool to be able to organize how I will present the different ideas to them, as well as the pieces to help the teens/students learn and practice along with it. Breaking the different conversation tactics into their own lessons and modules makes it easier to work through the overall goal. There are more opportunities to practice what you learn.
Being a Catholic, I really appreciated the ability to include church teachings into the arguments. But I appreciated even more that you didn't NEED to include those. I am a firm believer of being able to defend your pro-life stance without biblical evidence or faith. EFLA lets you choose which pieces are most beneficial and which to include in lessons…
Overall, I cannot sing enough praise about what ERI has done with Equipped for Life Academy. I will be recommending this tool to all teachers I know, and to anyone who is interested in learning how to have better, more productive, conversations with people.”
- Matt Peeters, Field Representative Regions 3 & 4, Wisconsin Right to Life