NCLN Symposium Testimony: Alex Cassar

As our 2012 NCLN Symposium approaches we want to share some testimonies from people who have attended the Symposium in the past.

Hundreds of students have participated in the NCLN Symposium over the past 15 years. The Symposium has given these students the tools and motivation that they needed to start or maintain their campus pro-life clubs. Students have developed lasting relationships with other campus leaders from across the country, and many have even discovered their calling to full-time pro-life work as they have met many pro-life organizations.

We hope the testimonies will give you the push you need to attend our 2012 NCLN Symposium, and encourage you to tell others to join us!

Our first testimony is from Alex Cassar, who has been an NCLN board member for the past 9 years.

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Alex Cassar

Attended symposium as a student 2000-2003

Graduated from the University of Waterloo

Has been married since 2010, and his wife is due with their first child in September.

Alex has been NCLN’s Finance Officer since 2003.

One of the first things I wanted to do at the University of Waterloo was be involved with a pro-life club. Of course, I assumed one would exist – however when I started my studies at UW there was no such club registered. I came into contact with NCLN, who helped to put me in touch with other students on campus who wanted to start a pro-life club. In addition, I heard about and attended the NCLN Symposium, and then kept coming back! It was at the Symposium that I refined my knowledge of the pro-life position and learned about various strategies for promoting the pro-life position on campus. As a result of this training, UWSFL hosted various speakers and organized various poster campaigns and information tables and regularly garnered campus media coverage of events.

It was also at the Symposium that I met Stephanie Gray, at the time a UBC student and now Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. I was very impressed with her leadership of the pro-life club at the University of British Columbia and in 2002 UWSFL organized Stephanie’s first on-campus debate with popular UW Philosophy professor Dr. Jan Narveson. The debate was attended by 300 students and received extensive campus media coverage (including a comprehensive and balanced summary of the debate – see the link below).

Having experienced the necessity for and effectiveness of NCLN as a student, I joined the NCLN board in 2003 and remain as the Finance Officer today.

Summary of the debate – see page 9: http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/pdf/2002f-4.pdf

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