Request a Speaker

If you are interested in bringing a Principles and Choices speaker to your school, church, youth group, or organization, this page provides answers to frequently asked questions. For questions not addressed here, contact us.

How do I book a speaker for my event?

1. The first step is to fill out the Speaker Request Form. Please make every attempt to answer every question, even if the details of your event are currently tentative or ambiguous.

2. After receiving your Speaker Request Form, we will contact you with any questions, and if your request is accepted, we will send you a Contract. The Contract must be signed by someone in charge of the event, and the original returned by postal mail along with a deposit of 10% of the agreed honorarium amount. Save a copy of the Contract and a copy of your deposit check for your records. We accept deposits by credit card, but remaining stipend amounts and expenses must be paid by check.

Your date will not be guaranteed until we receive the original signed Contract and deposit. All checks should be made payable to “Healing the Culture,” and NOT to the individual speaker, so you will NOT need the Social Security Number of the speaker. If another organization seeks to book an event on your date before your Contract and deposit have been received, we will contact you first, before releasing your date to another party.

3. After receiving your signed Contract and deposit, we will get in touch with you to ask any additional questions. We will also touch base with your assigned contact person the week before the event. You are welcome to contact us by telephone or email with questions and needs prior to your event.

Will you speak at our high school assembly?

Our talks are unique in that they are filled with philosophical wisdom, intellectual insight, and student interaction. Rather than just provide facts, figures, and interesting stories, we seek to change the way people think, how they reason, and how they understand the meaning of life. It is very difficult to accomplish this goal with a large number of distracted high school teenagers gathered in a gymnasium or auditorium.

While we will accept high school assembly talks, we recommend the far better alternative of inviting our speaker to spend the entire day at your school, so that we can present to students in groups of less than 100 at a time. The cost is the same, students learn far better this way, and their transformations on the pro-life issues are much deeper and longer-lasting.

Another very popular option is to host a Pro-Life Student Leadership Day, where a certain number of the brightest pro-life students are selected from each local school, totaling between 60 and 100 students. The students take a day off of school to attend a leadership conference where they learn the Principles and Choices© curriculum, and how to share what they’ve learned on their own school campuses. You would be responsible for organizing, advertising, and arranging the event. Our speakers would provide all of the teaching for the day.

What topics do you address?

Our expertise is in the Principles and Choices© educational curriculum, which we generally apply to the issues of abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and euthanasia. But we can speak on all other pro-life issues as well, such as cloning, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research.

Do you speak on chastity or abstinence?

We love chastity, purity, and all things related to sexual integrity! But we do not speak on this issue, because there are so many excellent organizations that excel in this special field. We can tie sexual integrity into our pro-life talks, but we refer requests for sexuality talks to other organizations.

Do you do retreats?

Who will be assigned to speak at my school/church/group?

You can request the primary author of the curriculum, Camille Pauley (who is a very popular youth speaker). If she is unavailable, you will be assigned another Principles and Choices expert speaker who has been trained by our team of curriculum specialists, and has experience with teen groups. You will have the opportunity to accept or reject the speaker you have been assigned before signing a contract or sending in a deposit.

What is the cost?

The host group is asked to pay for airfare, essential local travel, hotel, food, and a stipend of $3,000. Preference is given to host groups which can meet the full stipend amount. Unless you specify otherwise, speakers understand that they are responsible for the cost of incidentals incurred at hotels. A 10% deposit on the stipend is due before the event, at the time the Contract is signed. (See above, “How do I book a speaker for my event?”) The balance is due immediately upon the conclusion of your event. All amounts are in U.S. funds.

Can we overnight a speaker in a home to save on costs?

For safety, privacy, and comfort, we request that you book our speakers at a hotel close to the venue (3-star or greater).

Can we book a speaker for more than one event?

Yes, we encourage this. Our fees are based on the number of days, not on the number of events, and our speakers like to maximize their time with you. Some of our speakers can accommodate as many as seven talks in one day, depending on the logistics of getting from one event to another.

You may want to share the expenses by working with other organizations to book additional events, such as churches, schools, universities, youth groups, pro-life organizations, pregnancy centers, community organizations, clubs, and other social gatherings. The stipend amount covers one full day (not including travel). Additional days usually require additional fees. Inquire if you would like to book more than one day for speaking events.

Will you help us with the advertising?

If advertising is necessary for your event, we require that hosting organizations handle their own advertising, including the production of posters and other marketing materials. However, we will assist you with resources such as speech titles, bios, introductions, photographs, and logos, if you wish.

Do I make travel arrangements for the speaker?

You will not need to book a flight for the speaker. We do that for you. We always search for the most reasonable fare (coach-only) and travel times, avoiding red eye flights and multiple layovers. We will contact you for fare approval before we book a flight.

You will be asked to either arrange for local transportation or agree to reimburse us for a rental car.

What if I need to cancel my event after I have signed the contract and paid my deposit?

If you notify us of a cancellation before 60 days of your event, we will refund your deposit, minus a $25 administrative fee. After 60 days, it is possible that you can arrange to have the deposit apply to a future event, usually within one year of the original date.