| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| Shareware |
|
|
Manuals
NUTS AND BOLTS
Back
Experienced Lasallian Youth moderators are frequently asked for practical suggestions regarding what makes a Lasallian Youth group work. Again, the aspects of Lasallian Youth are Faith, Service, and Community. The following passage from the book of Micah gives us a sense of the importance of these three ideals:
God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
In this section, we hope to give some specific, pragmatic ideas for incorporating these aspects into a successful, vibrant Lasallian Youth program. Although each will be considered separately, it is important to understand that they should be integrated, along with justice education, so that everyone can understand the connections among them. Each group is free to develop the following suggestions tailoring them to its particular interests, talents, and needs. We hope that this will provide a place to begin.
Service
The first challenge for justice is a call to action. It requires being co-creators of a world in which all people have access to God's gifts. One way to do this is to get involved in service activities. Ideally, these service activities would place students in a world different from their own. To do this, the group needs to identify agencies that assist the less fortunate among us and can benefit from more help. When choosing the type of service activities in which your group will participate, consider first and foremost the needs of the agency. While the work will not always be glamorous and you may never see those who benefit from the work that you do, realize that Lasallian Youth is there to serve the agency’s needs. To work side by side with the agency’s professionals and clients is the best situation, but this is not always possible. Keeping this in mind will ensure that the rewards of service will be plentiful for everyone involved.
After choosing a service agency, there are several practical aspects that need to be considered.
Do service in groups as much as possible because it helps to build community.
Adults should accompany the students not only from the practical standpoint of security, but also because there is value in the interaction that takes place outside a school setting. Young people are inspired by adults who are willing to work with them in service.
To gain the most benefit from service activities, members should be given an opportunity to process their experiences with each other.
Members should make a conscious effort to be on time, and if conflicts come up, the agency should be contacted in advance.
The choice of a service site should come from the interests of the group. Some possible areas of service to consider are listed below, and other resources are found in the resource section of this manual:
Day care for lower income families.
Tutoring in agencies that serve students with special needs.
Soup kitchens like Catholic Worker.
Habitat for Humanity.
Visiting and working with the elderly.
Visiting and working with developmentally disabled.
Food and clothing drives.
Various walks such as AIDS, hunger, housing.
Social service agencies that serve the homeless, poor, or elderly.
Sponsoring students at Lasallian Schools in Central America or other missionary areas.
"Senior" prom. (Students sponsor a dance at a senior citizen's home. Each student will have a "date" with one of the residents.)
Mission activities: students participate in week-long service projects. (See resource section for names and addresses.)
AIDS ministry.
The sick, hospice, or shut-ins.
Groups need to check in their own city for the names of agencies that participate in these service activities. Good places to start are United Way and Catholic Charities. Remember not to over-commit the group and that the quality of participation is more important than the quantity.
Community
The second challenge from Micah is the call to love tenderly. This love should resemble Yahweh's covenant of love. De La Salle also set the example for us when he chose to live in community with teachers of the Christian schools. Although it is not practical for all people to live in a community as De La Salle and the teachers did, we can form meaningful connections with others. Community is the life of a Lasallian Youth group; conveying the story of De La Salle's life helps the group to form its identity. There are many ways to do this and valuable sources about De La Salle are in the resource section.
If you listen to young people and adults today, you hear a longing for a place to belong and a desire to be connected to others. Lasallian Youth could be such a place for adolescents and adults to learn to be brothers and sisters for each other. This happens in sharing our lives in faith and service. Fostering feelings of community will not happen by accident, but takes conscious effort.
Building the feeling of community is important within a group, but if there are other Lasallian schools nearby, gatherings among them inspire members to feel like they belong to an even larger group. In a larger city where there is more than one Lasallian school, this has become an exciting way of coming together. Schools attend each other's events and share activities. In an even broader community, some groups have allowed siblings or public school students who do not attend the Lasallian school, but who are interested in Lasallian Youth, to attend.
The following is a list of specific community building ideas that have been successful in other Lasallian Youth groups:
Sharing a meal together. For example, having a barbecue, pot luck, a holiday meal, or seder meal.
Small group discussion.
Dyads. (See handout.)
Regular meetings that give members a chance to be with each other on a consistent basis.
Fun activities: bowling, miniature golf, or games
holiday party
movie night
ice breakers
lock-ins
gym nights
overnight retreats
ordering group shirts
Prayer (See Appendix for specific prayers on community.)
Faith
The final challenge of Micah is to walk humbly with God. De La Salle gave us a sense of this when he taught the brothers and the students to pray always and to see all things through the eyes of faith. This is not an easy task, especially during adolescence and early adulthood when questioning faith is common. Oftentimes, students who are non-Catholic or non-Christian express an interest in Lasallian Youth and they should be welcomed. It is important for both moderators and youth to understand that young people will be at different places in their faith journey with a wide range of feelings, thoughts, and attitudes about God and church. They need a safe place to express these views and to develop their own spirituality. Lasallian Youth can provide an atmosphere where these feelings, thoughts and attitudes can be shared and challenged. As students begin to have a deeper understanding of their faith they will also begin to see the importance of community and service in their lives. Involvement in community and service in turn leads to a more mature understanding of faith.
Having prayer that is meaningful and relevant to adolescents is a key factor in teaching them the significance of prayer. These prayers can take the form of community rituals, guided imageries, or silent reflection and meditation. Whenever possible, allow students the opportunity to be facilitators. This would include leading the prayer, reading, and giving the reflection or homily. Initially, moderators will need to give guidance and training to their leaders so they feel comfortable in the role.
Some valuable components of prayer include the following:
Popular music (John Lennon, Jackson Browne, 10,000 Maniacs, Sinead O'Connor, Indigo Girls, Wilson Phillips, Gloria Estefan, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Arrested Development, Cat Stevens, Sting, The Hooters, Maura O'Connell, Styx, John Michael Talbot, Garth Brooks, Tracy Chapman, Amy Grant, U2. Your group will have more suggestions as new music is released.)
Inclusive Language. (Writing inclusively takes conscious effort and diligence and involves rewriting passages that are not inclusive.)
Readings from scripture, De La Salle, contemporary sources.
Shared Prayer. (Members should be given a chance to share their petitions, thoughts, concerns. Certainly this has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for the youth.)
Symbols. (Bread and wine, rocks and water, burning sins, laying on of hands, light, oil, earth and garden, Guatemalan cloth, friendship bracelets.)
Role plays. (Students can act out the reading or create their own dramas.);
Slide shows. (Use pictures of groups members and activities and put them together with music.)
Written poetry, stories, creeds or psalms from the students.
Justice Education
A permeating element of a successful Lasallian group is justice education. Understanding the social structures that keep people oppressed leads to a greater realization of the importance of service. As we become more conscious of existing social structures, we begin to see our role in them. We can then begin to make changes in our lives and encourage others to do the same. Looking at these systems in light of our faith can motivate us to action. Having the support of a community gives us the courage to act in ways that we might not have the courage to do alone.
There are many creative ways to raise the consciousness of the group. One is through an activity such as a poverty meal which attempts to simulate the unequal distribution of the world's food resources. For example:
In a group of 100 people, two would get a steak dinner, eight would get hamburgers, sixty-five would get beans and rice, and thirty-five would get rice and water. The kind of meal that each receives is determined by a random drawing. All members eat together and then discuss the feelings associated with their position of wealth or poverty. Things to consider are how those with food protected what they had; how those with little tried to steal or bargain for more; what it was like to be hungry and watch food be thrown away. This is also an opportunity to get parents and other members of your school involved.
Have students make and serve a meal in which all eat from one bowl with their fingers.
Have students get served at a soup kitchen.
To raise consciousness through speakers or panel discussions. Listening to the stories of professionals who work in service agencies, or those clients who are served by the agencies, is a powerful way of making students aware of the problems that exist in their city. In many cases the problems that exist in their city extend across the nation and world. In listening to the very real and personal stories, members begin to understand that these people are human beings who have hopes and dreams that are similar to theirs. Be sure to give students an opportunity to ask questions and to interact with the speakers.
Using videos to increase awareness. There are many full length movies, music videos or short documentaries that have a social justice message. Examples are Romero, Roses in December, Boys N the Hood, Shelter Boy, Options for the Poor. Showing the movie without discussion limits the impact. Discussion can be done effectively in small or large groups. Possible topics for consideration include:
Hunger
Homelessness
Death penalty
Environment
Poverty/Welfare system
AIDS ministry
International Economics
Racism, Multiculturalism, Ethnic Awareness, Sexism
Inclusive language
Health care
How to Run a Meeting
Having a regular meeting time that fits your school schedule seems crucial to group management. Some groups meet once a week, others every other week, and still others three times a month. Because each school's schedule is different, you need to choose the meeting times that best fit your particular circumstance. Groups meet before school, after school, in the evenings, on Saturday mornings or on Sunday evenings. None is better than the other, but choosing a time that provides some flexibility for the group and still gives some priority to Lasallian Youth works best. Also, where the group meets depends on the group’s needs. Some meet in the school’s chapel, some in the library, some in the moderator’s home, some in a classroom, and some in the Brothers’ residence.
When planning the actual meeting, determine the focus, whether faith, service, community building, or justice education. Then decide if and how other aspects might be incorporated into the meeting. Whenever possible students should direct the meeting. Adults need to work with them ahead of time so that they are comfortable with this position. Moderators may occasionally need to step in with suggestions or guidance during the meeting.
The following is a very general outline of meetings that have a specific focus.
Community Meeting
A. Prepare and share a meal with prayer following. (60 - 90 minutes)
or
B. Short introduction. (5 - 10 minutes)
Group discussion or dyads.
Large group process. (5 - 10 minutes)
Short prayer. (10 - 15 minutes)
Faith Meeting
A. Long ritual or prayer service. (45 - 60 minutes)
or
B. Introduction (5 - 10 minutes)
Small group focus on faith issues. (20 minutes)
Large group process. (5 - 10 minutes)
Short prayer. (10 - 15 minutes)
Service Meetings
A. Small or large group discussions on particular service experiences. (30 minutes)
Relative prayer (15 minutes). Encourage students to pray for those whom
they have met during their service time.
or
B. Service project as a group. (Time varies from a couple of hours to a full day.)
Meal
Justice Education
A. Introduction to the topic. (5 minutes)
Input: Video, speakers or readings. (30 - 60 minutes)
Discussion, questions, reflections. (10 - 15 minutes)
Relative prayer. (10 - 15 minutes)
Extended Meeting
A. Icebreakers and community building activities. (30 - 45 minutes)
Small group discussion on topic that applies. (15 - 30 minutes)
Break with snacks. (10 - 15 minutes)
Brainstorming or planning for group activities in large or small groups.
(15 - 20 minutes)
Prayer. (15 - 30 minutes)
Back
|
| |
|
