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15.
Strangers in our midst –
Spirituality and young people
A resource for
quiet reflection and prayer
in small groups, think tanks, services and so on
Aim
To explore with adults what nurturing spirituality might mean among
young people and the role of youth leaders.
Focal points
Things representing the world of youngsters – mobile phones, clothes,
play stations, videos, pictures of different family groupings, pop
idols, school homework, and the like.
Introduction: what about
ourselves?
Invite people to spend some time in quiet thinking about the two words
"spirituality" and "church". Then write up some of
the key thoughts and feelings around each of the words and spend some
more time reflecting on them. Some have suggested that there is
some spiritual searching going on in our society yet people do not
always expect to find it in church.
What brings us closer to a sense
of God? What gives us true life?
Invite people to spend some time
with these thoughts doodling with crayons.
People may want to share their
doodles.
It may be that the most important
fact to hold onto is that it is who we are that can be of help to
young people as we build up trust and safe relationships. Are there
areas we would like to explore further – meditation, using symbols,
music, relaxation exercises, or something else?
Thinking about young people we
know
Invite members of the group to
spend some time thinking about some individual young people they know
– children, grandchildren, neighbours, youngsters - in the context of the life of the
church.
How can we describe their daily
world? How is it different and distinct from our own experiences of
growing up? How is it similar? Is it possible to generalise?
It may be
useful to give some prompts - for example, familiarity with technology; music ; the
importance of school and friends; feelings about church (most young
people have no contact with church at all); questioning; the media; a
postmodern pick-and-mix of beliefs?
Is it helpful to build up a
composite picture?
If part of any mission outreach is
to listen to and try to understand someone's agenda, how do we discern
what is going on?
1. What are the seeds of the
spiritual among all of this? Examples might be a search for ideals,
values, an extra
dimension beyond the material.
2. What are potential blocks to the
development of the spiritual – e.g. too much emphasis on materialism,
attitudes to authority?
Why do some people emphasise one,
and others another?
How do we discern healthy and
unhealthy spiritualities?
Some approaches to youth ministry
Some approaches underline the
importance of belief and teaching. Some stress lively, freer worship.
Some push the social justice line.
Which do the members of the group
find their instinctive approach?
Why?
Do we need something more than
"belonging and believing". Do we need an experience of the spiritual?
How might this be a missing factor?
Explore and modify these
principles:
- Get to know individuals and
pray about them.
- Remember, you could earn the
right to be a role model.
- Foster a sense of group and
belonging where possible.
- Recognise the need for fun.
- Find ways of exploring
experientially and with active participation.
- Encourage responsibility,
choosing and questioning.
- Liberate the heart and the
imagination as well as stimulate thinking.
- Start where people are, respect
their agenda.
- Recognise it can be patronising
not to expand and challenge someone else's agenda.
- Know when to offer input and
information.
- Keep reflecting on what is
going on – seeds and blocks.
- The value of quiet and the
personal and prayer prompts.
Some areas to explore, seeds to
nurture
Invite the group to divide into
pairs/threes to explore one of the following and report back:
- The WOW factor – mystery,
beauty, courage, birth, special moments.
- The search for heroes – who
inspires, dispirits?
- "Who am I?" Questions
of image, identity, self-worth, gifts.
- Influences – peers, films,
home, adverts, TV.
- "Who can I trust" - relationships,
networks, parents, older folk.
- Questioning the norms – individualism,
consumerism.
- Expanding horizons – meetings
others, trips, challenges, different kinds of worship.
- Helping others.
- Wellsprings – different
spiritual paths and traditions, stories, quiet, the imagination, the
senses.
Can people think of others?
Resources
Values and Visions: A
handbook for spiritual development and global awareness (Hodder and
Stoughton ISBN 0340 644125)
Youth Congregations and the Emerging Church
by Graham Cray (Grove booklets)
The Frontier Youth Trust
spirituality project
Tweenagers: Research
published by Youth for Christ and others
Soul
shapers by Tony Jones: Applies Ignatian insights to young people.
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