Youth Curriculum, 4-21-24

Announcements: 

Youth & Family’s next INSPIRE Life-Skills Workshop for Teens will be Mastering Communication & Connection. Learn the art of effective communication, honing essential interviewing skills, building strong relationships, and mastering conflict resolution techniques. These workshops are held here at CSL every fourth Sunday at 5 p.m. and are open to teens 13-18. Please register on our website: Youth & Family and Life-Skills Workshops.

Curriculum Overview:

Youth will explore the essence of gentleness with a focus on community interactions, creating Kindness Cards, participating in clean-ups, role-playing empathy scenarios, gratitude journaling, and expressing through art. Our goal is to empower the next generation to foster positive connections and create impactful change in their communities.

April Monthly Theme: Giant Gentleness
Week 3 Value: Taking It to the Streets
Affirmation: Know who I am by the love I show others.

Spiritual Lesson: 

Today, children explore the importance of gentleness in various aspects of their lives, focusing on politics, social media, community interactions, and acts of kindness.

Meditation Practice: Loving-Kindness Meditation

Youth start by directing loving-kindness toward themselves and gradually extend it to others, including loved ones, acquaintances, and even people they may have difficulty with. This meditation helps reinforce the themes of empathy, compassion, and understanding explored in the curriculum, promoting emotional well-being and positive relationships.

Active Listening: Book/Music/Video

Book: “I Am Human: A Book of Empathy” by Susan Verde: Explores the importance of empathy and understanding in relationships.

Book: “The Kindness Book” by Todd Parr: Encourages children to embrace kindness in their interactions with others.

Music: “Love Train” by The O’Jays: Promotes unity and spreading love in the community.

Music:  “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars – This song emphasizes the importance of support, kindness, and being there for others, which aligns well with the theme of community interactions and empathy.

Music: “Beautiful Day” by U2 – Inspires optimism, positivity, and making the most out of each day, which can resonate with the goal of creating impactful change in communities.

Creative Expression: Compassion Stones

Using the same compassion stones from the previous session, youth reflect on a time when they felt upset or hurt by someone’s actions and then think about how they can show compassion towards themselves and the other person.

They will decorate their stones with symbols or words representing compassion and understanding.

Connecting/Spiritual Practice: Perspective Painting

Youths paint or draw a scene from two different perspectives: up close and far away. They are invited to think about how distance and perspective can change their perception of a situation or relationship. Their goal for the week will be to take time to consider a different perspective in order to understand better and appreciate others.