Youth Curriculum, 4-5-26

Announcements:

CSL Teen Beyond Limits Class, facilitated by practitioners from Seattle CSL starts Monday April 6 (6-7:30pm). Teen will work with Spiritual Mind Treatments, with guidance and support. Teens will also share a short presentation with our community about their experience.

This class counts the same as the adult Beyond Limits Foundation class and includes certification!

If you would like to support a teen in participating, donations can be made on our Youth & Family page to help with the $180 class fee. Your support helps nurture future CSL leaders.

April Theme: Foundations of Spirit: Discovering the Divine Within
Week 1 Value: The Thing Itself (Easter Sunday)
Affirmation: I deepen my knowing of the Divine within me.

Curriculum Overview:

In Week 1, youth and teens explore the foundational idea that Spirit—often called “The Thing Itself”—is everywhere, in everything, and within each of us. Through a playful Easter-themed experience, they discover that the qualities they admire—love, courage, creativity, and kindness—are not separate from them, but already alive within. This lesson sets the tone for the month by helping youth recognize that they are expressions of a greater Presence. As they begin to understand this connection, they also begin to see themselves as capable, whole, and deeply connected to the world around them.

Spiritual Lesson:

There is one universal Presence expressing through all life. This Presence—Spirit—shows up as love, intelligence, creativity, and possibility, and it lives within each person. Youth explore the idea that although people express themselves in different ways, the source of goodness is the same in everyone. Through recognizing their own inner qualities, they begin to understand that they are not separate from what they seek. Instead, they are channels through which these qualities are revealed in the world.

Spiritual Practice: Hidden Light Egg Discovery & Inner Expression Reflection

Youth participate in a playful Easter egg hunt where each egg contains a symbol or word representing a positive quality such as kindness, courage, creativity, or joy. After gathering the eggs, the group opens them together and reflects on the meaning of each quality and how it shows up in their lives.

One special egg contains a small light, representing the Divine Presence within all life. This moment anchors the understanding that all of these qualities come from the same inner source.

Active Listening: Book / Music / Video

Younger Children (Ages 4–7)

• Book: The Hidden Rainbow by Christie Matheson
  Encourages wonder and discovery of beauty and light in everyday life.
• Music: “This Little Light of Mine” (children’s version)
  Reinforces the idea of shining one’s inner light.
• Video: The Light Within (Cosmic Kids Zen Den Episode)
  Introduces themes of renewal, hope, and new life.

Children & Preteens (Ages 7–12)

• Reading: The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines
  Celebrates individuality and the unique expression of each person.
• Music: “This Is Me” by Keala Settle (from The Greatest Showman)
  Connects directly to embracing one’s inner identity as a reflection of something greater
• Video: The Present
  Perspective, inner resilience, and hidden strength

Teens (Ages 13–16)

• Reading: Selected excerpts inspired by This Thing Called You by Ernest Holmes
  Explores the idea of the Divine as an inner presence and personal power.
• Music: “Glorious” by Macklemore
  Highlights identity, worth, and inner greatness.
• Video: Alike
  Powerfully illustrates losing and rediscovering inner light

Creative Expression: Expressions of the One

Youth decorate paper eggs with a quality they recognize within themselves—such as love, courage, joy, or creativity. Each egg becomes a personal expression of the Divine within.

When placed together, the eggs form a collective display (garden, mosaic, or wall installation), visually representing that while each person expresses differently, all are connected through the same Source.

Connecting: Compassion Circle

Youth complete the sentence: “The light within me is…”

Group Response: “The same light in everyone.”