Soul Space 1014
Deep – Fun – Relevant
Deep
Pre-teens and teenagers ask challenging, searching questions and are not satisfied with superficial answers.
From early adolescence we develop an appetite for something deeper spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.
Our session plans aim to deepen the spiritual and intellectual understanding of both leaders and young people.
Fun
Pre-teens and teenagers need to have plenty of fun and build relationships within their group.
We aim to help group members relax, have fun and develop good relationships within a group.
We provide the ideas, you provide the friendly environment.
Relevant
The Bible is about people just like us and it can help us in our everyday lives. Whatever we face, we will find something relevant in it for us.
God designed the Bible to speak to every culture, time and generation and He will speak to us through it if we listen.
Each plan has an ‘Application’ section.
The Plans
The plans focus particularly on the 10-14 age range as many people find this a challenging age group to lead, but they can be adapted for older groups and perhaps younger ones also.
PowerPoints have been included for some outlines but it is not essential to have this technology. A board or flip chart can still work well and can be more flexible.
Leaders’ Notes
As Leaders, we need wholesome spiritual food as well as ideas. We need to stimulate our own growth and creativity so we can prepare specifically for our own group
SoulSpace Leaders’ Notes aim to:
- Deepen spiritual and Biblical understanding in any interested reader.
- Enable leaders to grow spiritually as they prepare and plan a teaching session.
- Provide plenty of creative ideas.
- Equip leaders to deal with some of those difficult questions the young people may ask.
SoulSpace Writers are experienced practitioners who have worked in both education and youth/children’s work. These are ‘ground up’ resources that have been tried and tested unless stated otherwise.The materials can be adapted for other age groups.
Our theological background is Protestant evangelical. Controversial issues are dealt with as objectivity as possible in the interests of encouraging young people to think issues through for themselves and to make the materials more ecumenical.
Personalising the resources
The materials do much of the work for you, but you will need to spend some time preparing and praying for your own group of unique individuals.
It is not always possible to divide young people into neat age groups within churches and sometimes the kids bring along friends which can broaden the range of needs you are trying to cover.
There is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ in youth work anyhow. Every group is different. Their needs, interests, backgrounds and moods are all variables that keep us on our toes and dependent on God.
Read more on this on the Training page.
Restricted liability statement
All resources are suggested guidelines only. Each group leader is responsible for the way in which material is delivered to their group. Leaders should aim to work in teams and to be accountable to another experienced leader. Some of the issues covered on this site are of a sensitive nature and some young people may need professional counselling. The authors cannot be held responsible for any outcome at the local level.
Copyright
It is our aim to acknowledge and respect other peoples’ copyright. Images have been used with permission but their creators do not necessarily endorse our opinions. Likewise, although these resources are currently free, they are still covered by copyright law and may not be published without permission. Some of the images are used under license and may not be reproduced independently of the resources.
Translation
If you wish to translate into another language, please let me know. I might be able to put you in touch with others who are doing the same. Please also be aware that English has over one million words and even us native speakers don’t know them all. If you are unsure of the meaning of something do feel free to ask and I can re-phrase it for you.
Every Blessing
Brenda Lord BA, PGCE
Teacher, Youth worker, Children’s Worker, Training consultant for DETM Slovakia,
Member of EurECA – European Educators’ Christian Association
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Images on this page supplied by Peter Lord, Chris Bowman and Elizabeth Argyll