December 2008 Youth Forum

Four campuses of Blessed Savior joined Messmer Prep for a middle school youth forum, held at St. Martin de Porres on December 9, 2008.

The following eight characteristics of good leaders were taught with different learning activities:

Good leaders:

• Communicate by listening carefully to others.
• Communicate by speaking clearly.
• Are open to change.
• Are sensitive to the needs of others.
• Listen to ideas that are different from their own.
• Bring people together to work toward a common goal.
• Follow through; they do what they say they are going to do.
• Are honest. They don’t cheat, they don’t like, they don’t deceive.

One of their activities was to raise and lower a very long pole together. This required concentrated listening, coordinated movement, motivation toward the goal, and some learned and applied skill. It was a task that looked easy, but was actually quite difficult.

Making puzzles was another activity to teach team work. Each small group had to put together a puzzle, only to find that 2 missing pieces were placed in full view in different locations around the room. This involved thinking out of the box and sharing different ideas as they solved the problem of how to acquire the missing pieces to complete their puzzle.

The group learned the “Four G’s of Teaching,” as a tool for making presentations:

• Grab my attention
• Give me something new
• Get something out of me
• Go make a difference

A special focus of the youth forum was the use of Christian symbols, so when the small groups met, they had to name themselves, identify a symbol to express their identity, and create small group posters:

• The “Peer Leaders” used a jar of glue as a symbol with the motto, “We stick together!”

• The “Holy Stars” used a star and a compass as their symbol, with the North, South, East and West campuses of Blessed Savior at the points of the star/compass, and with Messmer Prep in the center.

• The “Flashlight Path to Love” used a heart and a flashlight to symbolize their freedom of choice in using the “on” or “off” switch in life. 

• The “Blessmer Leaders” combined Messmer and Blessed Savior’s names, and used a cross to represent their faith.

• “The Holy Spades” used a spade with a cross and a halo as their symbols.

• “Leaders of the Future” used a clock to show that the now is the time to make changes for our future.

Eighty different Christian symbols were hung around the room, such as types of crosses, different monograms (the Greek Chi Rho, the Latin INRI, etc), and Biblical symbols such as the dove, the rainbow, and keys. Each person chose a symbol, then each small group had to decide which one symbol from their group’s choices would be the symbol whose meaning they would teach to the rest of the group, using the  principles of the “Four G’s of Teaching.”

After lunch, the school groups came together to plan activities and projects to serve their schools and/or neighborhoods.

• Blessed Savior North will be starting a “Big Brother/Big Sister Leadership Program.” The students in grades 7-8 will pair up with students from the lower grades and during specific times on Fridays, the younger students will shadow the older students. The point of this paring is to build relationships and intentionally become role models for the younger students, so the older students can demonstrate what good leadership looks like.
• Blessed Savior South will be starting a project called “Lock-in.” It will take place at various places in the school on the South Campus. They students plan to lead activities to teach leadership skills to students in several grades, and they will create a mural on their school wall depicting scenes that show leadership.
• Blessed Savior East will create a leadership training event in their cafeteria, using many of the same activities they experienced at the youth forum, in order to teach leadership and responsibility.
• Blessed Savior West will have a talent show for charity. It will be called “Lights, Camera, Action” or “Showtime at Blessed Savior West.” It will take place during Catholic Schools week, and this group will manage the auditions for the talent show, be the emcees and judges, create prizes and charge admission (50 cents for a can of food) for their charity yet to be named.
• Messmer Prep will begin a school-wide campaign called “Peacemakers’ Initiative” or “Team Peace.” They will be doing several activities to help their school become more aware of the role of peacemakers. Peace buttons and peace maker T-shirts were one idea, creating and hanging peace cranes was another idea. Creating peace murals throughout the school and hanging peace cranes on their Christmas tree are other options they would consider. 

The students who attended this forum, as well as their parents, siblings, teachers, and friends at school are all invited to Cardinal Stritch University on May 3 to bring photographs, display boards, videos and any other items to help tell the story of what they did, and what they learned.