Leadership Training and Other Opportunities for Youth

Leadership training and other programs for high school or middle school youth can take place as a workshop, retreat, youth forum, or other event. Here are some details:

Family Programs

Young people and their parents need opportunities to get together and discuss their faith, their relationship, and significant topics like the "meaning of life." Such programs can take many forms. Videos, comic strips, and building a table out of newspaper are just some of the methods we have used. Contact us for details.

Click here to read about the Bilingual Mother Daughter retreats we developed for Casa Romero.

Leadership Training for Middle School Youth

"I can make a difference, and I'm only 13."
(Spoken by a young teen at a Catholic youth leadership forum in 2002)

Isn't this insight the goal of our ministry with early adolescents? Many youth ministers reserve leadership training for high school youth, but waiting is not necessary. There are basic leadership skills that 6-7-8^TH grade students can and do master — such as communication skills, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Leadership training for half a day, an evening, or the length of a school day at most are the best options for this age group.

If you would like to schedule a middle school youth training next year at your school parish or organization, contact Lisa for more information.

"Let's get rolling" is a workshop/retreat that presents the basics of leadership skills to middle school youth. It is published in a book by Saint Mary's Press called, Retreat Ideas for Ministry with Young Teens, as part of their HELP series (Heads-up, Easy, Low-cost, Purposeful). For purchase of this book, visit the Saint Mary's Press website: www.smp.org.

Leadership Training for High School Youth

"This is all about letting youth know they are leaders who can do something, and then giving them the chance to do it."
(Spoken by a high school student who was part of the original Tomorrow's Present research project.)

Youth leadership training for high school teens can focus on topics such as learning communities, exemplary leadership practices, presentation skills and drama, group dynamics, or Edward de Bono's model of The Six Hats of Thinking — which teach creative problem solving, event planning, and program evaluation.

Youth Leadership training for high school youth can take place as a week night workshop, day-long event, or even a full-weekend time frame.

Click here to read about "Teamwork: Head to Toe," which took place at Casa Romero.

If you would like to schedule a leadership training session with the high school young people of your school, parish, or organization, contact Lisa for more information.

"Lights for the World" is a book on leadership training for high school teenagers. It includes outlines, hand-outs and resources for a weekend retreat and ten follow-up sessions. It is out of print, but a few copies still remain at the House of Peace. If you are interested in a copy, contact Lisa for more information.