Below are some ideas for retreat or formation day sessions around the theme of developing healthy relationships. The aim is to encourage students to reflect on the connections they have made in their lives, and how they might build more healthy relationships.
Session #1: Family relationships
Intro: Start with the Mary and Martha Gaming the Gospels activity. You might prefer to begin with the balloon game, and then bring the students back into the large group and read them the story of Mary and Martha. Introduce the session as an opportunity to reflect on our experiences of family life – those times when relationships work well, and times when they can be challenging.
Input for reflection: The article ‘The Gospel according to Star Wars’ outlines four helpful relationship lessons for students to reflect on. You might share this article with the students to read quietly, or plan ahead for some students or teachers to prepare and present their own versions of each of these four ‘lessons’ drawing from other movies or their own experiences.
Alternative activity: Break up the students in to three groups, and ask each group to prepare a ‘family life’ skit based on one of the Gospel stories in the article ‘When family life gets Biblical’. Consider a fun setting for each of the stories: The Moses skit might take place at a barbecue where the Pharaoh’s family has to make small talk with Moses’ Hebrew family; The Ruth and Naomi story might take place on a trip to the supermarket; the awkward meeting of Joseph and his brothers might take place at a family dinner table. Bring the groups back together and perform each of the skits.
Quiet reflection: Students are given a sheet divided into four sections: 1. Something special about my family’s story, 2. Something I’ve learned from my family, 3. An experience where a family member has helped me overcome a fear, 4. An experience of forgiveness in my family. A teacher might put on some reflective music, and then lead the students to consider something to write in each of those four sections.
Small group sharing: In small groups, students are invited to share what they’ve written under the four sections. Each student is thanked for their input. After the sharing, students are invited to share something that one of the other group members brought up that spoke to them.
Prayer: You might like to close with one of the prayers from the paraliturgy ‘Family life in all its diversity’.
Gaming the Gospels: Mary and Martha
The Gospel according to Star Wars
When family drama gets Biblical
Paraliturgy: Family life in all its diversity
Session #2: Friendships
Intro: Begin with the ‘Peace game simulator’ activity. Read out each of the scenarios in the article and ask the students to move to a different part of the room depending on how they think they would respond. You might like to think of some more scenarios to add to the game. At the end of the game, the part of the room they’ve spent the most time in corresponds to their ‘score’ from the simulator.
Input for reflection: Ahead of this session, invite three or four students to come up with a story of where they’ve had a disagreement or confrontation with a friend that they could share with the main group (you could use the article ‘A good health guide to relationships’ for some examples’). What did they do in that situation? Alternatively, you could read out each of the scenarios in that article, and invite students to share how they would go about responding to them.
Small group discussion: Students might share a time when they have had a disagreement or confrontation with a friend. What did they do at the time? Is there anything they would do differently now? What lessons did they learn about friendship?
Reflective activity: Invite the students to write a letter to a friend, sharing with them some of the things that they most value about them.
Prayer rite: Follow the activity with a prayer rite on friendship.
Activity: The peace game simulator
A good health guide to friendship
Paraliturgy: That's what friends are for
Session #3: Healthy relationships
Intro: Begin with the ‘Gaming the Gospels’ activity ‘Celebrating who we are’.
Personal reflection: Share one or more of the stories from the article ‘Dear teenager’ with the students, and give them some space to read and reflect on it.
Reflective activity: What does it mean to have a healthy self-ship? Divide a piece of paper into three sections and ask the students to write something in each on:
1. Core values – you want to find the values that act as guiding principles in your life. These might be derived from your faith, your family and your community.
2. Your ideal life – think about the kind of person you want to be. What attributes does this person cultivate? How do they spend their time? What does their dream future look like? What can they do each day to get there?
3. Interests – How do you currently spend your time? Write down the ways you spend your time that leave you feeling most like yourself; at peace, joyful, or maybe valued.
This list can help you to recognise and maintain your sense of self.
Small group activity: Share the article ‘True love: A step-by-step guide’ with the students. After they’ve taken some time to read it, invite them to go into their small groups and come up with a skit showing own ‘step-by-step’ guide to true love (either using the steps from the article or adding some of their own).
Alternative small group activity: Share the article ‘True love: A step-by-step guide’ with the students. Think of your favourite movies or TV shows that show examples of the true love that is talked about in the article. Put together a skit with an interview with that character about their true love. Some example questions:
1. Where did you learn about love?
2. What makes love - true?
3. What is the difference between a crush and love?
4. How do you respect yourself when you're in love?
5. How do you respect the other person?
6. Did you ever have a relationship that didn’t work out?
7. What’s your advice to others about true love?
Closing reflection: Read Matthew 14-30 (the Parable of the Talents). Invite someone to prepare and share a story about how they discovered their own talents. Ask the students to quietly reflect on their talents – the things that make them special. Close with an Our Father.
Gaming the Gospels: Celebrating who we are
Dear Teenager - PLUS Reflection questions and activities for students
True Love: A step by step guide - PLUS Reflection questions and activities for students