The Kolbe Year 8 Retreat

Theme:
The theme that I propose for the Year 8 Retreat is: Navigating my way through life. This theme has been chosen for the following reasons:
1. I have spent a term with a Year 8 class and I have come to realize that they are at different stages of their faith journey. Psychologically, too, they seem to be at different points of a continuum from immaturity to maturity.
2. My observation of Year 7s leads me to believe that our students are encouraged to be independent learners when they enter Year 7. My experience of Year 8 RE, indeed of the whole RE programme, is quite the opposite. We force feed them a curriculum that is controlled by Rome.
3. When I consider the work of a small group led by Noburo, who are looking at challenge based learning for Year 9s, I ask myself: Shouldn't all learning be challenging?
Reflecting on these factors has led me to propose a retreat experience that challenges our Year 8s to reflect on how they approach the task of living with integrity and the responsibility this places on them to take charge of their learning. This seems a tall order for a one-day retreat with young teenagers, but retreats are not meant to sum up, but to open up. The retreat experience is meant to be an encounter with self, with others, and with God.
Style:
Fr Mark Link, SJ has suggested that there can be two types of theology: pioneer theology and settler theology. Basically, the former presents God as a risk taker who is always looking to improve creation. Jesus is his scout, moving ahead to survey the land so that he can warn his followers about the dangers that they will encounter. Undoubtedly, there are some Year 8s who would feel comfortable with this sort of theology. We can tell this from their behavior. They are the ones who test the boundaries and who try to create boundaries for themselves. I have come to think of them as the outcasts that Jesus came to save. The healing he offered included entry into the community which had rejected them. In the realm of salvation, everyone changes, both those who are saved and the community also.
This suggests to me that there cannot be one fits all type of retreat, however, our financial constraints prevents us from trying to break the year group into small groups based on a set of parameters that are likely to be inaccurate.
Venues: Navy Club for outdoor group - wagon train group
Gary Holland Centre for settler group- village green model
Structure: simulation for 2 hours
Break for 20 minutes
Debrief for 1 hour
Lunch for 40 minutes
Goal setting for 30 minutes
Groups gather on the village green to share experiences
Liturgy for 20 minutes
Return to school by 3.10
Students depart
Staff debrief