This session looks at the realities migrants arriving in
Malta irregularly face before their arrival. It pivots on the
testimony of a man who lived and died in Malta,
away from those he loved.
Aim
To shed light on the unheard stories of irregular migrants.
To reflect upon the Catholic’s role in this narrative which surrounds us.
Sara, a Maltese Girl
This session is centred on the story of a young girl who is
forced into a parent’s role at a young age. It gives young
people the opportunity to become aware of stories and
realities which they may overlook in their everyday lives.
Aim
To recognise realities hidden in people’s (even children’s) lives.
To continue to understand our identity in Christ.
Li Kieku ma Ltaqgħetx ma’ Maria
This session is based on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Starting off from the story of a Maltese woman, it tackles
what the parable of the Good Samaritan calls us to.
Aim
To reflect upon the suffering we may walk past every day.
To understand in a deeper way the parable of the Good Samaritan
and whose neighbour God calls us to be.
Mħabba fis-Skiet
Din il-laqgħa tuża testimonjanza biex tiddiskuti
x’inhu l-aktar aspett importanti fil-volontarjat:
l-imħabba. Dan tagħmlu permezz ta’
diskussjonijiet u Lectio Divina.
Għanijiet
Biex niddiskutu xi tfisser għalina l-ħidma volontarja.
Biex niskopru l-importanza tal-imħabba f’din il ħidma.
A Princess has Died in Malta
This session looks at the realities of prostitution through
testimonies. It gives young people the opportunity to discuss
and learn about legislation, the Church’s teachings
and Jesus’ approach to this reality.
Aim
To become aware of the reality of prostitution
To continue to understand the dignity of the human person
WHY YAHAD?
This series is based on Yahad, a document prepared by the Justice & Peace Commission (JPC) to help us reflect on how we can act constructively to build peace within our nation. You can find the full document here: https://yahad.mt/
Yahad is a term in Hebrew that is used in the Bible most often as an adverb in the sense of “together” and “with each other”. It also conveys the sense of unitedness and community.
CONTENTS
MCYN, in collaboration with JPC, has created a series of 6 different sessions to be used with young people, each one based on the Gospel readings of the first 5 Sundays of Lent, and Ash Wednesday.
The titles of each session are:
- Introduction – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Goodness – Teaching & Discussion – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Temperance – Teaching & Discussion – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Courage – Film Night – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Merciful Patience – Discussion – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Reconciliation – Lectio Divina – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
- Creativity – Activity – Niżżel bil-Malti | Download in English
AIMS OF THE SERIES
- To present to young people social justice themes.
- To link Scripture and the Teaching of the Church to real-life situations happening in our country.
- To give time to young people to reflect on the world around them.
- To help young people see matters of justice in light of Scripture.
- To encourage young people to be the positive change they long to see in the world.
SESSION OUTLINES
- Each session plan has an outline on the first page in order to give a brief overview of the meeting.
- A team overview can also be found before each session in order to help people lead different parts of the session smoothly.
- Each session is timed to be around 1 to 1.5 hours. The timings are estimates and are not there to be strictly adhered to.
Although this resource tries to be thorough, it is not thought out to be read off the paper as is, but to serve as a basis for sessions given by leaders. Each group is different, and therefore activities, discussion methods and teaching all need to be tailored according to the dynamic of the group. Should you need assistance in developing the resources further, or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
- Live Streaming
If you’re looking for ways to live stream a meeting, there a few options the most popular being YouTube, Facebook Live & Instagram Live.
Tips:
-
- Consider which platform would be most effective for your audience.
- Post about when the live-stream will take place beforehand.
https://www.youtube.com/live_dashboard_splash
https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/solutions/facebook-live
– live videos remain on the account’s wall after the Facebook live streaming event has finished.
https://help.instagram.com/292478487812558
Group meetings: Video Calls
There are plenty of apps which enable you to have group conversations. Here is a list of the most popular ones & the maximum of members per call.
- For tips on how to lead an online small group visit https://blessedisshe.net/the-blog/lead-small-group-remotely-online/
Google Hangouts (max 25 participants)
Skype (max 50 participants)
Zoom (max 100 participants with a 40 min timer)
Whatsapp groups (max 4 participants)
Messenger (Up to 50 can join but a max of 6 can be seen on screen. After that, only the main speaker appears.).
meetjitsi
Lately, there has been much talk about Conscience. More exactly claims about decisions taken from a Christian formed Conscience. Such claims got even an enthusiastic and “blogged opinion piece support” coming from “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor 13: 1) hijacking – as in the recent past – Christian discourse on Conscience.
The Greek word for “conscience” in the New Testament is suneidēsis, i.e. “moral wakefulness/consciousness.” In the New Testament conscience has more of a personal undertone, while in the Old Testament it is more related to the covenant community through which one relates to God and Covenantal Precepts in being friends with God. Therefore for a conscience claiming to be Christian, it has to be always informed by and formed within the Community of Faith, though personal as it may be.
Conscience is:
- A God-given capacity for self-evaluation. A good conscience is clearly in accordance with morals and values based on God’s standards. A good conscience shows uprightness of heart.
2. A witness to the presence of God’s law written in our hearts and therefore it is not external to us. It is honest, leads to holiness of life and authenticity.
3. A retainer of the individual’s values yielding a strong sense of right and wrong. There is no good conscience if the latter is lacking. Conscience is clear where there is the maturity of faith and understanding. Immaturity in faith and lack of understanding leads to weak conscience. At this level, conscience is reduced to an opinion. BUT CONSCIENCE IS NOT OPINION.
A clear conscience does not smell of ulterior Pinocchian hidden motivations. It stems from the virtue purity of heart and is preserved by constant adherence to God through God’s Word and participation in the life of the Church (the community of disciples) which renews and softens our hearts.
Rev. Dr Charlo Camilleri
Aim:
- To help participants reflect on an experience/session.
Resources:
- Papers
- Pencils/pens/markers
Basic Structure:
- Participants are asked to write down one of the following in exactly one minute:
- the most eye-opening revelations from the session
- the biggest questions they’re left with
- a summary of what was said during the session
- an answer to a reflective question presented by the leader
- what they want to remember from the experience/session
- A timer for 1 minute is set & participants start writing.
Variations:
- One-minute papers can be stuck onto a noticeboard.
- One-minute journals: Participants can be asked to write one-minute papers on a personal journal at the end of every session (journals can be kept by the leaders or by the participants).
- One-minute monologue: Participants can be split into pairs & asked to give a one-minute monologue to their partner about the topic.
- One-minute message: Participants can be asked to write a message for one minute that is then sent to a leader. (This can be a way of receiving feedback of what is actually being retained.)
Adapted from: www.nureva.com/blog/education/15-ways-to-spark-student-reflection-in-your-classroom
Uno
The classic Uno game & a more adventurous version are available to be played among groups, in teams and you can even host a tournament!
Scattegories
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magmic.android.squash&hl=en
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scattergories/id1011376303
This category game allows you to host a challenge between a closed group of people (by sharing a code).
Words/Crosswords/Chess/Boggle With Friend:
https://www.zynga.com/games/words-with-friends-2/
This website has 4 different games which can be played online between people. Most are one-to-one games but you can use them by creating teams.
Kahoot!: https://kahoot.com/
Kahoot! makes it easy to create, share and play learning games or trivia quizzes in minutes. You can host a live Kahoot! by sharing a screen while participants answer on their devices.
Plexus 2018 is an annual youth leader conference organised by the Malta Catholic Youth Network (MCYN). This year’s conference, entitled “With Jesus in the Peripheries”, focused on equipping local youth leaders to reach out to those individuals on the fringes of society. Watch the video below for highlights from the event.
During the conference, a document was drafted summarising the challenges encountered by local youth leaders in bringing the Gospel to the peripheries, as well as a collective vision for the way forward.
Aims:
- To facilitate a discussion which is inclusive to the entire group.
Basic Structure:
- Participants begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner.
- After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four.
- Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined.
- Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on.
- Repeat until the whole group is joined up in one large discussion.
Variations:
- Participants could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.
Adapted from: www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/