The Mission of the Marist Youth Leadership Camp in the Province of the USA
Marist Young Adults and Marist Youth from 10 Schools and ministries around the Marist Province of the United States joined in Indiana for the first ever Marist Youth Leadership Camp, from August 3 to 7. This is the first in a series of new Marist Youth programs for students.
The goal at this camp was to work on practical leadership skills. The students learned important skills like how to lead prayer, to build small group skills, lead activities and how to write a talk. Now, the Marist Leaders are ready to run a freshman retreat for their incoming freshman so that they can be a part of the Marist Community and understand what it means to be Marist.
During the Marist Leadership Camp the students participated in four Marist sessions:
Session 1 – Leading Prayer
The first skills session was led by Matt Fallon. He talked about how to lead a prayer and the components that go into creating a group prayer. He gave the students a challenge for the rest of our time at camp, each small group will lead prayer.
Session 2 – Giving Talks
The second skills session was led by Mike Bourie, a Marist of Champagnat. He helped explain the differences between the two kinds of talks and led a group discussion about the important factors that should be considered when giving a talk.
The Marist Leaders then went to 4 different workshops to work on their own talks. The 4 workshop themes were about St. Marcellin Champagnat, Mary Our Good Mother, Pray for Each Other, and Witness talks. The students were taught by Marist Brothers and Marist Young Adults information on their themes and aided them into writing their talk.
Session 3 – Leading Small Groups
The third skills workshop was about leading small groups. Maureen Hagan, a Marist of Champagnat from NJ, gave the talk and helped the leaders understand all the components of leading a small group.
Session 4 – Leading Group Activities
The fourth skills session was led by Ed Kennedy, director of outdoor adventures at Esopus. He gave an interactive talk about how to lead group activities.
The day ended with a group night swim! It was filled with music, volleyball games, diving competitions and so much more! It was a night filled with family spirit!
The fourth day – Practice Makes Perfect
The Marist Leaders put the skills that they had learned into practice. They were able to ask questions and get a better understanding of what the program that they will be leading will look like!
The final day the Marist Leaders celebrated with Mass. They celebrated with Msgr. Dennis Lyle the pastor at St. Benedict’s Parish. One of the small groups also helped with Mass to practice their skills with prayer. At the end, the final day ended with a dance.
It was the start of a new era in Marist Youth Ministry!
