Teens lead retreats for teens

When it comes to faith, Peter Schulte, a 17-year-old senior at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, believes that some of the best teachers of teens are teens themselves.

That's why he is a member of the peer retreat team at Our Lady of Grace Church in Ballston Lake.

Up to 80 students are currently involved in the a program that brings teenagers together with younger kids for retreats on faith, morals and the difficult questions that life poses.

Passing it on

The retreat team began eight years ago, when youth minister Ruth Moon gathered a group of ten students interested in sharing their experience, advice and faith.

The members present eight retreats a year. Seventh-graders learn about friendship and character; eighth-graders, character and the Jewish roots of Christianity; ninth-graders, Christian sexuality and self-esteem; tenth-graders, diversity.

"They're learning to deal with adolescents, younger and older," Mrs. Moon said of the retreat leaders. "We look at the difference between a seventh-grader and a ninth-grader; we look at the differences between behaviors and what their skills are. We talk about where teens are with faith."

Role models

The retreat team members were among Maggie Fogg's first peer models in faith.

"At the time, the team had a lot of high-school students, and I remember thinking of them as big, scary kids," she said. "It was so interesting to see how they interacted with people my age [then seventh-grade] and how comfortable they made you feel. They're eager to listen."

Now a team member herself, she said that one of her most fulfilling experiences comes during the retreat on sexuality.

"They come in terrified," she said of the retreatants. "But, by the end, you should see how much these kids can open up, and how much they're willing to ask questions and hear what you have to say."

Friendship

Dani-Leigh Ross, 15, likes being part of the retreat on friendship because "when you're in seventh grade, that's when things are starting to change and kids might be having 'friend problems.' It's something that everyone deals with."

As a middle-schooler who attended a retreat, she was struck with how older teenagers were drawing on their own experiences to make the topics come alive for her. Now that she's one of the members of the team, she believes that being close to the same age as the retreatants breaks through boundaries.

"When kids hear adults talk, they say, 'Oh, it's been so long'" since they had to deal with issues being discussed, she explained. But the teens' experience is more recent and credible.

Faith aloud

Peter is on the team partially because he likes helping kids feel more comfortable with speaking about matters of faith aloud.

"Faith isn't really stressed in modern society," he explained. "Just to be in a setting where it can be openly discussed is great. I'm used to that because I go to a parochial school, but there are a lot of people who aren't used to that. To bring them into that environment -- I find that quite enjoyable."

One of the most difficult parts of the retreat can be leading a small-group discussion, he said. Peer leaders must help students feel comfortable with speaking their mind, which can sometimes be a tall order.

"They open up when they realize that everyone is going to respect their opinion," he said. "They want to be heard, and they want to hear other people."

'Unbelievable'

Mrs. Moon, who runs the training sessions, said that her only job at the retreat is to stand back and make sure everyone's on time.

"These kids are unbelievable," she said, "in terms of resolve and commitment and their love for one another. When these kids are 15 years out of school and they have a personal crisis, I want them to reach into their pocket and pull out a tool that will get them through, and the Church is part of that -- Jesus and fellow Christians."

(11/10/05) [[In-content Ad]]