Faith CoLab: Tapestry of Faith: Families: A Jr. High School Youth Program that Explores the Diversity, Commonality, and Meaning of Families

Introduction

Part of Families

In the end we are all separate: our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. We are drawn to each other because of our similarities, but it is our differences we must learn to respect.

- Anonymous

In this session, participants work together to prepare their artistic display about families.

Goals

Participants will:

  • Broaden and deepen their understandings and definitions of families, including the roles and functions of families
  • Explore the meaning of healthy families in a diversity of forms
  • Value each individual's perspective as an interpreter of our world and as a teller of our stories
  • Engage joyfully in the creation of art
  • Learn more fully that there is no "objective" point of view
  • Engage as leaders of a project that serves the greater congregation and affirms more deeply their place in interdependent, multigenerational, congregational life
  • Collaborate with peers
  • Experience the roles of photographer/artist and storyteller—visual and/or text—within a faith community

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Create the final artistic display about families
  • Collaborate with the full group to create the Meet the Creators portion of the display
  • Problem-solve about the display
  • Decide on how to make the display interactive, welcoming, and accessible
  • Gain a sense of cumulative, collective accomplishment