Tapestry of Faith: Exploring Our Values Through Poetry: A Program for High School Youth

Introduction

The glory of youths is their strength,

but the beauty of the aged is their grey hair.

Proverbs 20:29

Today's workshop focuses on our experience of beauty. Taking time to appreciate the beautiful is one way to renew the sense of awe and wonder that our spirits need. This workshop includes a guided meditation, an activity option that will be offered in several workshops. It also includes an alternate activity to help groups that wish to design a unique opening and/or closing ritual.

Goals

This workshop will:

  • Examine notions of beauty: our own notions and the notions of others
  • Train participants to use meditation to notice more fully, and more often, the beauty that surrounds us each day
  • Explore using words to articulate beauty
  • Consider connections between beauty and spirit
  • Optional: Encourage youth to help publicize alternate views of beauty

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Reflect upon their own standards of beauty and have the opportunity to revise them
  • Increase their awareness of the beauty around them through meditation
  • Explore how poetry can elucidate our notions of beauty
  • Optional: Share examples of beautiful behavior with others