Blogging in Belize!

Review of Service Reflection Resource

While on a service trip in Corozal, Belize with 9 high school juniors, I knew I wanted to include some sort of evening prayer.  While in Belize, we were working to build a home for teachers at a local high school.  The school is so isolated, many teachers live at the school during the week and commute home on the weekends.  Since the living conditions are currently so poor, teachers typically leave after one year, depriving the students of any consistency.  Funding and starting to build this house will directly affect the student's education.  In providing evening prayer, my goal was two-fold: I wanted the students (and chaperones) to be able to unwind after a day of intense physical labor, but more importantly, I wanted us to be able to reflect on the work we were doing and connect it to our faith and way of living.  

I used a resource that was labeled as a "Service Reflection Toolkit."  This "toolkit" had pages and pages of information, guiding questions and activities to use with groups doing service.  The toolkit began with explanations of the importance of reflecting on service that is completed.  Activities are then divided into sections: 15-60 second activities, 1-5 minutes, 5-30 minutes, and so on.  There were also longer-term projects and an entire section with journaling methods and questions.  Overall, a very lengthy and informative toolkit of ideas.

I really appreciated this resource.  By no means was I able to use all of the info (nor would I want to use some of the ideas presented), but  I was able to pick and choose what I felt would work with the small group I was leading.  I created my own outline for the week and was able to adjust according to our group dynamics.  I especially appreciated this resource's variety of suggestions for reflection.  It was not simply a list of activities, but provided so many different ways to reflect and interact--perfect for high schoolers who never want to be told "write about your feelings today."  This resource would benefit anyone who was looking to "spice up" their reflection process--it offers enough varied ideas so that there is something for everyone.