As you probably know from your own personal retreat experiences, there are many different ways to “retreat” with teens who are participating in a Confirmation, youth ministry, or campus ministry retreat. However, depending on the group and circumstances, some models definitely work better than others do. This article provides a brief overview of the pros and cons of the various retreat models.

Your school may be embarking on Elective Course A, Sacred Scripture, of the USCCB Doctrinal Framework. Even if you are not, Scripture study plays prominently in each of your school's required and elective courses. Correspondingly, making sure students are familiar with Bible study aids (e.g., Bible dictionaries, one-volume Bible commentaries, and Bible concordances) is an essential prerequisite for this task. Use the following exercise to introduces students to these tools.

If you have occasion to work with teens in the summer through a parish-sponsored Youth Ministry program, here's an idea that works well with both younger and older adolescents.

Here are three simple summer fun for your parish youth groups with a few extra adaptations. Enjoy!