Prize surprises: A Human Sexuality Retreat at a Theme Park

This comes under the heading of a surprising element to a normal activity rather than as something that comes as a surprise (i.e. DO NOT HAVE A SURPRISE HUMAN SEXUALITY CLASS/RETREAT! :) ).

Without going into the need for a program on Human Sexuality or the content of such as class, this is merely a suggestion for an unusual but successful format for such a program. Some of the problems associated with H.S. Classes are:

• Teens who do not want to admit that they have anything to learn on the subject
• Teens who don't want to talk about the subject – especially with adults – especially with church adults.
• If it is a multi-session program then different youth will come to different sessions, breaking continuity and trust building.
• These classes sometimes generate a lot of tension needing release.

A solution to all of these things is to combine the program with a fun retreat. This may draw youth that might not sign up for such a course or at least give the youth an "excuse" for attending. Combining the two events brings all of the group building and society escaping benefits of a retreat, and it provides a fun and safe break from an otherwise heavy subject. The specific solution that I have used is to combine a weekend Human Sexuality Retreat with a trip to a theme park.

How to do the Surprise:

Step one is to locate a theme park within a couple hours drive that has a nearby church or retreat facility that will allow the group to spend the weekend and have the classes. Only one of the theme parks I have used or contacted had a meeting room that we could use. We always had to have the classes outside of the park. Most theme parks allow for Day Passes or other system of reentry into the park, but it is important to know for sure that reentry is possible and how it works for the particular park.

Recruitment. Use whatever criteria you use for recruiting leaders for the classes. Then you need adult or young adult leadership in addition in order to give the teachers a break also.

Since I have always had a double retreat – with Senior Highs and Middle Schoolers at the same weekend and place, the extra leadership was an absolute, for we would have the Senior Highs in a Session while the Middle Schoolers were in the park, then we would swap the two groups and continue. We simply had a team of leaders permanently stationed in the theme park, keeping in touch with that group and negotiating the hand off at the appropriate times.

Publicity that is centered on the Human Sexuality aspect for the parents and publicity that is centered on the retreat aspect (but clearly mentioning the Human Sexuality program) needs to be started early and done continuously. You probably will need to have an absolute deadline in order to order discounted tickets and to order any materials needed.

I usually have a parent's meeting where I distribute the parent's book and my own outline of what will be covered in the classes as well as suggestions for follow-up discussions with their children.

On the retreat itself, we usually have a late night learning session and worship on Friday night, then hit the park first thing in the morning (when the lines are a little shorter – we do all the popular rides then). After a couple of hours, then we leave the park and go to the meeting room and have another session. Then back into the park for lunch. And so forth through the day. Sunday morning for our group is worship in the host church, go out to eat and then return home.

What to avoid:

• Do not underplay or hide the Human Sexuality part of the program. Kids do not like being surprised about this subject and if they feel like they've been tricked by you or their parents they can make a mess of the program. This is a little different than if they are there under duress – if their parents "made them come" (which is sometimes a convenient excuse and teen defense mechanism) you can be sympathetic and encourage them to make the most of the situation, since it is not your fault.
• Keeping a good balance between the sessions and the time in the park is delicate and may have to be adjusted depending on how things work out. I generally plan a session for 1 ½ hours then time in the park or other recreation for 2 hours. Sometimes they want to extend a session, and they almost always want to extend their time in the theme park. However, the whole process is exhausting for everyone, and I have had groups vote not to return to the theme park on Saturday night, because they were simply worn out. 
• The number of times in and out of the park may have to be adjusted if the meeting room is not very close to the theme park. However, I have always found an accommodating church within five minutes of each park which allows more flexibility.

Variations:

There are many fun things that can be interspersed such as:

• High ropes (challenge/adventure) course at a retreat center.
• Skiing
• Boating
• Mission work – doing the project during the day and classes in the evening (but exhaustion can nullify the classes...)