Kidnap retreat: Why do this surprise

Besides the wonderful moment of watching their faces when they realize what has happened, this activity has a number of benefits. First and foremost, it is often hard to get busy kids away from their world to go on a retreat even though everyone agrees that they will enjoy and benefit from the retreat, if they actually go. The surprise approach simply gives them a little help in clearing their calendars. If the retreat is to be a planning retreat this is even more helpful since most youth would rather avoid such an event.

Additionally, this approach will often snag young people that might not otherwise sign up for a retreat, most notably the shy and the skeptical. They can often be enticed into signing up for the public event, and once on the retreat itself the barriers can be broken down and they can end the experience feeling a part of the group and committed to its future. Since a group formed in such a random manner tends to be particularly diverse in its makeup, bringing them together for a weekend allows some very important group building.