Welcome to AKSSMA Blog for the Youth

Welcome to AKSSMA blog for the youth. This blog will be directed to educators, especially those who work with babies, children, and teens at the Spiritist Centers.

I am an educator at Allan Kardec Spiritist Society of Massachusetts. I teach two different groups: an Arts Club for kids 7 to 12 years old, and a Teens Group. Our Spiritist Center was founded in 1989 and our first youth class was in 2000. Since then, our Youth Group has gone through many transformations and growth. Three years ago, we noticed that our needs were changing and that we needed a bigger space to accommodate all of our kids, we had about 20 at the time. Our board of directors understood our needs and found a bigger place for us to move. In this new building, we had enough space to divide the classes that were once, all together in the same room. There was then the idea of creating clubs and use them to teach the subjects. The clubs allowed us to use a hands on approach when teaching about moral values, religious connections, and body-mind-spirit wellness. The program has been an absolute success since its start. Our group grew from about 20 kids registered to about 70 kids registered.

Our classes are now divided in the following way:

• Baby/Toddler Group (0 - 3years old): Classes include parents and educators. The entire class is about 45min. and it is structured with a variety of sensory and extra sensory forms of teaching.

• Kindergarten Group (4 - 7years old): Parents do not participate anymore in this class. Now we encourage kids to be more independent from their parents in a safe and nurturing environment where they can learn through repetition, sequence, and tons of joy. There is music, instruments, role play, games, and more.

Once you "graduate" from Kindergarten, kids can choose from one of our three clubs.

• Arts and Crafts Club: Kids are exposed to different types of material and innumerous ways to express their creativity and personality through arts. We teach about the concepts of religion and especially the moral values and the way to be a good human being. There are opportunities to talk, pray, play have fun, and improve as human beings.

• Theater Club: Kids who like to put themselves out there, who are more versatile and outgoing, usually choose this class and have a lot of fun studying about Spiritism, about Jesus life and true meaning of life. They do some vocal exercises, stretching, and also prepare for presentations throughout the year.

• Taekwondo Club: Yes, kids can also learn religion and moral values through martial arts. They focus on discipline, respect to self and others, and the idea of becoming better every day as eternal beings. Kids who are very energetic and who enjoy physical exercise usually choose this class where they can learn and be active at the same time without compromising one or another.

• Teens Group: Kids who are 13 and up are welcome to this class where we discuss concepts of Spiritism, in a more profound way and where we also approach situations they face in a daily basis in their lives. We provide a comforting and non judgmental environment where they can express their fears, concerns, questions, and help us see the world through their point of view as well. It is a very enriching class.

As I mentioned earlier, the change was a success. We have kids and teens more integrated and committed to the classes. They are also strengthening the relationship with their pears and making a very important networking of people who have the same values. We have kids and teens volunteering in the Spiritist Center with activities connected or not with the Youth Groups. It is a great joy to be part of this amazing group!