Paradigms Lost and Regained

Sacred life skills for junior and senior high school classes with an adult supplement

paradigms-lostOverview
Paradigms Lost is a 10-Session religious education curriculum for junior high and/or high school youth (7th to 12th grades) that helps teens recognize elements of their lives that are “toxic” and to move toward using their Sacred Voice to articulate their anxieties.

Goals
The program in Paradigms Lost teaches youth basic life skills by identifying one’s core mission, prioritizing goals, evaluating performance, and keeping balance in one’s life. Paradigms Lost uses a variety of fun and challenging approaches to help youth explore themselves and their relationships with others. For the primary game element that runs throughout the program (and can involve the entire church community), youth see themselves as a company and earn stock through their actions.

AND, an adult supplement!
Also included is a separate and coordinated curricular component, entitled Paradigms Regained. This 10-Session adult supplement covers the history of the concept of “youth” in society, how adults and parents see teenagers today, and ways in which adults and parents can interact more effectively with youth.

Design
This adult supplement is intended to be run concurrently with the youth program. Optimally, churches will offer both programs as youth and adult religious education at the same time. Through this approach, participation of both youth and adults will strengthen attendance and enhance extracurricular discussions between youth and their parents. Also, both Paradigms Lost and Paradigms Regained are specifically designed to be taught by teams of adults and youth.

Content
The Session titles of each program include the following (Youth/Adult):

  1. Challenge Your Vision – Examine How You View the World/“Seeing” Teenagers
  2. Take Charge! – Acknowledge Yourself as Master of Your Life/The Teen in Pre-Modern Times
  3. Declare Your Identity – Identifying Your Mission/The Teen in the Early Twentieth Century
  4. Master Your Feelings – Conquer Fear, Shame, and Anger/Today’s Parents as Teens
  5. Set Your Priorities – Make a Plan for Your Life and Stick To It/The Teen Today
  6. Keep Your Balance – Care for Your Body, Brain, Heart, and Soul/Teens in Turmoil
  7. Act Now! – Teach the World How to Treat You/The Romance of Risk
  8. Listen Aggressively – Put Yourself in Others’ Places/Listening to Teens
  9. Analyze Your Feedback – Do What Works and Refine Your Processes/What Works When Parenting Teenagers
  10. Synergize – Help Others Win With You/Parents’ Bill of Rights