The three Rochester Rotary Clubs are sponsoring a Courage Retreat for all Willow Creek Middle School 7th graders on November 13 and 14. This project represents the evolution of Rotary’s support for educating Rochester youth about ethics, peacebuilding and building character since 2017.
The purpose of the Courage Retreat is to inspire students to use courage to do the right thing and make responsible, ethical decisions despite their fears. Youth Frontiers, a Minnesota-based
organization that has been leading retreats for schools since 1987, is presenting the retreat in their high-energy style that students enjoy and can relate to. For a glimpse of a retreat in
action, go to: St. Paul Academy & Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat.
organization that has been leading retreats for schools since 1987, is presenting the retreat in their high-energy style that students enjoy and can relate to. For a glimpse of a retreat in
action, go to: St. Paul Academy & Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat.
Half of the 300 7th graders will attend the retreat on November 13 and the other half of the class will attend on November 14. Most of the 7th grade teachers will attend, which will be important as they plan to incorporate the retreat concepts throughout the remainder of the school year. Juniors and seniors from Mayo High School will serve as small group facilitators.
Key learning objectives for the Courage Retreat include:
- Identify the everyday fears that prevent you from doing the ethical and right thing
- Commit to an act of everyday courage to make school a better place for yourself and others
- Deepen relationships with classmates to break down social barriers
Following the retreat, Youth Frontiers will survey the students and Willow Creek will assess the results to provide insight for future plans. Together with Willow Creek staff, Rotarians are discussing follow-up activities that can help the students apply the concepts of the retreat. The Rotary 3-Club Leadership team will determine Rotary’s future involvement and/or funding. Our club’s representatives on the 3-club planning team for this project are Sara Gilliland, Celeste Hofer, Jeff Pieters, and Stewart Rassier. To learn more the Courage Retreat, visit the Youth Frontiers website.
If you’d like to observe a part of the Courage Retreat, please read the information below and sign-up for a time.
Important: As soon as you sign up, complete the Volunteer application for Rochester Public Schools. Go to: RPS Volunteer application It’s a 3-step process, with an online background check as the third step. Although the instructions say it may take up to two weeks to receive email confirmation that your background check has been approved, most approvals are received within a day or two. If you are a current STRIVE mentor, your background check is complete.
Please sit in the area designated for observers, which will be at the back or side of the activities. Please do not take photos of students because three students have not given permission.
Courage Retreat location: National Volleyball Center, 2601 Viola Rd NE, Rochester (next to Century High School)
TRCR member Stewart Rassier gave a Rotary moment at a recent Willow Creek Middle School assembly.