An Australian and a New Zealander have been stimulating British sixth formers to reflect on what brings satisfaction in life. Why are so many young Westerners unsatisfied and depressed? Why do they feel helpless or apathetic about social issues? We share a desire to help young people discover their unique contribution to the world. This led us to accept Howard Grace’s invitation to visit school sixth forms in the UK.
We use skits, story-sharing, discussions and interactive exercises to explore the difference between instant gratification and a deeper sense of fulfilment. The heart of our presentation is sharing personal experiences. Roshan talks about how her self-confidence used to depend on whether she had a boyfriend or not and how she has learnt to seek confidence within. Chris shares about a personal struggle, which touches on a pressing social issue. ‘I hope that through sharing my mistakes I can help others to make the right choices,’ he says. During one discussion, a student described lasting satisfaction as ‘when you work for what you get, then have the joy of making someone else happy’. The response of teachers, too, has been encouraging. One said, ‘It was great to have a discussion on some deeper spiritual issues not usually spoken about in school.’ Another told us that she had never seen the sixth form so attentive. We want to continue doing similar work in our own countries. Roshan Gul (New Zealand) and Chris James (Australia)
英語