Our Youth and Family Program
Research shows that children who have positive active relationships to spirituality are 40 percent less likely to use and abuse substances and have 60 percent less depression than other teenagers. There are also differences in the brain structure.
We feel it is important to build a child’s belief that they can handle their challenges and create their life. We cultivate conversations about life’s big and little questions, such as meaning and purpose, what it means to being good people, how to treat others, what it means to be empathetic, compassionate, peaceful and confident.
We teach kids how to express spiritual ideas and values in everyday interactions with other people. We encourage (and model) acts of expansive love and kindness. This cultivates a spiritual knowing, an internal spiritual dialogue, so they might continue to define what spirituality is for them personally.
At the Greater Philadelphia Center for Spiritual Living kids learn that…
- They are loved and lovable.
- They are divine spiritual beings
- Being a good person comes from within.
- Happiness and fulfillment are natural.
- Our youth programs promote healthy self-esteem
Programs Every Sunday:
Nursery (Newborn to 3 or 4 years of age)
We provide childcare service for infants and toddlers. Our paid babysitters provide a loving environment for babies and toddlers that support their creativity. Please advise as to which Sundays you will be bringing your children and their ages so that we may accommodate them.
Youth (K – 3rd Grade) and Tween (4th – 6th Grade) Program
We have a team of dedicated teachers and assistants who provide a safe and sacred place for youth to explore the principles of God. Our youth are taught that they are beloved expressions of Spirit and that all the qualities of Spirit find expression in and through them. By connecting with this Spirit, and witnessing what happens when they direct their thoughts, they become self-empowered and develop character traits, such as compassion toward others, creativity, respect and integrity. All along the way, a fun time is had and good friendships are made.
Teen Program (7th – 12th grade)
We have a group of three dedicated advisers who currently are at the Center the 2nd Sunday of each month to provide an enriching and safe program for our teens to discover who they are and what they mean to the world. Each month we have experiential workshops that help empower our teens to create a better life through the universal principles of God. Twice yearly we have a Teen Camp that enriches our teens’ lives even further and build friendships for life. Our teen program is a place for young people to connect and build friendships in our spiritual community.
Teen Camps
Centers for Spiritual Living offer annual summer teen camps and winter regional teen camps every year. Our teen camps are highly anticipated events where teens, ages 13-18, come from all over the world to experience a spiritual connection with other teens in a setting that is both inspiring and supportive. Teens who attend camp deepen their spiritual practices of affirmative prayer and meditation, and find themselves in an unparalleled environment of peer love and support. They participate in experiential activities that establish long-term bonds with other spiritually-oriented youth.
Rev. Mike Gerdes at 760-828-7698 or e-mail him at revmike@cslphilly.org.