True Love * True Respect * True Freedom
Instead of having just one speaker, with one perspective and one long talk on such a challenging topic, The REAP Team recommends something different - a retreat, which could last from one hour to an entire weekend.
*For information on our open-to-the-public retreat for 7th & 8th Grade Girls, check out The Romantic Revolution [0]
How can The REAP Team assist your school or spiritual group in teaching chastity?
Members of The REAP Team, teens and young adults, have been trained to clearly articulate God’s design for our sexuality in a realistic, relevant, and positive manner. Through retreats on chastity, we hope to make the Church’s teaching of chastity come alive. A chastity retreat can be as short as 1 hour to an overnight, depending on your needs.
With a variety of married, single, young and older members, The REAP Team can also offer retreats for parents and sponsors, as well as students. Chastity is God’s plan for all ages, not just teenagers. The REAP Team has also presented to public institutions, such as Madison High School in Madison, IL and DePaul Behavioral Health Center.
Why a Team?
REAP believes that a varied team presenting chastity is the most effective way to relate to the audience and open hearts. Team members presenting each retreat come from different backgrounds and life experiences. With such diversity, audience members are more likely to relate to one, if not several, members of the team. Real life stories make the message of chastity come alive for the audience.
Chastity Retreats/Presentations
The REAP Team offers standard chastity presentations that tend to work with specific age groups. However, the REAP Team provides a variety of options to specifically fit the needs of your group.
The following are topics that can be covered in any chastity retreat:
- Why choose chastity?
- What is True Love?
- Myths of the media
- Practical tips for living chastity
- Defending chastity
- Health benefits of chastity
- Promoting and encouraging chastity among peers/family/community
- Chastity counseling (one-on-one talking to sexually active peers)
- Modesty
- Parents: Living chastity and talking to my kids about sex
Check out a sample agenda [1] of an evening chastity retreat for an 8th grade Confirmation class and their parents.
Instructional Methods
The REAP Team uses talks, personal testimonies by teens and adults, games, question-and-answer sessions, small and large group discussions.
How do I book a chastity retreat?
Check out the retreats scheduled on the website for team availability. Contact The REAP Team [1] office for options and booking for the event.
- In order to ensure that teens would be on the team, evening or weekend retreats are recommended. More time also allows for more content and activities.
REAP Team Website
www.reapteam.org [2]
Chastity Challenge
Teachers: We recommend using the Chastity Testimonies portion of the website for instructional purposes. When covering chastity with your students, assign them to read each of the testimonies. Ask them to choose a favorite (or top three) and describe why they liked it!
Resources: A list of chastity-related books, other websites, and videos are available.
Other Topics on the Website
- Celebrities and Chastity
- How Far is Too Far
- Abstinence vs. Chastity
- Freedom Through Chastity
- What They Haven’t Told Me About Sex
- Sex is a Natural Desire, Right?
REAP Team Members on Chastity…
I want to be able to say to my wife on our wedding night that “I hadn’t even known you, but I loved you so much that I saved this for you,”
—Christopher
The only way to prevent the mixing of sex with regret is to save yourself for marriage. Think about it.
—Emily
Sex is not for pleasure alone. Sex brings married couples much closer together than any words ever could. Through sex, a bond is created that will last for a lifetime, not just until the afterglow wears off.
—Kyle
I know too many people who have been hurt by premarital sex. Every choice you make as a young adult, you carry with you for the rest of your life. Why carry around sexual ghosts of your past when you know you can avoid it?
—Kalen
Every action you take brings consequences; sex is no exception. True love doesn’t mean that you sleep together—it means that you want the absolute best for a person.
—Jen
What I’ve done in my own life is to not put myself in those tempting situations. I truly believe that because we (my girlfriend and I) have done this, our relationship has become stronger. We respect each other and our own bodies.
—Dan
Feedback from students who have attended a REAP Retreat…
“I thought what all of you said was amazing! I was so encouraged to wait until I get married to have sex.”
—17 year-old female
“It taught me to respect girls more.”
—14 year-old male
“You guys motivated and inspired me tremendously, I want to spread the word about chastity. I want to teach it too my fellow classmates, in different schools etc.”
—16 year-old male
“They came at us with a different angle besides ‘don’t.’”
—15 year-old
“It made me even more proud that I have made the decision to stay sexually pure and that other people have that same idea. “
—18 year-old female
“It got me thinking in a whole new way.”
—13 year-old
“The retreat made a lot of people think about changing their lifestyles.”
—17 year-old male
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Evening_Chastity_Event_for_Students_and_Parents.doc [3] | 27 KB |