The HY Workers bring actual and hot topics to the children. Talking about relationships is as important for children as learning how to handle money.
We meet with the HY Worker Petra in the morning before eight o’clock in front of the primary school in a small town in Eastern Bohemia.
Children are not ashamed to ask questions during Petra’s programs. They know that Petra likes to answer even the nosey questions of inquisitive pupils.
The atmosphere in the school corridors is pleasant and everyone seems to be in high spirits. This is despite the obligation to wear face masks and the threat of increasing curve of people infected with Covid, which already “is hanging in the air”.
Petra patiently and willingly explains to a group of boys the assignment of the separate task.
During the program, Petra very sensitively alternates physical activities and activities involving talking and drawing. Each of them helps children to understand the importance of good mutual relationships. Petra also adds stories, which replenish the overall picture of the theme.
I really like the “unfinished pictures” activity in which the children divided in small groups themselves induct into the story what could happen and how the situation could be resolved. This opens up the opportunities for their own stories, in which sometimes they themselves do not know how to behave.
It’s great that in the game itself the children don’t have to describe anything concretely, but they parse the possible solutions on general.
Talking about money certainly doesn’t have to be boring. The children think for themselves of ways how best to handle money.
Two hours later, we are already in fifth grade and are chatting on the topic “Money”. The program is full of stories. And again, ideas on how to handle money in life come up iv various forms.
The whole meeting is very practical and very interesting.
Also, this second HY program passes very quickly and interestingly, and at the end I said to myself: for the children, this program was so pleasant, natural and easy, amusing. It has to be a great opportunity for them to meet up with a Christian teacher without any prejudices towards believers.
It seems simply, but in my opinion, it is one of the strongest moments of the ministry of HY workers at schools.
Martin Stavjanik, the Authorised Supervisor of the HY Program workers
