The Grow curriculum is divided into 12 modules:

Modules 1 to 5 are about self-leadership

1. Grow Your Story

• You have a story. Your story matters.

2. Grow Your Individuality

• You are unique. Your personality matters.

3. Grow Your Identity

• You are loved. Knowing who you are matters.

4. Grow Your Purpose

• You have a purpose. Knowing why you are here matters.

5. Grow Your Ambition

• You can dream big. Your goals matter.

Modules 6 to 10 are about spiritual formation

6. Grow Your Faith

• You can trust God. Your faith matters.

7. Grow In Grace

• You are forgiven. You matter to God.

8. Grow In Discipleship

• The choices you make are important. Who you choose to follow matters.

9. Grow Together

• You exist in community. Your relationships matter.

Modules 10 to 12 are about social justice

10. Grow Your Gratitude

• You can choose to be thankful. Your attitude matters.

11. Grow Your Voice

• You can choose to speak up. Your voice matters.

12. GrowYourCourage

• You can be brave. Your actions matter.

Each module can be done in a single session of approximately three to four hours (an evening youth group, for example), though we acknowledge this would be a lot of material to cover. We recommend modules be divided into several shorter sessions. Elements from several of the modules can also be used to create a weekend retreat for girls in your ministry unit. This has been designed intentionally to be flexible in nature so it can fit the format that works for you.

Each module contains the following elements:

In keeping with the Fourfold Method of Women’s Ministries International, each module will include some aspect of the Fourfold elements:

1. Worship (enrich)
2. Fellowship (encourage)
3. Education (equip)
4. Service (empower)

There are many English Bible translations available today, and each has unique strengths. Some are a more literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek words but become awkward in English. Others are meant to convey the themes in the original text while evoking emotion or choosing common English words and phrases that make the Bible more “readable” for the 21st Century.

While various translations will be used throughout Grow, the main translation used is the New Living Translation (NLT), which tends towards translating Biblical themes rather than individual words, making it highly readable and easily understandable for teens. Another good translation for young people is the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV).

Girls may come with their own Bibles as well, and these translations may vary. That’s ok! There can be a great benefit to using multiple translations at a time, as each draws on the scholarship and prayer of many seeking to make God’s word attainable to an English audience.

Teens are wrestling with a lot of complex issues, and they need a safe space to talk about these. Talk About It, one component of Grow provides a framework for girls to discuss topics such as sexuality, media, and race in a non-judgmental, faith-based setting.

Talk About It will make use of the Faith-Based Facilitation (FBF) model of communication, which is a

FBF is a five-step cycle that groups work through with the support of a facilitator:

1.  Name the event or issue – Identify an issue that needs to be reviewed.
2. Describe and Analyze – Elaborate on the issue, inviting individuals to speak into this issue. What is their experience with the issue?
3. Reflect and Evaluate – Describe this issue in distinctly Christian terms. You could suggest the group read a passage of scripture or discuss themes from theology.
4. Decide and Plan – How can we respond as a corps/youth group/Sunday school etc.? What is something you might do, or do differently, considering the discussion?
5. Act – Action occurs after the discussion takes place. While this step is not included in any of the discussion guides, you can encourage participants to report back on the way the conversation has influenced their actions.

Each module will include one “life skill” that the girls can develop – things that will serve them well in daily living for years to come. These include things such as cooking skills, car care, and women’s health.

The life skills portion of the program is an excellent opportunity to engage individuals from your Corps or community who may not otherwise be involved with Grow. Have a mechanic who attends the Corps? Invite them to help with the car care session. Not educated on women’s health matters yourself? Invite a public health nurse to speak on women’s health. Think outside the box, and get creative about ways you can resource the girls as they transition into independence.

Social posts can be downloaded at www.sawomensministries.org/resources-grow

• Read the Territorial Abuse Prevention Policy Manual and the Territorial Abuse Prevention Resource Manual. Sign and submit to your ministry unit the ‘Acknowledgement of Abuse Prevention Policy Manual’ found in the Territorial Abuse Prevention Resource Manual.
• A Statement of Applicant to Work with Children and Vulnerable Adults must be completed and submitted to the corps officer or immediate supervisor at the commencement of each new position taken.
• Statement of Applicant to Work with Children and Vulnerable Adults forms will be submitted to DHQ who will forward same to the THQ Personnel Dept. to be checked against The Salvation Army’s Child Abuse Registry.
• A Police Record Check is required for anyone working with children or youth or having direct access to children and youth.
• Police Record Checks must be done every three years by all youth workers. If a worker transfers to another division, a new Police Record Check will be required.
• Those transferring into the Canada and Bermuda Territory must also complete a Statement of Applicant to Work with Children and Youth, a Police Record Check, and have a letter of reference from their home territory/church.
• If the Police Record Check shows a past record, the individual must reveal to The Salvation Army the nature of the record to determine the appropriateness of involvement in children and youth ministry.
• View and complete the quiz of each of the four courses on The Salvation Army page of the Armatus Online Abuse Prevention Training.­ The courses are entitled “I Am Sam”, “It Happened to Me”, “Keeping Your Church Safe” (or “Keeping Your Camp Safe”, “A Day At Day Camp”), “Duty To Report” and the yearly “Abuse Prevention Refresher”.
• Reference checks for those seeking employment must be completed. A record of contact with references must be made.
• Volunteers should only be permitted to work with children or youth after they have been involved in the church for a period of time (minimum of six months recommended). A letter of reference may be sought. This provides the church an opportunity to evaluate applicants and volunteers and will repel persons seeking immediate access to children.

Failure to follow this procedure will jeopardize the ministry of The Salvation Army, lead to cancellation of our liability insurance and place young people at risk of devastating abuse.

To access copies of any forms listed here, visit https://salvationist.ca/corps-ministries/corps- administration/leadership/ministry-worker-screening/

Have Questions?­ Email program_helps@can.salvationarmy.org

When conducting online discipleship groups and/or engaging in pastoral care via digital platforms (e.g. Zoom, FaceTime, Skype etc.) we need to be diligent to ensure the safety of minors and vulnerable persons. Please remember that we should treat the digital arena the same as the physical – the same expectations and guidance outlined in The Salvation Army’s Abuse Prevention Policy apply.

The following recommendations may protect both the girls you are discipling and the leaders as they engage in digital interactions:

1. Do not meet with a young person online by themselves. Plan to have a second adult online with you for all conversations and/or plan to meet with more than one young person on each call. If the conversation needs to be private, arrange a mutually agreed-upon third party to be involved in the conversation. Explain to the young person why this is necessary.
2. Plan and hold digital meetings during normal hours for ministry interactions. Do not conduct meetings or conversations with minors at a time of day that you wouldn’t normally hold an in-person meeting or visit at your church or home.
3. When using video communication, consider where you are in your home before you turn on your camera. Ask yourself: Is this a space I would invite someone into if they were physically in my home?
4. Copy a parent/guardian in on all messaging. If you are emailing or texting social posts to the girls, send these to their parents/guardians as well.

Carey Nieuwhof, Christian blogger, podcast host, and pastor at Connexus Church in Barrie, Ont., suggests that a sense of urgency is important when it comes to evangelism can determine whether your church (or Grow program!) is positioned to succeed or fail.

While stressing a sense of urgency in the church, Nieuwhof reminds his readers that the way evangelism was done in past generations doesn’t necessarily work in our present context. Christian apologetics that carries a tone of arrogance, smugness or superiority will repel anyone under the age of 40, he suggests, and the timeline for someone to make a decision about Jesus is longer than it once was. With this in mind, we need to be prepared to go on a long journey with the people we are evangelizing, to love them, to embrace their questions, and to share from our heart. At some point, it might be helpful to invite them to take the next step in trusting Jesus but pushing for a conclusion too soon may result in a rejection of the gospel message.

The term pastoral ministry relates to shepherds and their role in caring for sheep. Pastoral care should be offered to girls on an ongoing basis as a means of nurturing them and guiding them through the Grow material.

TEEN CRISIS

From time to time, teens may experience crises. The crisis may be brought on by a life experience which a teen has difficulty coping with or that creates overwhelming feelings of anxiety, trauma, or related struggles of conflict, such as peer or social problems, a major change in environments such as moving to a new school or home, a car accident, family conflict, mental health disorder, or another type of similarly critical situation. Be aware that some aspects of Grow may bring to mind these crisis experiences.

RED FLAGS OF TEEN CRISIS

The following are possible red flags and may be indicative of crisis:

• Increased aggression or anger
• Loss of appetite
• Being withdrawn or isolated, or a sudden desire to be alone.
• Frequent crying
• Dramatic drop or decline in attendance
• Reckless or self-destructive behaviour
• Signs of self-harm
• Dramatic disregard for personal hygiene or self-care

HOW TO RESPOND TO TEEN CRISIS

1. Provide a safe and secure place
2. Offer, in the context of that safe and secure space, an opportunity for teens to articulate any fears, frustrations, grief, sadness, anxiety, or other feelings.
3. Give teens in crisis empathetic, compassionate care in the form of time and attention.
4. Listen well.
5. Offer a non-judgmental validation regarding the crisis. For example, you may say, “It seems like you are upset about this right now and it is causing you a lot of anxiety.”
6. Offer prayer for the teens.
7. Offer further support or referral to other professionals, such as counselors or medical doctors, as required.
8. Remember to be guided by The Salvation Army’s abuse prevention training.

Women may be hesitant to get involved in mentoring for Grow. It may be helpful to remind prospective mentors of the following:

• You do not have to have your life together before you can be a mentor
• You do not have to tell the younger woman what to do with her life, and her job is not to listen to every ounce of your advice
• You do not need a ton of time
• Relationships like this do not just spring up naturally – it takes intentionality

Gospel Mentoring states, “The point of a mentoring relationship is to breathe the truth of the Law and the Gospel to a war-tattered younger woman getting flooded with the lies of the world on who she is, and all of the unattainable expectations it has on her.”

We ask that the aspect ratio of all graphics and logos remain unaltered.