How to Start a Group
The resources offered through Growing Through, are Biblically based programmes, featuring the ups and downs of Josephs’ life for younger children and the story of David for older children/teens. Therefore, it is essential for a Christian to lead and coordinate a group (site), so that the main messages of the material are not compromised. It is also essential for the lead facilitator of each small group to be a Christian, so that they can adequately present the gospel and answer questions the young people might have. Young people from any faith background, or none, can access the programme.
Groups can be run by laypeople, who do not need previous experience in counselling. This is because our group facilitators lead peer support groups, not a counselling service. Prospective facilitators go through a seven-hour training in active listening to help young people facilitate their healing through group participation. The training is either given live with a Growing Through representative or online prior to commencing a new group.
What is the criteria to be a group (site) coordinator or facilitator?
Must be over eighteen years of age for Pot of Gold and over twenty-one years for Rays of Light.
Be caring adults who can listen to young people without being critical or judgemental.
Have a genuine love for children and young people and the desire to see them establish a relationship with God.
Need to be resourceful and creative in how to keep a group of children focused.
Need to be patient and considerate, able to handle strong emotions and sometimes disruptive behaviour, as children and young people often act out their grief in anger, tears, withdrawal and demands for attention.
Each facilitator must have Police checks as per child protection guidelines for each site location.
What is involved in starting a team?
If you desire to start a group in your area, you will need a team of at least 6-8 people. This is because for optimum results, five is the recommended number of children per age group setting as demonstrated below. For the children’s programme, Pot of Gold you will need at least two facilitators per every five children in the age levels represented below.
Level One: Age 6-7 Years
Level Two: Age 8-9 Years
Level Three: Age 10-12 Years
Although the Rays of Light curriculum was written for teens who have experienced loss, any secondary school student would find it beneficial. It has only one level and appeals mainly to ages 12-15. Often Pot of Gold children like to ‘graduate’ into Rays of Light. If you have fewer than eight young people enrol, you will need fewer facilitators.
What is the time commitment in running a group?
The programmes are of a twelve-week duration ending with an optional Discovery Day for Pot of Gold. Because Discovery Day has a party atmosphere, it is usually held on a Saturday to allow for extra time. In addition to providing a fun, memorable end to the twelve-week cycle, Discovery Day helps to consolidate the lessons learned throughout the programme. Material for an additional week is also given for Rays of Light, allowing for a fun ‘graduation’ evening.
Please Note: Close friendships are forged through our programmes, so the young people are encouraged to attend Pot of Gold or Rays of Light for as many years as they want – Most do, and some even return as facilitators when they are older.
Small group facilitators will need time during the week to look over the material. (Most of the preparation will have been done for them in advance by the site coordinator). Each weekly meeting is divided into two 45-minute sessions: An assembly time with all the participants to introduce the topic, and a small group time where the young people go into their age appropriate small groups. Following each meeting, an additional hour will be required for tidying up and a facilitator debrief. Thus, the total time commitment for a small group facilitator over a twelve-week period would be a minimum of three hours per week.
The team assembly leader/storyteller will need at least an additional 30-60mins to rehearse the lesson and obtain necessary props. (Either the same or different people could tell the story each week).
Because site coordinators will need to prepare materials for the small group facilitators, they will need to invest considerably more time in the programme. They will also have many responsibilities before the programme commences –prayer groups will need to be formed, facilitators will need to be vetted and trained, and a great deal of community advertising will need to take place. At the end of each Pot of Gold or Rays of Light cycle, they will need to receive and record feedback from the parents and the participants for their records. A separate training manual will be given to them, as well as support from their national representative. They are also free to recruit a team of helpers to handle various areas of responsibility. Depending on how well they delegate, will depend on how much time they will need to invest.
Training
The cost of the training is £100 ($117.18). This price is inclusive when purchasing a Pot of Gold or Rays of Light support group kit. However, if you buy both kits together, you only have to pay for one set of training for your facilitators and video training for any additional ongoing facilitator training with any new additions to your team, thus saving £175 ($206.36) overall.
Whats involved in the training
Once you have purchased a kit, the training will involve a seven-hour session for facilitators (including lunch and breaks) and a further three-hour interactive session for the coordinators heading up the teams. (This can be done on a separate day). Preferably, where possible, a regional representative will come to your establishment to conduct the training. They will negotiate costs (gratuity and transportation) and discuss housing and training arrangements with you. If needed, ongoing support for your group can also be provided by your regional representative.
If there is no representative in your region or country, you will be able to take advantage of our online training videos and accompanying materials that are included in the cost of your kit. Our international representative will answer questions and give help via Facebook Messenger or the internet. Even if your group initially received live training from a representative, our online training would allow you to train the facilitators you add to your team in the future.
What if Covid 19 restrictions are resumed and we are not allowed to meet in venues or in groups? Free training on how to lead the programmes via Zoom is offered to any group that has purchased a kit. Contact us for details.
What do I need to do to start a group?
To make an enquiry or express an interest, please contact the regional representative, Mary Gault, for the UK or Dale and Jewell Erickson, for the USA and international sites. They will gladly discuss any questions you may have. No resources/kits will be dispatched until payment is received and a training date has been booked for your team of facilitators.
How much does it cost?
(Please Note: Kit contents and prices may vary due to inflation, exchange rates, cost of postage, and our suppliers).
Pot of Gold Kit
| Item | Cost in Sterling | Cost in US Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Pot of Gold Leaders Guide including reproducible lesson plans | £50.00 | $58.00 |
| Faciliator and Coordiator Training | £100.00 | $117.88 |
| Video Training and structured notes For onsite training see notes below * | £75.00 | $88.40 |
| Giant Snakes and Ladders Game | £5.00 | $5.89 |
| Pot of Gold Ludo Game | £13.50 | $15.91 |
| Carousel Game | £30.00 | $35.36 |
| Celebrating Family Game | £2.00 | $2.36 |
| Controlling your Anger Game | £20.00 | $27.95 |
| Joseph Matching Game | £7.50 | $8.84 |
| Feelings Faces Game | £7.50 | $8.84 |
| Joseph What a Life Game | £11.00 | $12.96 |
| Emotional Bingo Game | £6.00 | $7.07 |
| Feelings Poster | £15.00 | $17.68 |
| Joseph King of Dreams DVD | £4.00 | $4.71 |
| The Choices Game | £7.50 | $8.84 |
| Storm at Sea Cards – (PK 10 x £1) | £10.00 | $11.78 |
| Total Cost | £364+postage and handling | $432.47+postage and handling |
Rays of Light Kit
| Item | Cost in Sterling | Cost in US Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Rays of Light Leaders Guide including and reproducible lesson plans | £25.00 | $29.47 |
| Facilitator and Coordinator Training | £100.00 | $117.88 |
| Video Training and structured notes (no charge if purchased together with Pot of Gold) Onsite training see notes below* | £75.00 | $88.40 |
| Down to One card Game ☺ | £14.50 | $17.09 |
| Captive Game ☺ | £7.50 | $8.84 |
| Anger Bingo Game ☺ currently unavailable | £35.00 | $41.26 |
| Jenga Game ☺ | £12.00 | $14.15 |
| Wemmicks ‘You are special’ book | £7.99 | $9.42 |
| Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom DVD | £5.00 | $5.89 |
| Anger Poster ☺ | £18.00 | $21.22 |
| Feelings Poster | £15.00 | $17.68 |
| Booklets: Finding Hope, Living with Loss and Little Book of Chaos. (Pk of 10 each x £1) | £30.00 | $35.37 |
| Total Cost | £344.99 | $406.67 |
NB: One of each game is included in the kits. However, if you have big numbers attending Rays of Light which necessitate the need to divide your group, you may need to purchase extra of the above games that have this symbol ☺ attached. A discount of 33.00 Pounds or Dollars can be applied if purchasing both Pot of Gold and Rays of Light together, because the Anger and Feelings Posters are used in both programmes. Also, The Hope – The story of God’s promise for all people, is used in both programmes but is now available on Utube or as a downloadable document ‘The Hope Project.’ In addition, you only need to pay for the cost of the training once if purchasing both kits together.