Ground Zero Project: Encouraging Youth Spirituality Adventist News

August 22, 2022 | Parana, Brazil | Paula Orling | DSA | ANN

Adventist Education Students in West Paraná Now Have Ground Zero [Niveau zéro], a network of communities of students and their friends in which the new generations are the protagonists. The so-called “restart places” are intended to motivate teens in the school to participate in celebrations and organize urban missions. These activities take place every 15 days. In addition, students can invite family members to attend meetings, and together they develop social skills and spiritual gifts.

The project was implemented in August 2021, and currently six of the schools in West Paraná already have their own Ground Zero. For this reason, everyone gathers in the towns of Cascavel, Foz do Iguaçu, Umuarama, Guaíra, Toledo and Campo Mourão.

At the end of this month, the communities complete their semester program. However, for the organizers and the participants, the result is the certainty that all have grown socially, emotionally and spiritually. In addition, activities will resume after the school holidays.

Development for Ground Zero participants

The head of Adventist education in western Paraná, Pastor Paulo Orling, says Ground Zero teaches new generations to carry out humanitarian activities that go beyond the culture in which they live. In addition, they encourage community life. “Each meeting is an opportunity to develop gifts such as leadership, solidarity, administration, people management and worship,” explains Paulo Orling.

In addition to acquiring new skills and exchanging knowledge, participants also practice what they have already learned. So in the communities, students and their guests can sing, speak in public, present a play, work with audio production, and help with media and event publicity.

In this regard, the head of Ground Zero, Pastor Leonardo Ferreira, shares his feelings about these places: “Ground Zero is my community, it is my place of worship. This is where I have the opportunity to put my gifts and talents into practice,” he describes.

A change in the daily lives of students

Meetings are not daily, however, the Ground Zero project leaves collective environments and integrates into the daily lives of students. “Ground Zero ended up completely changing my life. That’s why the things I used to do on weekdays, I don’t do anymore; it ended up changing my routine; it ended up bringing me closer to God,” shares Matheus Roberto Laguardia, who is part of ground zero in Foz do Iguacu.

For William Douglas, a third-year student at Cascavel Adventist High School, attending Ground Zero had a direct impact on her routine with her colleagues and with God. “There is more interaction and closeness between students and school staff thanks to the community. And all this with the aim that we are all closer to God,” he adds.

Project initiative

The idea of using classrooms to make them places of meeting and personal growth is a proposal from theAdventist Church for All of South America. The objective is therefore to involve the new generations in religious and social activities. This is how the office in South Brazil proposed to create communities in schools. This is already implemented in the three states of the region.