HEARTS AND MINDS PREPARED

HISTORY

The program was developed at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham, England. Initially, it was designed to meet some needs expressed by British Friends to :

.Help in deepening understanding of the fundamental principles of Quaker faith and practice and their applications today,

.develop materials that can be used with groups where some Friends may do little or no preparation for sessions, while also offering a more substantial personal study program for those who wish to take advantage of it, .and help with training Friends to lead learning groups with confidence.

Emerging from much research and test trials is a facilitated learning package, structured to help mixed groups of seasoned Friends and those new to the Society of Friends work together in ways that enable depths of learning while creating opportunities for them to become increasingly more confident in talking about their spiritual experiences.

THE STRUCTURE

The program is packaged in a small carry bag which contains all study and course materials, pamphlets, facilitators' manuals, CD's, video cassett, and, even, markers.

The twelve sessions of the course -each two-hours long -cover all the basic Quaker principles and aspects of their practice :

• Setting Out Together
• Meeting for Worship
• Personal Spiritual Discipline
• Ministry and Ministers
• Liberal Friends and Our Christian Inheritance
• Our Corporate Testimony
• Discernment.
• Corporate Discernment and Community
• Personal Testimony
• Who Am I? Personal Spiritual Journeys
• Who Are We? Challenges, Changes and Eternal Truths
• What Being Quaker Means To Us

Hearts and Minds Prepared has enjoyed much success in the United Kingdom, remarkably, since it has been offered for only a few years. Woodbrooke estimates that 550 facilitators will have been trained by the end of 2005.

Some notable aspects of Hearts and Minds Prepared are :

It is designed for small groups of up to ten people -including two facilitators.

The program strives for a balance of seasoned Friends and newcomers.

It employs a variety of learning techniques including 'one-on-one' creative

listening sessions; worship sharing and creative listening group sessions; word and/or image reaction experiences; the use of CD's and videos; suggested reading materials; etc.

.The sessions are structured to encourage non-threatening participation stressing trust-building and confidentiality When participants share their thoughts, challenges and rebutal are not permitted. Nothing said within the group is to be shared outside the group unless permission is requested and granted. These agreed-to methods help to build trust and a close sense of community. There is opportunity for open exchange after the sessions when participants stay on to socialize over refreshments -a voluntary activity .

.Each of the twelve sessions begins with a 'coming together' period when participants share experiences since the group last met that have impacted their lives. This enhances the community-building effort.

.Each session begins and ends with extended worship (ten minutes each time) and worshipful silence is often a part of session procedures.

.There are theme- supportive handouts for almost every session.

.A generous variety of pamphlets are also available which are related to the session themes or to other basic Quaker subjects and testimonies. The

pamphlets are available to participants through a 'lending library' system.

.With the exception of one session there is an option to provide 1 Yz hour sessions instead of the full 2-hour structure.