Arizona Conference Education Department Launches “GRIP" for Middle School Students
A
new annual camp started by the education department of the Arizona Conference is equipping seventh- and eighth-grade students with a spiritual framework for building good decision-making skills. “GRIP” is an acronym based on 1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (RSV). Nicole Mattson, superintendent of schools for the Arizona Conference, developed and launched the camp with a team following discussions about how to give young people opportunities to develop life skills. Her team decided that, rather than have fifth- through eighth-graders repeat an outdoor education experience, they would split the groups up and tailor a day camp to fit their needs. Now, fifth- and sixth-graders will have the chance to focus on the theme of creation in the subject areas, and seventh- and eighth-graders will tackle topics that will help prepare them for solving real-world problems. “GRIP is really a process for decision-making,” Mattson said. “In GRIP, each letter represents lessons for holding onto what is good and of God when making decisions. It helps introduce young people to using the Bible when evaluating decisions.” In GRIP, G stands for Gauge and encourages students to think the problem over and assess who/what is involved. R stands for Risk and prompts students to consider potential consequences and who might be affected. I stands for Ignite, a step advocating that students make wise decisions based on their love for God and what they know to be right in the situation. Finally, P stands for Pursue and urges students to move forward with no regrets towards growing closer to God. The first GRIP event, a partly virtual, partly in-person gathering, took place on March 4. Nearly 100 students joined in via Zoom from
22 Pacific Union Recorder
Arizona Conference