102 pages – Suggested weeks to complete 8-12 weeks minimum
Table of Contents
Chapter One – Servant Leadership: The Humble Heart
Chapter Two – Mission in Leadership: Called to Love
Chapter Three – Leadership Tested: A Journey of Faithfulness
Chapter Four – Enduring Leadership: Persevering in Faith
Appendix One – Virtue Word Search
A sample two-hour session
7:00 p.m. – Hellos
7:15–7:20 p.m. – Opening Prayer
7:20–8:50 p.m. – Read & Discuss
8:50 p.m. – Closing Prayers/Announcements
9:00 p.m. – Goodbyes
Creative ways to use these studies
- Youth Groups – Youth Group leaders have used the Endow materials as part of their ongoing formation for girls in their programs.
- Fun Summer Girls Club – During the summer, moms have created Endow groups for their daughters, meeting 4 times throughout the slower summer months. Combining social time and study time, these mothers create a fun and enjoyable group for their daughters to grow in friendship and discover their inherent dignity.
- After School Study – Teachers have used the Endow study guides in their classrooms as well as part of an after-school program for young women who are interested in growing in formation.
- Day Retreat – These materials can also be used as part of a day retreat for young women to discover their identity in Christ. Youth leaders and/or parents coordinate the parts of the study guide that they’d like to use.
Supplemental resources
Women, young and old, need to be reminded again and again about their dignity! Thank you Endow for providing studies for the youth!
Lucy
How can I step up and be an authentic leader in my school, parish, and community? Being an authentic leader means taking care of others. Humble leaders know their strengths and weaknesses, and see their abilities as gifts from God. They recognize the decision to live for Christ is one that is made every day. With Jesus as their example of leadership, the third part in this series will help girls recognize they have each been given a specific mission. They are encouraged to discover their own call from Christ to be a leader in whatever areas He’s inviting them. The study helps young women to explore their roles as Christ’s daughters and live out their girl genius at their school, church, and at home.
Navigating the study
This three-part series was created for young women in middle school for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
- Defining Dignity
- Forming Friendships
- Loving Leadership
Each study guide has 4 Chapters and includes hands on activities, discussion questions and prayer. The guides can be used one per year or can be compiled into an accelerated course within a semester format. Adapt these resources for your daughter, granddaughter and students!
Through reading aloud, group discussion, and dynamic activities, young women are introduced to their identity as daughters of God and their role in the Church and society through the intellectual tradition of our Catholic faith. Through these studies, they will grow in knowledge and understanding of the faith, leading to the development of virtue and a more active interior life. Ultimately, the goal of the Endow Middle School Study Series is to draw young women into a deeper, more profound relationship with Jesus Christ, the author of our dignity as women.
Commentary written by Casey Sprehe. Edited by Heidi Hess Saxton, Jenny Uebbing, and Sarah Heaton.
Tips and tricks
- We recommend that a young adult, young mom, or engaging mom lead the group and host. Each group will do this differently, but it is important that this be a dynamic time of encounter with our Church’s inheritance and not simply reading the text.
- It is important to keep the meetings as focused and fun as possible. This will depend on the group, but we recommend at least an hour for the meeting and no more than 2 hours. There should be lots of opportunities for movement, activities as well as questions and journaling. One group we know met for 4 3-hour sessions which included social time.
- The key to sharing the inheritance of the Faith within any Endow group is for each host to have the freedom and confidence to adapt the material to each group according to their specific needs.
Loving Leadership promotional kit