Transition Year Retreat 2015

 Transition Year Retreat – Ruth Lambert 4A
On the 2nd of September 2015, we took part in the Transition Year Retreat held by Declan Browne.
The aim of the retreat was to help us join together and make new friends, to get to know our year group better, to learn more about being able to relax and meditate and look on the bright side of life. We wanted to learn how to participate and work well together as a group and to help us recognise God in our lives.
I felt the beginning of Transition Year was a good time to have this bonding day because we could all get to know each other better before we settled into Transition Year. We were informed about the retreat on the 27th of August when we had a half day in school and where we were informed of what classes we were going to be in for the year, 4A, 4B or 4C.
The annual Retreat was free of charge. We devoted 20 minutes of our Retreat to meditation. During this, we lay on the carpet while Declan, our instructor, played relaxing music and told us a story to capture our imaginations and help us relax.
One of the activities we took part in was a bonding exercise which helped us use our minds and speak from our hearts. We were each given a page to write our name on and pass it around the whole circle and each person had to write their opinion of that person. As many of us were not in the same class in Junior Cert, we did not know each other very well.  Another activity which we took part in was we had to split in half and everyone had to make the shape of letters which Declan called out. We all had to work together as a team for this exercise and use our brains which worked out well.
At the end of the day Declan told us stories about his life and stories about other people’s lives that he had heard and we all sat around him in a circle and listened. This was very interesting as it made us realise that everyone has problems not just us. We all prayed together at the end of the retreat which really made us all feel like one big family. I wouldn’t make any changes if I was to do the retreat again with Declan as I really enjoyed it. Overall I feel the day was very successful and I learned a lot. We are really looking forward to our year in TY.