The World Community for Christian Meditation Singapore is organising a forum to help teachers, catechists and parents teach meditation to children.The forum, to be held on July 14 at St Joseph’s Institution (Independent) on Malcolm Road, is titled The Gift of Peace – Sharing Christian Meditation with Children.
“Teaching our children to meditate for a few minutes each day is equipping them with a life skill to deal with stress, to calm themselves, and to concentrate and pay attention,” said Mr Peter Ng, national coordinator for the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM).
According to Benedictine monk Fr Laurence Freeman, director of WCCM, meditation is a way of prayer that can be practised by anyone regardless of age.
It is of great value to children who are at the beginning of their pilgrimage into life, he says.
Speakers at the forum include Dr Cathy Day and Mr Ernie Christie, director and deputy director respectively of the Catholic Education Office in Townsville, Australia.
Together they have developed and implemented a systematic practice of Christian meditation in all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Townsville.
Since 2006, 10,000 students aged five to 18 have benefited from this programme.
Local speakers at the upcoming forum will also share their experience of introducing Christian meditation to children in Singapore.
The Canossian family of schools in Singapore has been doing this since 1997.
At Canossian Convent Kindergarten, Sr Joanna Tong has been practising meditation with the children for the past nine years.
“It makes the children more relaxed and mindful in all they do,” she says.
Catechism teachers at the Church of the Risen Christ and Church of St Bernadette Church have also introduced meditation to their students.
The forum costs $30 per participant. To register, go to www.wccmsingapore.org. For enquiries, contact Audrey (audrey_leehw@hotmail.com) or Anita (9759 0925).
By Stella Kon
