Sounds Specificity and Equipment Check List  
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The Liturgy Preparation Groups information 
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The Requirements for the Small Group Activity
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EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

1. Power amp with a min. 800 watts per channel. A good rule of thumb is to count 2 watts per person attending, so that an audience of 600 people would indicate a power supply of 1200 watts per channel.

2. A mixing console with a minimum of 12 channels.

3. A stack speaker system is best suited to Bruce’s performance. JBL or Yamaha speakers have proven to be the most reliable. Include 18” subs for groups over 150.

4. A digital reverb unit. Midiverb is Bruce’s preference.

5. One good quality tape deck AND CD player.

6. Two stage monitors with amp.

7. Three Sure SM58, SM57, or comparable microphones. One high quality, hand-held wireless microphone.

8. Two boom stands, one straight stand for the microphones.

9. One “snake” to run from the stage to sound board. The snake should run at least 100 ft., perhaps more, depending on the hall.

10. All necessary cables, including two instrument cables, two direct boxes, spare mic and speaker cables.

11. Stage lighting, including at least two or more sets of four instruments with a dimmer; and one follow spotlight.

Don’t have a heart attack if all this sounds like another language for you! Your friendly neighborhood equipment man will probably understand it a lot better! If you do not have any questions, let me know and I would be more than happy to help you out.

The Liturgy Preparation Groups information

The retreat day or conference with Bruce builds to a climax in a Liturgical Celebration with active youth participation. This concept was originally designed by Tria Thompson. The students will be divided into the following Liturgy Preparation groups.

GROUP #1: Drama Group 1. Bruce will coordinate a dramatic presentation of a scripture reading with a group of up to (15-30) youth. Bruce will determine the exact number of students necessary.

GROUP #2: Drama Group 2. Another person (adult or group leader) will need to coordinate a second dramatic presentation of a scripture reading with a group of up to (15-30) youth. Bruce will determine the exact number of students necessary.

GROUP #3: Choir and Musicians. Bruce will work with youth who like to sing and those who play musical instruments. Up to forty (40) musicians and choir members can participate, more if an established band or choir wishes to participate.

NOTE: It is helpful to have one adult assist Bruce in the supervision of the above groups.

The following groups will be led by adults who should receive written instructions at least a week ahead of time.

GROUP #4: Entrance and Recessional Processions. Up to thirteen (13) youth can participate in this group. Students will process with special kites provided by Bruce. Two adults are needed to coordinate this activity.

GROUP #5: The Table Setting. Up to ten (10) students can participate in this festive table setting. Two teachers are needed to coordinate this activity. If the day concludes with a Non-Eucharistic Liturgy this group may not meet.

GROUP #6: Prayers of the Faithful. Up to fifteen (15) youth are needed to write and recite the Prayers of the Faithful for the Liturgy. One adult is needed to coordinate this activity.

GROUP #7: Poster Art: The remaining youth/students will participate in a poster art project which synthesizes the retreat/conference experience through a visual medium. These posters will be hung in the Main Assembly Hall. Several adults/teachers will be needed to coordinate this art project. (Note: One adult/teacher per 30 students should be adequate.)

The Requirements for the Small Group Activity

Small group activities are an integral part of all retreat days and are a part of some conferences or rally's. They are generally youth led, unless there is a need to use adult leaders.

Small group leaders:
The youth leaders can come from peer ministry programs, be appointed, volunteer just for the day, be seniors working on the freshman retreat, etc. At conferences, youth leaders can come from the councils, core team; or we use youth ministers and adult volunteers. At schools, teachers can form their own small groups and make a retreat day themselves.

Size:
Optimal size for the small group is 6-8 people, including the leader or facilitator. This group is then often put together with 2 other small groups to form a class unit of 18 to 24 people. Sometimes we don't need to regroup, and we maintain the small group throughout the day.

Small group activities include:

Opening, Ice breaking Activities: Interview
Youth begin work in pairs (2's). They interview another person, and that person interviews them. After working in 2's, the small group reconvenes and the pairs introduce each other to the rest of the small group. This process of working in pairs, followed by working in the small group will continue the rest of the day.

Sometimes activities require the youth to work individually, alone, before the group can begin to process the issue or questions. For example:

Seeds of Change
Youth answer questions about themselves, then if time allows, work in pairs, followed by work in small group. If time is short, we go to work in small groups.

There are many activities that are active, movement oriented.

Double mask-making
Working alone, the youth create masks that reflect their outer and inner selves. Materials that can used include paper mache, plaster, paper plates, etc. Given enough time, this can be shared with their partner, and then used in a ritual with the rest of the small group.

Liturgy preparation
Each small group can pick a part or segment of the liturgy or prayer service that they would like to develop. I include a liturgy preparation kit for each retreat and conference. The kit provides a framework for the development of active participation of small groups, but is not limited to the suggestions. New ideas are always encouraged and welcomed.

Large group open forum
At some point in the day, I like to meet as a large group, all small groups combined, to hear and process the issues of the day. This is always the most exciting part of the day because the youth take total ownership of this activity. They speak to one another, and respond to one another. This can be very joyful, and fun; but it can also be painful. This is where I really let the Holy Spirit come in and guide us.

Requirements
Name tags for each participant. Included in the tag is the name, small group number and/or letter, and any other information you will need to have on the tag. The tags must be handed out and put on before the youth enters the retreat or rally space.

Small group number or letter. There are many different systems you can use, it depends on the size of your group. It is easy to divide a large class (250+) by number, and then subdivide by letter. In other words, go down the alphabetical list and put down the number or letter of a group: Albert-1, Beck-2, Cooper-3, etc. All 1's would be a small group, all 2's, all 3's, etc. This keeps it random and organized. If we need to have class size groups, we would have eighteen 1's, eighteen 2's, etc. Then subdivide those class size groups into 1A, 1B, 1C; with 6-8 youth in each sub group. 

Note: It is crucial that this grouping is done early. You can identify your group leaders and assign them according to their strengths. There is no need to assign partners. There is often one or two youth who are absent, and then the partner has a problem.

Space: I like to use a gym that is large enough to hold the entire group. I have each small group meet in a place, on the floor, to begin our work. After we have established the small group process, we can be flexible and use other rooms. 

Note: It is very important that we have the entire group together in one space for the first small group activity. This opening activity sets the tone for day, and lets me see exactly where we stand with regards to small group dynamics. If we are spread out through a facility, I have to run from room to room to make sure things are starting correctly.

Supervision: This model of small group work is very easy on adult supervision. Other than a main contact person, I am usually able to monitor and lead all of the activities. This can be a blessing or a curse. If there is difficulty in finding adults who are good at facilitating small groups, we have solved the problem. If there are adults who do like to facilitate, we can incorporate them into the leaders group or they can make their own small group. I have seen it succeed all ways. If these activities are at a rally or conference, usually a lot of the small group leaders are adults.

Preparation: You will want to allow some time to meet and prepare the small group leaders for their task. Go through some of the activities, ask questions, play and pray. This will allow you to hone their skills and identify strength and weaknesses.

Materials: Every small group will need a shopping bag with it's number or letter on it. In the bag put all of the small group activity materials including pencils for each youth, question sheets, interviews, a Bible, liturgy preparation materials, poster paper, markers, glue, scissors, etc

Meeting: We will need a meeting with me and the small group leaders before the day starts, either the morning of the retreat or rally, or the night before. This allows us to process any issues current in the school or diocese and hand out all of the materials and review them

One question I will ask is how we hand out name-tags, take attendance, etc. 

I know that there is a lot of information here. Please ask me any questions
you have, or let me know if there is a space problem, or any other kind of problem, you might foresee.

Bruce Deaton, PO Box 12469, Covington, KY 41012-0469, USA
Toll free 1-888-491-8900      Bruce@BruceDeaton.com

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