What
Orison is an exciting collection of resources which can be used in a variety of settings - particularly outside the usual spaces normally associated with prayer - to inspire and enable people to engage with God. Using interactive and creative activities, Orison provides time for people to stop, think, consider, pray and reflect. It can be used in:

• Schools - an opportunity for local church to engage with RE curriculum and to be a missional presence in the school
• Churches - to gather and inspire the congregation to pray, and could be used before or as part of a mission event
• Youth Groups - to encourage young people to engage with God through creative use of every day activities
• Community Groups - as an evangelistic resource, creating space for people to meet with God... ... and anywhere else! You suggest it, we'll have a go!

Who
Rachel Warwick, Hugo Anson and a team of volunteers can come to see you to plan things. We then train others from the local area and make sure everyone has CRBs and is suited to their role. We are also happy to train local teams who can then serve their schools.

If you are teacher or would like to organise this locally please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or find out more at orisonschools.org.uk.

If you are considering doing something like Orison in a school or similar area and you would like resources there are a number of ways we can help you.

• we are happy to lend you specific equipment
• we are happy to visit your team and develop ideas or train them
• schoolswork.co.uk has a page with details of the zones we use and printable instructions
• we could bring a team to help you put things together

There are also other groups including 24/7Prayer doing similar things across the UK.

The most important resources have been to explain to schools and teachers why this works so well and fits with their targets and values. We have literature ( download here ) for giving to schools with this aim that we are happy to send you ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and the orisonschools.org.uk website has a video that does the same.

As with everything, ORISON needs funds to do all this. To donate by credit card go here. Alternatively download this form .

Set up in a classroom, school hall or even a tent on the field, pupils are given a brief introduction to the experience, before being guided through the space, exploring different themes in each zone. From writing prayer requests on post it notes, considering the bubbles going up a large bubble tube, dissolving sugar cubes in water and sticking prayers on maps, pupils will enjoy activities which are fun, interactive, thought provoking and challenging.

In primary schools, Orison generally works best with only one or two themes, with the space arranged into three areas - an introductory area, an activity area and a craft area which continues the theme. Some schools use the resource within a week where the whole school is exploring values or an RE theme. We often start the week with an assembly and then have each year (or mixed aged groups) come through the area.

The craft area can be focussed around different ideas of prayer. WOW - ways to express wonder. PLEASE - ways to ask. THANK YOU - ways to be grateful. SORRY - how to be forgiven and to forgive.

To see how this fits National Curriculum and Every Child Matters targets take a look at orisonschools.org.uk

Each school has a different way of doing things, so if you want to meet up to discuss things why not This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Orison in secondary schools can have as many zones or themes as you like, although three to five allows pupils to best experience them all in one lesson. Pupils begin their Orison experience together, watching a short video to introduce the theme with a brief explanation from the team. They are then given time to explore the zones, either at their own pace, or in small groups with allocated time slots in each zone. Team members are available in each zone to explain the activities and answer any questions the pupils have. The lesson ends with a short debrief and discussion and an opportunity for pupils to feed back on the session.

Set up in a classroom, school hall or even a tent on the field, pupils are given a brief introduction to the experience, including a short video about prayer, before being guided through the space, exploring different themes in each zone. From writing prayer requests on post it notes, considering the bubbles going up a large bubble tube, dissolving sugar cubes in water and sticking prayers on maps, pupils will enjoy activities which are fun, interactive, thought provoking and challenging.

See the zones page for examples of the themes and activities which could be part of Orison in your school.

To see how this fits National Curriculum and Every Child Counts targets take a look at orisonschools.org.uk

Each school has a different way of doing things, so if you want to meet up to discuss things why not This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“Thanks miss, it’s really helped me. I was struggling with my faith but you’ve shown me that I don’t have to be in a church to pray” (14 year old boy)

When asked what had made her smile so much, a girl said “I’ve just been forgiven. By God. And I forgave someone else too.”

One of our newer resources invites pupils to write words which others use to describe them in a sand tray. They could then choose not to believe those words by wiping them away with their hand and writing more positive alternatives instead. Conversations over this resource included:

• an 11 year old girl who said people called her ugly. She was genuinely one of the most beautiful girls in her class. Even when encouraged by the team member to choose “beautiful” as her alternative word, she could only bring herself to accept that other people might think she was OK
• a 12 year old boy wiping away tears as he tried to think of alternatives to the word he originally wrote - “misunderstood”
• a girl who wrote “unloved” in the sand turning to the next resource in the zone and writing her name on a large hand to represent being known and loved by God