About Prayer Spaces

Prayer Spaces enable children and young people of all faiths and none to explore life questions, spirituality and faith. Taking a broadly Christian perspective as a starting point, prayer spaces allow children and young people to develop skills of personal reflection and explore prayer in an open, inclusive, creative and safe environment.

A prayer space is usually a classroom-sized area transformed for a few days or a week with creative activities that encourage personal reflection on issues such as forgiveness, injustice, thankfulness, big questions, identity and stillness. In some schools, teachers bring their students for a subject lesson in the prayer space. In other schools, students are invited to visit the prayer space voluntarily, during their breaks and lunchtimes, and maybe after school.

Our Journey so far in Malta

In 2013, Fr Paul Chetcuti SJ and Fr Reuben Gauci, the Diocesan Coordinators for the Spiritual Development in Church Schools and State schools, respectively, immediately recognised the potential of Prayer Spaces in the UK. Therefore, they participated in a training seminar in London organised by Prayer Spaces in Schools UK and invited Phil Togwell and his team to train chaplains, educators, and youth leaders about prayer spaces. With the help of a team of voluntary educators, a training seminar was organised in January 2014. In a few months, prayer spaces caught like wildfires on the Maltese islands, with more than 200 prayer spaces held in various state, independent and church schools, retreats, summer schools and other organisations.   

Growing

Over the years, the Spiritual Development in Schools unit, under the coordination of Fr Reuben Gauci and his pastoral workers, continued to promote education and spiritual growth. At different times of the year, they are invited by schools, national educational agencies, entities, and collaborators to help them organise and run prayer spaces for them. They provide seminars, training workshops and support educators and pastoral chaplaincies in schools. The ongoing collaboration with Prayer Spaces in Schools in the UK, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, and other countries is essential. We meet online and in person when it is possible to nurture a sense of collaboration, share inspiring stories and ideas and encourage each other to share this experience with more students, educators and families in our countries and beyond. 

Prayer Spaces in Schools was officially launched as a project of 24-7 Prayer in 2010, along with a small team and the first iteration of the GB website. Since then, it has become a growing hub for the network of practitioners worldwide who run prayer spaces in schools.  

Values

Prayer spaces are rooted in broadly Christian traditions of prayer whilst allowing children and young people to respond individually and draw their conclusions. Prayer spaces are rooted in the teachings, ministry, life, and example of Jesus.

Prayer spaces inspire a sense of awe and wonder in children and young people about how they perceive themselves, relate with others, and engage with the world around them.

Prayer spaces encourage the development of the non-material aspect of human nature, sometimes called the spirit or soul. They allow space to engage with life’s ‘big questions’, in the quest for purpose and meaning and in developing a sense of identity, self-worth and personal insight.

Prayer spaces enable children and young people to interact in their way with an environment of prayer that includes opportunities to experience stillness, an awareness of the numinous, to express their thanks, hopes, dreams, questions and fears, and to explore ways of praying as practised by the ‘saints of old’ and people today.

Prayer spaces allow children and young people to stop, think and ask questions about their lives, experiences, beliefs, and relationships and to learn from this reflection. Prayer spaces use various innovative and imaginative techniques to enable children and young people to express these reflections and/or prayers differently.

Prayer spaces are hospitable and welcoming to all children and young people, whatever their beliefs or cultural backgrounds. Prayer spaces provide for various learning styles and are accessible, with appropriate support, for those with mild learning difficulties.

Prayer spaces pursue excellence and work to national standards, with reference to the educational curriculum in each nation. Prayer spaces ensure that children and young people feel safe and are effectively protected from harm. And, wherever possible, they are a partnership between local churches and schools, working together to provide amazing experiences for children and young people.