Innovative Program for Faith Formation

Aug. 3, 2009 - PRLog -- The following is a Question and Answer session with the creator and founder of STATIC Solutions, LLC and the STATIC Youth programming Mr. Paul Sposite.
Question: STATIC is an interesting name for a Catholic Company what does STATIC stand for?

Paul Sposite: Yes, STATIC is an interesting name for Catholic company, especially a company claiming to be progressive and innovative in faith formation. STAITC is an acronym; you know were each letter stands for a different word. S = Students T= Taking A= Action T= Together I= In C= Christ. So if you look at the acronym the name really does make sense for an innovative educational company.
Question: Yes, I can see that now.  So is STATIC strictly a company dedicated to youth? Teens and pre-teens?

Paul Sposite:  No, STATIC looks at everyone as students, we all are students of Christ. But the history of STATCI is grounded in the youth. The original seed for STATIC Youth and STATIC Solutions can be found in a 6th grade religious ed class. Ten years or so ago I was a catchiest for a large parish, there were over 8 class rooms of 12 or more students  in just the 6th grade, I was one of many teachers. The lead teaches and I where friends and were always looking for innovative ways to capture the youth in our classes. Over a summer dinner we created the original book, what is now called Becoming: Free, the story of the exodus from Egypt. We created an innovative fun and interactive environment to allow the youth the opportunity to grow. Now to tell the truth we did not sit down to create a company or even a curriculum, we sat down to create a book that would allow us to teach to the youth, not at them.
Question:  Ok, so the original book was created over ten years ago, how did it evolve in to what is currently the STATIC Youth program?

Paul Sposite: Yeah, en years or so ago, seems like only yesterday… As time passed I evolved in to the lead catechist and in doing so I wanted to create more, get my hands in to the mixing pot a little and see what I could do. So I started to think of publishing what was already created. I contacted a few publishing houses and they liked what I had, but told me I need a whole curriculum not just the one book. So this started my little head working, and developing new ideas. But it would be a few more years before anything new was generated. The parish I was at was looking in to the whole community form of catechizing, so our efforts were redirected to that end.
Question: So you turned your energy to creating whole community materials?

Paul Sposite:  Sort of, I personally yes, as a volunteer for the parish I was involved in the deployment of the whole community formation. I, along with others, wrote and presented classes. The parish was still running the class rooms also so we were all doing double duties, teaching our respective grades and creating and running whole community nights. It was truly an exciting time for me, I love the creative process and I love the interaction in the class room, so I was getting the best of both worlds. I was able to still teach to the 15 or so students in my class room, do a little one on one get to know them and become a part of their lives and I was able to create exciting and new ways to reach out to whole families. What an exciting time! But the parish was deciding to end the class room and go totally whole community formation and I was really not convinced that that is the solution. So I left that parish after 15 years of service, it was a hard thing to do, but I truly believe that God was calling me to something new and exciting, and I was right!
Question:  So it was this second parish were you started to develop the STATIC Program?

Paul Sposite: Yes. Actually the story is kind of funny. In truth I was only looking for a new parish to teach the 6th grade book that was created. I was still working on the idea of writing more, but really I just wanted to teach. But God had other plans. I went in to talk to the DRE of this new parish; in truth she was avoiding me for some time. But we finally had our meeting. She asked me what I wanted to do, what my plan was. I responded very simple, I want to teach 6th grade, but the only stipulation is I can use the book I created. Her next question was, ok, that’s now, but what are your larger dreams, what do you want. I smiled and said I want to create a program that is for the youth… This lead in to a 2 hour discussion between her and I, in that 2 hours we decided to toss out the 6th 7th and 8th grade program that was currently being run and to implement the yet to be created STATIC program. In our crazed state of mind we never really thought about the fact that we only had a little more than 3 month before the next educational year would start up again. Having said that, that meant we had a little less than 3 months to create all the missing parts of our program, such as the entire 7th and 8th grade books. Plus we had to train the teachers and convince the parish educational committee of our brilliance. This task was no easy task, but come September we had everything in place, well sort of. What was not in place was promised and what was not promised was placed on the back burner with the side note of, give us 4 years… That was our mantra, give us 4 years…
Question:  What was with the 4 years? Why was 4 years your mantra?

Paul Sposite:  The overall program was 3 years, so we figured the first three years was a learning curve, that by the end of year 3 we would have a direction to head and all the input and corrections to head that way. And for the most part we did, I was there for 4 years, and prior to leaving at the end of the 4th year we has written all the text books, Journals and other materials needed to run the STATIC Youth program. So this coming academic year, the 5th year of STATIC Youth, should be, for the most part, smooth sailing.  
Question: Why did you decide to stop your active participation in youth ministry after 19 years of total service? What made you give all that up?

Paul Sposite: Hmm, good question… Let me first start off by saying I have not given up on my active participation in youth ministry, I have just shifted gears. In one’s life there comes a time that we must make a decision that will help define us, for me that decision was were God was calling me. My love of my faith and my love of youth lead me in to a ministry of education, and I loved every moment of it. That simple love turned in to the drive to create a program that spoke to youth, I mean truly spoke to them, directly to them. This drive is what led me and my partner to create what I would consider one of the finest faith based youth programs out there. This same drive is also the drive that led me to no longer be involved in the daily aspects of youth ministry. Its all inter connected; one thing leads to another, to quote an old 80’s song. My passion is still the youth but my focus is now the program, it is through this program that I will be able to reach more youth than I ever could in a class room, but there is a trade off, I also no longer have the connection I once had. To offset this I am still involved at my parish, I still want to make those invaluable connections, it’s those one on one moments that makes teaching such a high.  Without the constraints of weekly youth activities I am now able to dedicate more time to creating new and exciting STATIC Programming. So in the long run I am still involved in youth ministry, just a different aspect of it.

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STATIC Solutions, LLC. is a dynamic educational organization dedicated to forging lasting relationships between children, their families, and Christ. The name stands for Students Taking Action Together in Christ