Staff Writer
Since 1992, a team of teenagers from a Saratoga Springs parish has been traveling around the Albany Diocese educating their peers about moral decision-making.
Known as St. Peter's Players, the group of 15 to 20 young people from that church travels to religious education programs in all parts of the Diocese to prepare teens to handle difficult situations they might encounter. They are under the direction of an adult facilitator, Dick Harris.
The teens' travels have taken them to Cooperstown, Oneonta, Greenville and Hudson Falls. This year, they will venture out of state to do a presentation in Vermont.
Big issues
The topics of the teens' skits include trust, drinking, pregnancy, drugs, date rape, homosexuality and prejudice, Mr. Harris said. He started a similar program in his previous parish in New Jersey. After moving to the Albany Diocese, he began the program at St. Peter's.
During the skits, the players "tell it like it is," Mr. Harris explained. They incorporate what they have seen in their own lives; as a result, the scenes are close to being a teenage reality.
While the group begins practicing in the summer for two hours a week, there is no script for any of the dialogue. "There are no pat lines," Mr. Harris said. "It's off the cuff. They talk in their own language."
Making them think
The goal of the program is to present moral dilemmas and the decision-making process, so no conclusions are offered. That's left to religious educators and parents to follow up on.
"We believe the parent is the primary educator," said Mr. Harris. "This program doesn't usurp that."
In their presentations, the players help the audience see many possible outcomes to their actions. "We say, `Here are the options; you need to be equipped to make the decisions,'" Mr. Harris said. "We mention the principles and what we believe in a way that kids don't feel that God is being forced on them."
Actor's reaction
While the program is meant to educate other teens, Megan Drosky, one of the members of St. Peter's Players, has found she has learned as well. Participating in the program has helped her feel prepared for the day when she is on her own.
"It's set me up for what will be thrown at me out there," said the high school junior.
From January to March, the program's busy time of year, she finds herself on the road often. The best part for her is meeting teens from other parts of the Diocese. "I like going to other churches and seeing how others react," she said.
Megan has nothing but praise for the program. "It's very informative. It helps kids think about things they do and situations they get into."
(For more information on St. Peter's Players contact the parish's Youth Ministry Office at 587-5182.)