Extracurricular Activities: A New Catechetical Challenge

Abstract

Since the 1990s, when religious education began to be offered once again in Polish public schools, a disturbing phenomenon has been observed: more and more students are choosing not to participate in religious education classes. This problem is more prominent in Poland’s largest cities. The purpose of the present article is to point out new ways to use modern extracurricular activities to engage and attract young students who have abandoned religious education. Such extracurricular activities must be voluntary, different from typical school activities, and appeal to students’ current interests. Research demonstrates that the most frequent reason why students opt not to participate in religious education classes is not because they oppose what the courses teach, but because they are too lazy to participate in them. Creatively organized extracurricular activities can be a great catechetical opportunity to counteract Polish students’ tendency to cease participating in religious education at school.