Schools come from all over the north of England, North Wales and the Midlands for our three day residential retreats. The retreats are led by the Savio team but made brilliant by the young people who take part in them.

What is it that makes a Savio House retreat special? What is it that schools come back time and time again? What is it that makes young people remember their time at Savio with great fondness even years later? What makes them so often want to come back for more?

If we answered all of these questions in full then, not only would we be giving all of our secrets away, but it would take a long time to get through. So we will content ourselves by giving a brief outline of what we do and how we do it.

The Oratory Model

Don Bosco's Oratory and its fourfold approach to youth ministry is seen as the model of what a Salesian youth ministry should be. His new approach to church, combining the vital aspects of the formation of the young - Home, School, Playground and Church - under one roof is what any Salesian youth centre should strive towards and it is from this tradition that Savio House lives its work for young people.

Home

- Young people don't simply visit Savio House and stay as guests, for the short time they are with us they are as fully part of the community as is possible. We eat together, socialise together, and spend every waking minute in the company of the young. The young people who come here on retreat truly feel part of the place and - when they come to leave - find it hard to believe that it has only been three days. Savio House becomes home from home; somewhere that the young feel they belong.

School

You can put the books away for a couple of days - Savio house isn't somewhere that will be improving your mathematics grades (at least not directly) but we do have Don Bosco's educational charism at the heart of all we do. A large part of our retreat programme is given over to learning. Here young people are given an opportunity to learn about themselves, about (and from) each other and about the role that Jesus can play in their lives as they search for purpose and meaning. The Savio House team want to walk this journey alongside the young, learning from them and inspiring them to the realisation of their full potential.

Playground

Don Bosco always knew the value of the playground and stressed the importance of spending time with the young during their recreation time - wasting time with the young - he knew that it was vital that we are interested in what they are interested in. For us at Savio House 'free time' is as important an aspect of the retreat experience as anything else. It is not an opportunity for the team to have a break from the young people but a chance for us to immerse ourselves in the world of the young and get to know them on a different level. Some of the best work at Savio House is done on the football pitch, round the pool table or in a quiet moment over a cup of tea and a biscuit. The playground is a place for celebrating and this is a key aspect of any retreat experience at savio House.

Church

Each retreat at Savio House has a number of clearly defined 'God Moments' in its programme. Morning and Night prayers each day, a youthful celebration of the Eucharist and an opportunity for all to experience the forgiveness of God in the sacrament of reconciliation. But Church does not start and end with each of these activities. Everything we do is a celebration of God's love in young people and a journey alongside the young towards a deep sense of God's love. So whether we are in chapel or in the games room, in prayer or at the coffee bar, at the meal table or in the tuck shop we are offering to the young an experience of Christian community and church that is youthful, vibrant, attractive and will inspire them to the fullness of life in Christ. Church for us gives meaning and that is what we hope to inspire in the young.

We have a large number of retreat programmes - each designed for different age groups (from yr 4 to 6th form) and to meet the needs of the rich diversity of young people who come to Savio House for a retreat experience. No two retreats are ever the same as each group of young people is different and truly it is they who make the experience what it is.

There are a number of non-residential retreat programmes which are the Savio Experience crammed into one day. These are often for young people leaving primary school or school groups want a shorter version of our retreats.