Impact Culture for Christ

Movie Night:
Why Media Matters

A free lesson plan for Catholic youth ministers

Teach media literacy to your youth group with a fun and interactive movie night, grounded in the Church’s wisdom on media.

This free lesson plan provides everything you need to do a 90-minute teaching night for your high school group, middle school group, or confirmation class.

To start, view the Catechetical Lesson Plan PDF on the right; if you like what you see, then download the Visual Presentation and and Additional Resources to access the movie clips, handouts, and more.

"...the cinema is a universal and esteemed medium from which messages are often sent which are capable of influencing and conditioning the choices of the public, and especially young people"
Saint John Paul II, 29th World Communications Day

Dear Youth Minister,

At John Paul the Great Catholic University, we firmly believe that “media is a mirror that helps shape the reality it reflects.”

As a youth minister, you know that teens are consistently bombarded with messages that oppose our Catholic worldview and portray a diminished value of the human person. As if the social pressures weren’t enough, it’s in the movies they watch, the music they listen to, and the games they play.

Are Catholic youth equipped to navigate the peer pressure that mass media presents?
Do they know the right questions to ask when it comes to their media diet?

JPCatholic is excited to introduce Movie Night: Why Media Matters, a fully prepared youth night that will give your teens a chance to practice critical thinking by discussing clips from popular films.

We’re offering you this resource entirely for free, because

  1. Catholic youth need to hear these messages, and
  2. Youth ministers are awesome, and we want to thank you
    for all the work you do for the Church.

We hope this resource assists you in your ministry! If you have any questions or comments, please email jhoude@jpcatholic.com.

Sincerely,

The team at John Paul the Great Catholic University