The DPAR Method
Discover. Plan. Act. Reflect. The four-step loop behind every badge, every activity, and every skill we teach.
Four ways to grow
Luke 2:52 describes Jesus growing in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. Those four directions shape our pillars, and DPAR is how we practice them.
Luke 2:52
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."
How DPAR maps to the pillars
- Spiritual → Discover
Favor with God: the awakening to learn, grow, and serve.
- Intellectual → Plan
Wisdom: thinking clearly, mapping the path, and asking good questions.
- Physical → Act
Stature: showing up, doing the reps, and building through practice.
- Social → Reflect
Favor with man: sharing what you learned and lifting others with it.
Each step, explored
See what each phase looks like in practice and where it shows up in our program.
Discover
What do I want to learn, improve, or experience?
Notice a need, a curiosity, or a calling. Discovery is the honest look at where you are and where you want to grow.
- Ask questions before jumping to answers
- Identify a skill, habit, or interest worth pursuing
- Pay attention to what stirs your curiosity or concern
- Seek input from mentors, parents, or leaders
Example
A Junior Saint wants to earn the First Aid badge. She starts by asking what first aid covers, watches a short introduction, and talks to a leader about what surprised her.
Plan
What specific steps will get me there, and by when?
Turn the spark into a path. A good plan is small enough to start today and clear enough that a friend could follow it.
- Break the goal into concrete steps
- Set a timeline that respects real life
- Line up the people and resources you need
- Write it down so it becomes real
Example
For the First Aid badge, she lists the requirements, schedules two Saturdays for CPR practice, and asks her dad to be her signer.
Act
What am I going to do today, this week, this month?
Show up and do the work. Acting is where most of the growth happens and where plans get adjusted.
- Start small and stay consistent
- Track progress without obsessing over it
- Adjust the plan when reality changes
- Ask for help when you get stuck
Example
She practices bandaging with her siblings, runs through the CPR motions weekly, and shadows a leader at camp who handles a minor cut.
Reflect
Close the loop. Reflection turns experience into wisdom and shapes the next Discover phase.
- Name what worked and what did not
- Notice what changed in both your skills and your habits
- Share what you learned with someone else
- Let this reflection shape your next goal
Example
She writes a short journal entry about the hardest moment, realises she wants to learn wilderness first aid next, and teaches a younger sibling how to make a sling.
Common questions about DPAR
Put DPAR into practice
Discover, plan, act, and reflect through every Saints Global skill badge. Browse the badges and choose the first skill you want to grow.