Youth Group is a Positive Experience
by Audrey Okaneko
I helped drive a group of kids to a youth group event this past weekend. Our local group met up with a group about an hour away. There were close to forty teens total all playing broomball at the skating rink.
As I reflected back on my own experience being in youth group and then watched my daughter’s group, I was really struck with the positive influence a youth group can provide.
In youth group, everyone tries to include everyone else. This was true when I was involved and I then I saw this again this past weekend. High school is very different. In high school you have cliques and exclusive groups. In high school you have kids working hard at excluding other kids for any number of reasons. What I saw this weekend warmed my heart. All of the kids made sure everyone was involved and included.
Another benefit of youth groups is that there are often summer camp programs associated with the youth movement. One of my daughters has traveled to camps all over the United States and has always known someone and has often faced this same accepting atmosphere that she learned here locally.
Something else I believe is very important is self identity. I see many kids walk away from youth group with a strong sense of identity. The teen years can be tough and challenging for many kids. In youth group they feel a sense of pride, accomplishment and self esteem that they may not feel in their other activities.
I’ve watched my daughter form friendships that have lasted for several years. When I was a teen we didn’t have the internet or Facebook. We had to hand write letters to those we formed friendships with. Today, keeping in touch is as easy as hitting a send button. Most nights my daughter is video chatting with friends. It’s a true sense of friendship and connection.
I’ve seen my daughter’s group vary the activities to try and appeal to everyone. They have done sports activities like broom ball, but they’ve also done pool parties, movie nights, game nights, bowling, scavenger hunts downtown, sleepovers and then they’ve met up with other groups in our region to share activities with them.
The final benefit derived from participation in youth group is learning the skills of teamwork. Often the group will work on a project that needs many hands to be completed. They see how their part of the group helped achieve the end goal. When overnight weekends or summer camps are involved, the teens learn to work together to turn their cabin into something that feels homey. One of the camps my daughter attended offered leadership seminars. She worked with the rest of the group to plan and then execute many group activities.
If your child has never participated in youth group, ask around and see if you can find a local group that your child can attend and try out. I believe the benefits are enormous and that your child will come away loving the new experience.
Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.todays-parent.com.
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