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Health & Fitness

Faith-based Youth Groups Provide "Downtime" For Teens

In our performance-oriented culture, the faith-based youth group often becomes a sanctuary of relaxedness, where one does not have to worry about being benched, embarrassed, or judged.

 

Faith-based youth groups: where young people can grow without being benched, embarrassed or judged

Twelve-year-old Robert travels internationally every year with his family, something not uncommon in Fairfield County. He is active in sports and school and has many friends and options for his time. He announced one year that his overall favorite trip was the one the church youth group took to Heifer Project International’s Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA. His parents took the announcement well.

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Overlook Farm is a service/learning center that provides simulated third-world experiences for participants. For 36 hours, food is limited and sleeping accommodations are rustic, at best. Robert was not the only youth who loved this annual trip. Thirteen-year-old Anna shared how the trip was a rare time away from her rigorous swimming schedule, and while she excelled at the sport, she didn’t like it all that much. She swam because her mother wanted her to. She wished she had more time to be with the youth group. Eleven-year-old Cassie threw a tantrum when her parents would not allow her to attend the trip’s preview meeting because she had another appointment. Cassie prevailed. 

While I don’t advocate tantrum-throwing and missing appointments, and while I love sports myself, it is clear from eight years of youth ministry in Fairfield County that faith-based youth groups (whether church, synagogue, or mosque) provide important times of grounding, regrouping, and growing for young people, which they themselves desire. It may be counter-intuitive to think of church, for example, as downtime, but for youth whose lives are vastly defined by performance these days — school grades, sports accomplishments, music and drama recitals — the faith-based youth group becomes a sanctuary of relaxedness, where one does not have to worry about being benched, embarrassed, or judged, where one finds meaning for one’s life, beyond merely being a performer. 

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Initially, a tired and overbooked young person may see the faith-based youth group as “one more thing” taking away from precious downtime at home. But my experience has been that over time, teens discover that the supportive and fun time they have in a youth group actually energizes them and sends them into the world more ready to face it. A few parents have reported to me how their child’s grades improved dramatically because of their involvement in youth group. One father became, and still is, a very active member of his church because of the positive changes he saw in his boys, who grew into leadership positions because of the youth group.

Faith-based youth groups do not bench, do not charge fees, do not train kids for multi-million dollar professions. Their value cannot be measured, but it is palpable. Fortunately, as far as I can see, Greenwich is blessed with caring, capable youth ministers and leaders. I would encourage parents and youth to give it a try — find a youth group and stay with the program throughout the year. You may find what so many others have found: life-enhancing experiences, life-long friendships, and peace.

Round Hill Community Church’s Middle School Youth Group will be meeting on Friday, October 26, 5pm-7pm for a reverse trick-or-treat at The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home, and on Friday, November 16, 5:30-9pm for an indoor high-ropes course. Please contact Georgette Huie at georgette@roundhillcommunitychurch.org for more information.

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