Working with youth

First of all, I respect all my seniors who have poured into my life and for all that I am now. Coming to the point, working with youth is no easy joke. Well, I don’t have any credentials to write this stuff, but, I think I can give my view. Let me put it this way - me being a youth (huh! kind of) this is what I would expect from people who are in youth ministry.
‘Youth’- this period seems to be the most crucial phase in a person’s life. The choices one makes at this junction determines his future. In this phase there would be a lot of crossroads where one decides which side he will take. There is nothing called right or wrong road, I guess! It seems like a lot of advice ah! If you are one of those people working with students or youth, and mean serious business, here are my personal observations:
- Get to their wave length – talk about their issues. You must be wondering what to talk about. Talk about love, sex, marriage, girls, studies, career, interests, sports, internet, pornography, smoking, drugs, alcohol, money, in conclusion point them to what bible says.
- Respect the student as an individual (person) for who s/he and what s/he is.
- Try to bring in practical applications of the bible - Scripture into Campus Life!
- Spend time with them; I know urban life is a busy paced lifestyle. You may say that I am working for students on various organizational requirements, but, if you don’t spent time with them, it is not worth. Because spending personal time means a lot to the students. It shows that you are respecting them as individuals.
- Be open and accessible to them. Then the students would be willing to share.
- When the above things are dealt with, then there would be personal sharing from both ends. It might be rude to get into one’s personal issues. If you have a good relationship with students, they would open up. Dealing with students’ personal lifestyle is very important, as students go through a lot of crisis, for example, an identity crisis.
- Meet at common places or at his/her place where s/he is comfortable
- Never try to put up a ‘super hero’ character or dominate the students.
- Just being yourself, is very much appreciated. The real you!
The above may be hard or idealistic, well I have tried to do these little things and I guess they worked.
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” – John 15:5 = THE SECRET