Back to School, Back to Youth Group

With September bearing down upon me, my life is revolving around back-to-school… and back to youth group. This will be my senior year of high school and I have to say that it hasn’t gotten any easier, though I’m coming to realize that this will be the last time I have to deal with the crazy stresses of coming back to high school. This will be my last first day of school (because obviously college doesn’t count), and my last year of youth group. While I’m excited to have my high school career finally be coming to an end, it’s going to be a bittersweet goodbye. I love my youth group and it is one of the few consistent things in my life. I know that every week I will go in on Sunday morning and there will be people who accept and welcome me for exactly who I am. So, knowing that this year will be my last to experience with this amazing group of people I want to make an impact, I want it to be meaningful.

Last year my youth group didn’t do a whole lot, and I have a feeling that it’s a pretty common thing within other youth groups as well. Now I’m not saying that just hanging out isn’t fun, it totally can be, but just hanging out week after week, not having much direction or purpose, can be boring. The inertia of a group can be deadly. So, my big goal this year is to really get my youth group doing things! I want to be able to take more away from my weekly meeting than “good meeting” or “nice to see everyone!” I want to carry my youth group in my heart all week and not just have it be an hour-long “thing” every Sunday. I want youth group to be a place where I feel lifted up, and school, along with all the other crap in my life, is forgotten about for a little while, because if I’ve learned anything it’s that it will all still be there once youth group is over.

The first step I’m taking towards accomplishing my goal is talking to my youth advisor about some sort of curriculum that will engage all the members of my group. It helps that I live with the DRE of my church (my mother), so I can talk to her at any time and see what she thinks might work or what she’s heard of as far as high school youth group curriculums. My youth advisor and I have talked about this some and are thinking about making something of our own up, which is both exciting and daunting. Mostly I just want my group to bond and feel a connection beyond being in the same room every Sunday. We share more than we might think, because I feel like we see more of our differences. We should be able to share our ideas and feelings and know that they’re not only heard but also respected and received with love.

So, with a goal in place, and a plan of action, I head into the new school year. Let’s hope that school doesn’t cause too much stress and I wish everyone a great start with back-to-school, back to youth group!

What’s your youth like? What’s the most memorable effort your youth group has made?

Rebecca Cloe
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Washington County (Hillsboro, OR)