A reflection for all those who think being the youth dude is easy...
So.... I have been reading a lot of youth groupies entries lately, and have been hearing so much though the grapevine. It hurts me to know that any of my kids are hurting. I have a lot to say, 'specially about the youth leader/JLR topic.
HERE IS MY CHALLENGE REFLECTION AND QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU...FEEL FREE TO RESPOND.
Scenario: You are the Youth Director of an amazing group of young people. Whether they have been there for 4 years or 4 weeks, you know each one of them is absolutely amazing. Out of the almost 120-140 you see on a regular basis, you have to pick 8 names out of 29 for a leadership retreat. Picking out of a hat is unfair, and choosing them on your own will surely make people speculate on who your "favorites" are. (Truth be told, they are ALL your favorites.) You set a policy of applications and interviews in place - you are crystal clear that there are going to be disappointments and heartbreaks as a result of the space limitations on the retreat. You explain clearly how much each one of them means to you, and how much potential you see in each and every one of them. You are clear by telling them EVERY week how much you love them. You have an adult group choose rather then just yourself so it is fair and unbiased. You even go out of your way to get the best youth minister in the diocese to come in to do a Leadership Day for all of them, so no one feels left out or tossed to the side. One adult even writes each applicant a letter. You take your ministry, your parish, and more then anything: your kids, their lives and their feelings very seriously. Now you face teens not coming back, resenting you, or resenting people who were picked. All you have intended in the first place was to give the kids a place to hang, grow, meet God and find a home that welcomes in the first place.
HERE'S THE KICKER QUESTION, FOLKS...
How would YOU pick 8 out of 29 without having 21 others feeling let down?
Without naming names, how would you have gotten through this as the LEADER?
HERE IS MY CHALLENGE REFLECTION AND QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU...FEEL FREE TO RESPOND.
Scenario: You are the Youth Director of an amazing group of young people. Whether they have been there for 4 years or 4 weeks, you know each one of them is absolutely amazing. Out of the almost 120-140 you see on a regular basis, you have to pick 8 names out of 29 for a leadership retreat. Picking out of a hat is unfair, and choosing them on your own will surely make people speculate on who your "favorites" are. (Truth be told, they are ALL your favorites.) You set a policy of applications and interviews in place - you are crystal clear that there are going to be disappointments and heartbreaks as a result of the space limitations on the retreat. You explain clearly how much each one of them means to you, and how much potential you see in each and every one of them. You are clear by telling them EVERY week how much you love them. You have an adult group choose rather then just yourself so it is fair and unbiased. You even go out of your way to get the best youth minister in the diocese to come in to do a Leadership Day for all of them, so no one feels left out or tossed to the side. One adult even writes each applicant a letter. You take your ministry, your parish, and more then anything: your kids, their lives and their feelings very seriously. Now you face teens not coming back, resenting you, or resenting people who were picked. All you have intended in the first place was to give the kids a place to hang, grow, meet God and find a home that welcomes in the first place.
HERE'S THE KICKER QUESTION, FOLKS...
How would YOU pick 8 out of 29 without having 21 others feeling let down?
Without naming names, how would you have gotten through this as the LEADER?