Let me begin by thanking everyone who has offered advice on the last few posts on my blog. Believe me when I tell you that your advice has not gone unnnoticed or unheeded. Furthermore- by all means, keep it coming!
My next dilemma will be regarding the make-up of the group itself. Out of about 30 teenagers, only about 7 or 8 are juniors or seniors- the rest are much younger junior high kids. From speaking with some parents of the older kids, it seems that my juniors and seniors are feeling a bit detached from the group recently because of the influx of 6-8th graders.
Historically, the group has always been combined- jr and sr high together. I like the idea of togetherness, but it also makes it difficult to provide material that challenges both jr AND sr highers on a regular basis. It's one thing to have a 10th and a 12th grader in the same class. It's a bit more difficult to have 6th-7th graders and 12th graders in the same setting. During this transitional stage in their life the two groups are worlds apart.
My question is this- how do I reconcile the differences in age and maturity levels? One option I have considered is as follows: We all come together for worship, prayer, and a general lesson from yours truly. At that point, we split into groups and discuss the topic further while making it more relevant or "deeper" depending on the age group. That way we are coming together as a group, but the older teens are still able to discuss things that are on their minds specifically.
Good idea? Bad idea? Got other ideas? Once again, I'm all ears.
EDIT: I am also kicking around the idea of splitting everyone into "family groups" and having my older leaders dispersed throughout them. They learn to be better leaders, and in the process they help the younger and less mature kids grow. Of course, splitting them up into the correct groups is tantamount to making this plan successful- separation by cliques would accomplish nothing.
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2 comments:
maybe have everyone together and everything the same as it is...but during the week have the sr high students develop a small group in homes.
I think they're best separated at least some of the time. Your idea about worship/prayer/lesson together and break up into small groups is exactly what we did in one youth group, and it worked well. Since you're dealing with a lot of difference in concrete versus abstract thinkers, they need separate application time. Just make good use of adult volunteers!
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