Back to topic listing Forum - Topic: Mentoring the teens of zoecity?
I'm experiencing zoecity similar to a church community, where there is one big service for all generations. I've enjoyed interacting with the teens through their discovery of who they are, silliness, joy and confusion. I'm wondering if others are seeing it this way too, or more like the churches where the youth separate and have 'children's church' or something like that. Do you message only other adults and join adult groups, or do you also interact with teens? Are there other adults here who are interested in befriending the teens? How is that best accomplished? Any push-back why we shouldn't mentor them? How do we handle delicate or dangerous issues that may come up? Thanks for any discussion!!
Chaplainnik August 25, 2008 @ 11:35 AM
Jennifer-
Some quick thoughts here. . . I guess we all have gifts and personalities from Our Maker that allow us to connect with others in a variety of ways. For me, I've been focusing on helping those folks who are interested in expressing their identity in their profiles. I remember when I was a teen, trying different styles frequently, as an experiment in who I was becoming. I love to see their choices and the way it changes and grows. In this way, I am also able to give some truth in love if the content is questionable.
I'm also trying to pay attention to what zoe groups are popular with the teens. There are some discussion groups where I try to pose questions or challenge the thinking a bit. Younger minds are still very black & white, and just beginning to grasp the balance of law and grace.
I hope this helps. God allows us to minister from out of our own experience. Think about what your teen years were like. What stories do you have about the lessons you learned? What do you wish the young adults would have done for you, or told you when you were a teen? As a young woman, they may need your voice on the 'girls only', 'modesty' or 'purity' groups. Your experience is their future.
Jsb August 25, 2008 @ 11:53 AM
Thanks for the advice. Great ideas. I love that youre pushing us to reach out to the younger kids! I will keep you updated on how it goes!
Dinomartino September 02, 2008 @ 05:26 PM
Personally, I have a great time chatting with the kids (tween and teen). They are a pretty good bunch here. Some have asked for advice from me and some have even given me some pretty good advice or at least made me think 'outside' the box. To me, Music is the best, you can tell a lot about a person by the music that they are listening to. The one thing that I try not to do, when asked for advice, is say "well when I was kid...." if you want to really reach them go biblical, search for the answer in the bible, or in some cases the question might be 'what would you do?' try to give them the best advice possible. Dont push- give them some time before you see how they are doing, if they are having problems they message you.
I've made some very good friends on ZC, about 50 - 60 % are under 18. I'm just happy that they are turning to us, and not turning to other things.
Jsb August 20, 2008 @ 05:20 PM
I am curious what advice you can give me about how to reach out to teens on this site... Look forward to your thoughts.