Reaching out to public school youth

[leonie]

I’ve been trying to develop a middle school youth program at my parish. I’m a homeschooler. This week, I’m teaching a Bible study to middle school students to coincide with the vbs. I was disappointed to only have 7 students, four of which include volunteer’s children. I also looked around today and realized that all seven either are being homeschooled or were previously homeschooled.

Last year, almost all of the kids that regularly showed up at our middle school meetings (usually about 15-25) were either homeschooled or parochial schooled.

So, how in the world to reach the public school kids?

Calls? special letters? special events?

 

[Phil_Marinus]

I’ve been trying to develop a middle school youth program at my parish. I’m a homeschooler. This week, I’m teaching a Bible study to middle school students to coincide with the vbs. I was disappointed to only have 7 students, four of which include volunteer’s children. I also looked around today and realized that all seven either are being homeschooled or were previously homeschooled.

Last year, almost all of the kids that regularly showed up at our middle school meetings (usually about 15-25) were either homeschooled or parochial schooled.

So, how in the world to reach the public school kids?

Calls? special letters? special events?

Unfortunately Youth have little or no time for religion, they feel God has no relevance
to there lives… it’s a common problem… Homeschooling is a more personal form of education… it’s more one on one, where as in a class environment religion gets lost in the detail… to many distractions like who is more popular in the social group…
I think in a class environment a more Subtle Approach is required…
an example goes like this… if you can mix it with a relevant Theme …
Remember as a Kid you hated Pumpkin ?.. your mother would mix it with something you liked… She was pleased as Punch because she had Victory over a Recalcitrant Child…
So if you can Blend God in with something relevant ,like a Field of Flowers, see the Beauty, in the Field etc… God is like that… well thats just an example… Good Luck.

 

[chero23]

I know your frustration. At our church, the priest set up for some 4 months, 3 different classes for Tuesdays. One of the classes had 20 members, our class had 5, and the third only 4. Their approach is by word of mouth, phone calls and greeting ppl after church. Even if you only get 2 or 3 more kids your making a difference. Keep your head bc god will help you.

 

[HouseArrest]

Here’s what I think happens…

When kids go to school (public, parochial, or home) their activities and their lives revolve around what starts there. If there is no religious component to school, there tends to be no other religious activities. It is not necessarily that the kids wouldn’t enjoy or want to attend them; they are just busy with everything else that got scheduled first.

Sometimes public school families don’t even know this is happening to them. After all, the activities they are in are good for them. Plays, sports, and clubs are all very worthwhile so nobody thinks the schedule is a bad one.

Certainly there are good, faithful, Catholic families using public schools. It is just very difficult to be “the only ones” who aren’t going to the all school craft show because of religious ed or youth group.

In our parish, it is the same. Almost all attendees at religious events are the parochial school children.

 

[coachdennis]

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but are the public schools still in session when your program takes place?

I only ask this question because a neighbor’s church (not catholic) tried to run a vbs one year and the school system had not been released for the summer.

During the “school year” we have multiple programs for grade levels on Sunday mornings,
Monday and Tuesday evenings, and Wednesday afternoons (here the school children get out at 1:00 PM on Wednesdays).

Reality is, religious education is one more activity to many families and one size and one time does not fit all.

 

[leonie]

no, school’s out!

Though, I’m sure there will be working parents who may not have rides for their kids. Maybe we need a school bus like the Baptists have.

 

[chero23]

no, school’s out!

Though, I’m sure there will be working parents who may not have rides for their kids. Maybe we need a school bus like the Baptists have.

Yes, we need to have buses or vans, or neighbors saying, hey come on lets go were heading over to Church. We need to start being aggrssive as Protestants