I partially agree. Youth should, indeed, be encouraged to act like young adults, but if they do not act like it, they should not be treated as such. A youth that acts like a juvenile gets treated like a juvenile.Not being campy or trying too hard to be “cool”.
Treating the youth like what they are- young ADULTS
Discussing big, important questions and not overly simplifying
Youth are at a stage in their lives where they WANT to learn and understand at a deeper level. We become disinterested and offended when treated like 3 year olds who happen to have a strange obsession with bad guitar riffs and awful jumpy camera angles.
I meant more along the lines of not making them color pictures or play tortuous “icebreakers” that last half the meeting. Treating them as adults insofar as realizing that if it’s something adults would find tiresome, teenagers might find it even more so.I partially agree. Youth should, indeed, be encouraged to act like young adults, but if they do not act like it, they should not be treated as such. A youth that acts like a juvenile gets treated like a juvenile.
I always set the standard for adult behavior for teens, and if they fail in that standard, they lose part of their adult benefits. The expectation for adult behavior remains, but they do not get treated like adults until they act like it.
I agree with your first and third points.
Haha, I know exactly what you mean, and agree. Teens need to experience adult topics, conversation, and activities, to open them up.I meant more along the lines of not making them color pictures or play tortuous “icebreakers” that last half the meeting. Treating them as adults insofar as realizing that if it’s something adults would find tiresome, teenagers might find it even more so.
In my experience the last couple years, this is the biggest reason teenager don’t like youth groups.