Anyone who has been around children since the age of 18 months or so, knows that they often want to know ‘Why?’ This is no different in our work with youth.
Youth often want to know ‘Why?’ It might be basic, such as ‘Why are we doing this game?’ or it might be weighted, complex and messy like ‘Why is there suffering in the world?’ And, as with the last question, you may not know the answer. You may have an idea, or a belief or a feeling but you don’t know for sure.
As I’ve mentioned before, youth have a built in BS-radar, they can spot you blowing them off or making something up, so just don’t do it. The best thing you can do is give them your honest opinion, or guide them to where they can find out more information about something if it’s not your area of expertise.
But ‘because’ and other fluffy answers aren’t good enough. Not in today’s youth work climate.
Youth are hungry for answers and want to know truth. This article about the Barna Group’s study highlights how much youth want to search out the truth, and will leave your organization (in the article’s case, the church) if you’re not providing those answers satisfactorily.
We cannot give the ‘Because I said so’ answers to youth anymore. We have to make an effort to educate, empower and equip youth to find the answers for themselves, providing a safe environment for exploration of their beliefs and feelings on a subject.
Question: How do you answer ‘Why?’ questions in your youth work? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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