Media Outreach

Last week (June 7th-12th) the high school youth group at my church had their annual “Road Rules” trip. This isn’t by any means related to the old MTV reality TV series, but in a way is conducted in the same manner. I participated as a leader/driver and was amazed at the things we learned. Each of the 11 vans were filled with 9 kids and 2 leaders. The kids were given clues each day about their next destination and had to complete challenges along the way. We drove from Austin to Dallas to Houston to Corpus Christi to San Antonio and back to Austin. It was tough for the leaders to not get more competitive than the kids!

It was amazing to see God work in the kid’s lives over the course of the week.  Friendships were reconciled, relationships with fathers were healed and several kids decided to take up the cross and follow Christ for the first time, including a former atheist. They learned to pray for each other and were challenged to encourage others. Many kids were challenged with considering the reasons why they have certain friends. They were encouraged to look for ways to push their friends closer to God even if it means giving up something in their own life in order to do so. They (the kids) were excited to continue living what they learned, even after the trip was over.

While the trip was extremely tiring and full of energy I came up with five things that youth directors should do for any youth trip:

1. Tell your volunteer leaders that they are appreciated and thank them for their time/work. A little encouragement goes a long way when leaders are exhausted and getting stressed from the constant hype and energy.
2. Communicate clearly with leaders. Don’t wait until the last minute to give the trip information to the leaders. Let them know in advance the schedule and what to expect. Also, while on the trip, communicate clearly the times and places of leader meetings. This helps cut down on frustration if a leader misses a meeting.
3. Communicate with leaders the time and place the group is supposed to meet up BEFORE they split up. If stopping at a mall to eat, let the leaders know where they need to meet to leave. This will help when the kids ask them where/when they need to be to leave.
4. Make sure your leaders are given proper rest, so they have energy to be with the kids all day. Give them an air mattress to sleep on (if sleeping on the floor). Give them a nap time during the week, if the schedule permits.
5. Make sure you have a scheduled time for leaders to spend time in the Word. Often, when the kids are having their quiet times in the morning, leaders are running around getting stuff together. Tell your leaders to stop and spend time in the word. They not only will be refreshed, but will have been encouraged by spending time alone in the Word.

Photo By: .:Axle:.