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Junior Highers Have More Fun: similarities to college-age people
By: Chuck Bomar Published by Simply Youth Ministry
Last week I was speaking at a high school conference, and this week I’m at a camp speaking to junior highers. I consider myself a college ministry guy, but every time I do a junior high camp I find myself falling in love with this age all over again. They’re crazy, but a ton of fun.
I’ve had some down time today so for fun I decided to think about how junior high students are similar to college-age people. I’ve never really put much thought into it, but after being here for a few days I’m seeing a lot of similarities. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
1. They live by the minute. They go through life by the minute and do whatever seems the most fun at that given time. Few have a sense of direction beyond the here and now.
2. They spend money on what they want to. A junior high student may come to camp with $30 from their parents and they’ll spend it all the first day on candy for the week. Then, when they don’t have enough money for lunch on the bus ride home they’ll complain about how their parents didn’t give them enough money. College-age people, for example, might apply for a scholarship for a trip costing $200 dollars, get half off the price of the trip, need to pay their share of $100 in installments, but then they’ll bring $150 cash with them on the trip!? To top it off they’ll spend that on food at the most expensive ski lodge.
3. They’re thinking through and searching for an identity. High school students pretty much assume an identity in a social network of friends, but before and after this age-stage people are in a stage of searching. High school students are searching to, but not as intentionally (or consciously) as the other two age-stages – it’s more of a sub-conscious search at that point.
4. They both can be silly. At free time last night after chapel they did dance karaoke in the “Malt Shop” for the jr. highers. They had a blast. I can totally see college-age people doing the same, but high school students seem to be “too cool” for that. There might be a few that would do it, but students watching would probably think it was stupid (at least some would for sure). Jr. highers and college-age people have a blast whether or not they’re doing these types of things, or just watching. Heck, last week we had a BBQ for our college ministry and a whole group of them talked me into playing handball for over an hour! It was a blast.
5. They’re both EXTREMELY passionate! Everything’s a huge deal. It doesn’t matter what it is, it’s all that matters. When they’re in to something it’s like nothing else exists in the world.
6. They both forget things . . . a lot. There actually might be some biological reasoning for a jr. higher, but a college student? Well, for them it seems that they’re new freedoms lead to a loss of discipline – except of course those things they really like or enjoy personally.
7. They both only follow through with things they like. If they don’t like something it can be short-changed, if not totally abandoned half way through.
Well, those are what come to mind right now. If you have anymore that comes to mind, let me know…
Originally for Simply Youth Ministry:
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/from-the-field-45.html
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