Every fall at WellSprings, we look forward to the return of our families to Bell Hall, and the return of their 5-12 year old kiddos to YouthSpirit. It’s been an unpredictable couple of years, hasn’t it? But YouthSpirit is ready to “WellCome” back friends to our weekly programming on September 18th.
Currently staffed by our two volunteer helpers, a youth helper, and an assistant, our team may be small, but our energy is big! For now, we’ll meet in one group, in the Dining Hall or outdoors. This is a rebuilding year – rebuilding our YouthSpirit community, rebuilding our volunteer team – so the primary emphasis during our time together will be on all-age group activities that foster fun and connection. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn together along the way!
We’ll establish a covenant for our gathering, to create a space of respect and safety. We will, throughout the year, address the themes that are being explored in Bell Hall whenever appropriate, beginning in September with the Fall message series: “American Idols.” During this message series, we’ll find age-appropriate ways to explore questions like this – What do kids today feel beholden to? How does peer pressure affect what they pay attention to? – through games, activities and discussion.
We’ll spend some time being contemplative this year, and practicing mindfulness. We’ll also use our time together to serve others through community projects. And sometimes, we’ll just have fun ?
We hope your child will join us in YouthSpirit this fall. Please be sure to fill out your Family Faith Development form if you haven’t already – not just for YouthSpirit kids but for any child under 18, so we can better serve families with children of all ages.