Youth Specialties Blog

Welcome aboard Planet Wisdom

By YS on July 24 2008 | 5 Comments

We couldn't be happier to to welcome our friends at Planet Wisdom to the Youth Specialties family. You can read all about it here at the "very official" sounding press release. But we know you. We know that a formal press release isn't all that interesting and doesn't really capture how we truly feel about the deal. So we put together this little video for you to enjoy.

By YS on July 24 2008 | 5 Comments

Nerd Girls are Cool

By YS on July 23 2008 | 0 Comments

I know I've had oodles of "nerd girls" in my youth group. Well, most of them were nerd girls in training as they hadn't quite figured out how to intersect being a "normal girl" with being a "nerd." But that's what middle adolescence is all about, right? (Finding your identity by experimenting with a few.) With the trend towards nerd girls just coming to the forefront the question for youth ministry is, "What are some ways you can reach out to young women who fit this profile:"

The Nerd Girls may not look like your stereotypical pocket-protector-loving misfits—their adviser, Karen Panetta, has a thing for pink heels—but they're part of a growing breed of young women who are claiming the nerd label for themselves. In doing so, they're challenging the notion of what a geek should look like, either by intentionally sexing up their tech personas, or by simply finding no disconnect between their geeky pursuits and more traditionally girly interests such as fashion, makeup and high heels. In fact, calling them "nerd" is no insult at all—the Nerd Girls have T shirts emblazoned with the slogan. The crew includes Cristina Sanchez, a master's student in biomedical engineering (and a former cheerleader) who can talk for hours about aerodynamics. Caitrin Eaton, a freshman, asked her boyfriend for a soldering iron last Christmas. Juniors Courtney Mario and Perry Ross giggle when they talk about what fascinated them most about "No Country for Old Men": how did the assassin's air gun work?

link

By YS on July 23 2008 | 0 Comments

Games not to play at youth group

By YS on July 20 2008 | 2 Comments

Bobbing for Baby Ruth's in Mountain Dew
Shave the preacher's wife's head
Skin the Sand Snake
Hit the intern with tomatoes
Kiss and tackle
"What body part is this?"
Find the saltine
Twinkie wars in the sanctuary
Spin the bottle
Pin the tail on the pastor

By YS on July 20 2008 | 2 Comments

Most recent reason I was fired (or almost fired)

By YS on July 19 2008 | 2 Comments

We left this open question on a table at NYWC 2007. Here are some answers.

For letting a student pee in a water bottle so the van didn't have to stop on the way to camp.
Reaching the "wrong kids."
Forgetting to pay for the gas at the pump. Got pulled over by the state police.
I told my pastor that he was the worst thing that ever happened to the church. While it was the truth I found out that the truth does indeed set you free.
A student shot a red cinnamon bear out of the van at a neighboring car.
Because I didn't clean the kitchen
Students were breaking into cars in the church parking lot
The music was too loud in the sanctuary
Couldn't justify my salary because I was only ministering to 7 youth and 30 children
Poker tournament
Was it when I flooded the church after falling asleep while the baptistery was filling? No. Was it after leaving a student at a rest stop on purpose? No. Was it when I went behind the trustees back to make a major purchase? No. Was it that I sensed my students were apathetic and raised the bar? Yes!
Because I moved some crafts to another room because of dodge ball night.
The pastor's wife had a crush on me
For teaching theology and not dumbing it down

What about you? Got a reason you were fired? (Or almost fired)

By YS on July 19 2008 | 2 Comments

Don’t click the red button

By YS on July 19 2008 | 0 Comments

Need to waste some time? Try to find the end of this bottomless pit. Just don't press the red button.

By YS on July 19 2008 | 0 Comments

5 Tips for Finding Cheap Gas

By YS on July 18 2008 | 0 Comments

While there isn't much you can do about the gas prices, there are some ways you can quickly find the cheapest way to fill up the church vehicle this summer. Thanks to our friends at LifeClever, we're passing on 5 tips for finding cheap gas wherever you travel with your youth group this summer.

Gas widgets. For Mac users there is Gas. For PC users give GasWatch a try. I've used Gas on some recent travels and found it pretty useful.
On the Web. My favorite site for keeping track of cheap gas in my area is GasBuddy. Toss in your zip code and get a Google map of area prices.
Text Message. Text the word “gas” followed by a 5-digit zip code to 415-676-8397. Within a few seconds you'll get a text message back with area gas prices.
Mobile web browsers. Got a smartphone, blackberry, or iphone? Head over to GasBuddytoGo and put in your location.
GPS Device. The latest versions of GPS systems from Garmin download local gas prices for your next trip.

For discussion: What are some ways your ministry is beating the gas crunch this summer? Have you had to pass along the higher costs to students? What's the most you've paid to fill up a vehicle for a youth group trip?

By YS on July 18 2008 | 0 Comments