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Matthew Turner

Mrs. Henkel

Honors American Literature

5-22-17

It Takes A Youth Group

Have you ever struggled to find a group where you fit in? A major issue with teens is

finding their own identity, people are drawn to sports, music, theater among other things. One

kind of group that is not nearly as prominent but arguably more beneficial to teens is a youth

group. While they may seem to be obsolete and irrelevant, involvement in youth groups results

in more positive attitude and outlook on life, depending on the level of involvement.

The question of a correlation between involvement and attitudes has been the topic of

many studies. Sociologists at UNC Chapel-Hill performed a study on this topic, Regular

religious service attendance, high subjective importance of faith and years spent in youth groups

are associated with higher self-esteem and more positive self-attitudes (National Study of Youth

and Religion). This study shows that as a whole, youth groups are a positive influence in the life

of teens. Another study showed similar results, Some youths had contact with religious

community members outside mental health services acted as a bridge, step, or care provider to

mental health services (Canadian Academy of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry). This shows

that through participation in youth group, teenagers are instilled with a sense of trust and

guidance from individuals in the group, depending on the amount of involvement and

commitment.
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While these positive outcomes are tied to participation, there have also been outliers that

show negative results. The UNC-Chapel Hill study also supported this trend, Although highly

religious 12th graders generally have better life attitudes it is still noteworthy that a minority

of highly religious 12th graders in fact do have negative life attitudes and self-images (National

Study of Youth and Religion). While these negative results are recurring, the exact reason is not

evident, that being said, there have been many discussions over the cause. Liz Ranfeld outlined

the possibility of incidental exclusion, Some people had a great time for the duration of their

involvement, but others felt routinely excluded from the in group (Ranfeld). This helps

explain that within individual youth groups there are other factors but it ultimately returns to

level of involvement.

Adult involvement provides many benefits to youth groups. Research has shown,

Churches with larger youth groups are often more willing to invest in the program by increasing

staffing and budgets (Barna). While these results are somewhat predictable, many senior church

leaders agree that youth ministry should be a priority. SRUMC youth leader Cathie Briskey

echoed this idea, Most adults who were in youth ministry as teens loved their youth ministry

time and remember how important it was to them (Briskey). This shows that youth group is

indeed a priority in the majority of churches, helping draw more teens to get involved.

As a whole, it can be included that youth groups can serve as a positive influence in the

lives of teens. That being said, there are also internal factors such as members of the group and

support from the church that can be tied to a successful group. Although the significance of

youth groups is often overlooked, positive attitudes and outlook are directly tied to the

commitment to a youth group. This commitment can ultimately be attributed to the interests and
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needs of each member. However, in terms of availability compared to other activities, youth

groups are a viable option for anyone looking for a place to fit in.
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