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Author Archives: Bryan Flachbart

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Empowering 8th Graders

By | July 17, 2012

Eighth graders sometimes start to feel “too big for their britches” as the year winds down. Attendance will start to slip, other things will come up, and they’ll be out of Edge before you know it. Capitalize on the end of the year to let the teens have some control in the Edge Programming. Catechetical Nights When an opportunity arises for a skit or performance, empower your eighth graders to perform! Sure – you’ll have to meet with them a little bit more – and they might goof off

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Core Members: How to Find Them and Keep Them Around

By | July 5, 2012
2012-07_CYM-CoreRecruit

This time of year, I start meeting with my Core Team to find out their intentions for the upcoming year. It’s a time of stress and worry – wondering who will choose to stay, who wants to leave, and who is interested in coming aboard. Core Member recruitment and retention can be one of the most important aspects for a youth minister to consider. When Core Members choose to stay – it’s a testament to your program and provides continuity and stability as your teens go from year to year.

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Does Environment Matter?

By | May 22, 2012
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How important is the environment portion of your Edge or Life Night? If it wasn’t important, it wouldn’t be included, youth ministers wouldn’t use them, and I certainly wouldn’t be dedicating my first blog to it. Environment can be transformational in your parish Edge and Life nights. The teens will begin to anticipate the topic of the night, take ownership in their youth room, and it makes for a great conversation starter with the teen that’s hard to reach. Some practical environment