Goal
The goal of this Edge Night is to make the middle school youth aware of the dangers and consequences of bullying others. The youth will understand that every person deserves respect because we are made in the image and likeness of God.
Edge Night at a Glance
The issue of bullying has made its way into the headlines on numerous occasions over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, we often hear about the issue only after a young person has taken his/her life. The topic of bullying requires our attention. First, let us ask how safe your Edge ministry is for youth. Do they feel it is a safe place they can come? Secondly, we need to be aware of what our youth are going through. This stresses the importance of relational ministry and knowing where our youth are out emotionally and spiritually. Lastly, we also need to be aware that bullying has new forms because of technology. In the past, youth may have been harassed at school, but could come home and be with his/her family. Today, youth may be harassed at school and the harassment carries into social networking, text messaging, phone calls and/or emails. We must challenge our youth to be Christ-like and stand up for the dignity of all people.
This Edge Night will begin with an icebreaker about pushing. The key is to focus the youth on how we maybe push others around that we do not like. It can also show how easy it is to have a friendly game escalate to competition, which can escalate to people being made fun of for not competing well. The Proclaim and small group time will focus on our human dignity that comes from God, who is our Creator, and we are made in His image. In small groups, the youth will have a chance to discuss and roleplay situations that involve bullying and how they should behave in each situation. Finally, the Edge Night will close by praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as a sign of our need for God’s mercy.