The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers Chris Trent

Episode 17 | Join us as we discuss How to Talk One on One About Difficult and Sensitive Topics. In this episode we discuss appropriate ways to discuss confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and when to bring others into the conversation.

The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers | There are a lot of great youth ministry podcasts out there, but not many focus only on volunteers. The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers is all about providing great content to help volunteers who work with teenagers. Each episode is short and to the point on topics about how to best impact teenagers with the gospel. Each episode will be hosted by several youth ministry vets that have been working with teenagers for over 30 years. If you love working with teenagers, you're going to love this podcast!

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Discussion Questions:
As a reminder, our 5 things to remember when talking one on on about difficult and sensitive topics:

1. Never promise confidentiality 
2. Be mindful of mandatory reporting
3. When approached with an issue, consider bringing someone into the conversation on the spot
4. It is your job to take them serious
5. Be mindful on the when and where conversations happen

What is most challenging when it comes to discussing sensitive conversations with students?
Do you think today’s teenagers are facing more challenging issues that ever before?
What are the best ways to encourage students who are going through loneliness, stress, or anxiety?
What is your church’s policy on what to do if a teenager says they are being harmed or are thinking about self harm?

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You can reach Chris & the team at https://gabaptist.org/nextgen

We would LOVE to hear from you! Email us at YouthMinistryPodcast@GaBaptist.org to share show ideas or give us feedback.

Episode 16 | Join us as we talk about How to Teach Difficult and Sometimes Sensitive Topics. In this episode we discuss the challenges of teaching certain topics in 2023 and we share some ideas on how teach those topics in an appropriate way. 

The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers | There are a lot of great youth ministry podcasts out there, but not many focus only on volunteers. The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers is all about providing great content to help volunteers who work with teenagers. Each episode is short and to the point on topics about how to best impact teenagers with the gospel. Each episode will be hosted by a couple youth ministry vets that have been working with teenagers for over 30 years. If you love working with teenagers, you're going to love this podcast!

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Discussion Questions:
As a reminder, our 6 Ideas on How to Teach Difficult and Sometimes Sensitive Topics

1. Be Prepared: Study up, pray, think through possible difficult questions
2. Avoid sensationalism 
3. Remember, the Bible is full of difficult and sensitive topics
4. Instead of approaching topics from the “Don’t Do It” standpoint, focus on God’s plan and purposes.
5. Don’t feel like you have to have all the answers
6. Never promise confidentiality. 

Of the 6 ideas, what is one you think you could implement pretty easily?
How do you typically handle difficult and sensitive topics?
What is the most challenging topic you feel we face these days?
Would you say your youth group does a pretty good job addressing difficult topics or would you say you have room to grow?
What is your understanding of teaching “Don’t Do It” vs. “Focusing on God’s plan”?

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You can reach Chris & the team at https://gabaptist.org/nextgen

We would LOVE to hear from you! Email us at YouthMinistryPodcast@GaBaptist.org to share show ideas or give us feedback.

Episode 15 | Join us as we talk about How to Get That Kid That Never Talks to Speak Up. In this episode we talk through ideas on how to create a culture in your small group that allow all students to speak up and encourages even introverted or unengaged students to add to the conversation. 

The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers | There are a lot of great youth ministry podcasts out there, but not many focus only on volunteers. The Youth Ministry Podcast for Volunteers is all about providing great content to help volunteers who work with teenagers. Each episode is short and to the point on topics about how to best impact teenagers with the gospel. Each episode will be hosted by a couple youth ministry vets that have been working with teenagers for over 30 years. If you love working with teenagers, you're going to love this podcast!

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Discussion Questions:
As a reminder, our 6 Ideas on how to How to get that kid that talks too much to be quiet

1.  Remember the goal is not to change an introvert into an extrovert, but create an environment where they will speak up
2. Talk with the parents… not to get the kid in trouble, but to gain insight 
3. Talk to the kid who is quiet “one on one” first. Relationship
4. When asking a question, don’t be afraid of silence.
5. Take advantage of teaching methods: 1. Hand out a sheet of paper and get everyone to answer 2. give them multiple choice questions and ask them to unpack that 3. talk with a partner OR Some questions should be easy, anyone can answer, questions
After listening to this episode, would you say your group is pretty good at handling these situations or do you need some improvement?

Of the 6 ideas, what is one you think you could implement pretty easily?
How do you typically handle getting a kid to speak up and feel comfortable in your group?
Are there other things you’ve done that you’ve found helpful in getting students to speak up?
What stood out most from this episode?
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You can reach Chris & the team at https://gabaptist.org/nextgen

We would LOVE to hear from you! Email us at YouthMinistryPodcast@GaBaptist.org to share show ideas or give us feedback.

Episode 14 | Join us as we talk about How to Get That Kid That Talks Too Much to Be Quiet. In this episode we talk through ideas on how to deal with that kid that struggles with talking too much and interrupting your class or small group.

Episode 13 | Join us as we talk about Creating a Welcoming Culture in Your Group. We talk through 7 practical ideas on how you can help every student that comes to your group welcome whether is their first time or they’re coming back after a long absence.

Episode 12 | Join us as we talk about Setting Goals as a Youth Ministry Volunteer for 2023. We’ll talk through how to evaluate 2022 and think through a few practical ideas you can focus on in 2023.