• After a busy weekend working with youth, there is much to review and learn.

• One key factor is to make them feel comfortable to be receptive to new challenges.

• Let them become involved as much as possible. Enable them to overcome the challenges.

Last weekend there were many lessons to REVIEW and PRACTICE.

It was busy with three youth sessions.  One was an ongoing group and two were brand new. 

Here are some details.

FRIDAY NIGHT:

• Attended the Gavel Club meeting which has been operating for over three years. 

• The meetings have been challenging lately. The meeting room has not been available for the past month or so. 

• The meeting this past Friday was held outside.

• The facilities outside are not optimal for meetings. 

• The news is that the meeting room will be available next week. 

• There is discussion is to hold a ‘party’ meeting to encourage members to return.

• It is their club and it is interesting to see what and how they will go about boosting the attendance to previous levels.

SATURDAY MORNING:

• Met at the local library for the first of a six week leadership program for youth. 

• There were five participants. 

• Two of them had been to previous programs. 

• The first session is the most challenging as often they have been signed up by a parent.

• They are with a group of strangers.

• They were not sure they want to be there. 

• The challenge was to make them feel comfortable. 

• Some of the roles in each session were new to them. 

• Yet at the end of the session all appeared enthusiastic and they chose a role for the next meeting.

SUNDAY MORNING:

• A local recreation center wants to set up a Gavel Club for youth. 

• This was their first session and there were eight participants. Three of them were siblings ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old. 

• After this introductory session they had volunteered for roles at the next session.  

• This was a good start to what appears to be a new group of youth who can practice and learn leadership.

LESSONS LEARNED / PRACTICED:

1. -The first session with new participants sets the tone for the future sessions. 

2. -Often the participants are there because their parents signed them up. It was not their decision to attend.

3. -Introduction to what they can expect and what it can mean to them is critical. 

4. -It is important to set a tone where they feel comfortable to step out of their comfort zone.

5. -Discuss the options and have them try some of the roles they can perform at future sessions.

6. -Describe the different roles that can be performed at a session. Example roles are: Chairperson, Mystery Master, Jokester, Quizzer, Timer, Wizard of Ahs, etc. 

7. -Show and answer questions about all the potential roles.

8. -Explain the value of each role.

9. -Encourage them to attend forthcoming sessions even if they do not feel comfortable.

10. -Ensure they realize they can observe until they feel comfortable enough to participate.

11. -For those who are not comfortable, ensure they know they can “Pass” on any requested activity.

12. -It is important to involve them to connect with them.

13. -Having siblings from the same family can be helpful to all involved. This is a separate and interesting topic.

14. -Encourage them to volunteer for the roles for next session.

15. -The coach can fill in any critical role to show how it is performed.

16. -If you have not worked with youth this can be a little daunting. How to proceed is reviewed in the Coach’s Playbook.

17. -Have them become involved and run the sessions and ultimately the clubs.

If you are interested in learning more, contact me to obtain a report on a simple and easy system on how to set up group coaching programs for youth. You can do this in the ‘Contact us‘ section of the website.

Please contact me to enter the discussion OR TO REQUEST A FREE COPY OF THE GROUP COACHING PLAYBOOK. 

Wishing you lots of love and laughter, as always.

Fred Jones

Victoria, BC Canada

Fred Jones