Research Paper

I jumped on the bus with my cozy pajamas on and I was ready for the miserable 14 hour bus ride. I was going to Colorado for the Young Life Camp. I already went on two Wyldlife trips before but this was my first trip with Young Life. I had a stomach ache because I knew this trip was going to be different as some of my close friends weren’t going on it. They went on the Wyldlife trips, so I was anxious to find out my cabin, but also I was excited to see. The bus was swaying back forth as we were going up the mountains. I was getting nervous. My hands started to sweat as we were getting close to the edge of the mountain. Finally we arrived and they started naming off the cabin list right away. While everyone was moving to find their belongings I heard my name. I kept listening and I heard a couple of my friends names and then I heard random names. I knew from the start that this trip was going to be different. Right away we had an activity to do. We were always busy with activities. Some of my favorite activities were swimming in the pool, repelling from a small mountain, horseback riding, and climbing an enormous mountain. The days felt so long but the week flew by. I went into camp wanting to leave but then when camp was ending I wanted to stay. I never wanted to do Young Life when I was younger because my siblings never did it and they told me bad things about it. I decided to do it because all of my friends were going, so I decided to go. It changed my life forever. I made special bonds with people and God. Young Life is a beneficial organization that allows people to come together through God and find enjoyment through God.

Young life is an organization that helps kids grow in their faith. Young life was started by Jim Rayburn and he started it in 1939 in Texas. It all started with a weekly club. At this club there would be some singing, a couple of skits, and a simple message about Jesus Christ. Young Life was getting more popular and started spreading through more states.

Youth groups would be good for teenagers because teenage years is hard for teenagers. Many teenagers have a lot of problems in their lives and youth groups can help with that. Teenagers are very busy with school work, clubs, sports, family, and friends. In the article “Survey Reveals Significant Student Stress” there is a pie graph that shows if kids have extreme stress, high stress, moderate stress, limited stress, or no stress. The top two highest percentages were moderate stress with 42 percent and high stress with 29 percent. Kids are stressed in high school because they have so much going on. They are expected to get good grades while being active and having a social life. Teenagers shouldn’t be this stress. Being in a youth group could help relieve stress for teenagers. Young Life is a place where kids let loose and have a good time. This would be good for kids because stress can lead to things like depression. In the article “Teen Depression Statistics” the author states, “About 20 percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.” Depression is common among teenagers. Depression is serious and if people have depression they need to talk to someone. Some people don’t have friends so they can’t talk to there friends but youth groups are a great way of sharing how you feel. Youth groups are very helpful because teenagers can share their problems in a safe environment. Teenagers have a lot of problems with family, friends, and grades. Youth groups would help teenagers tremendously.

There are a lot of benefits to youth groups. Youth groups are great because you meet new people and you learn about god. Young Life is a great youth group that brings new people together. In the Relationships Magazine Stacey Windal interviewed Patrick Lundberg and he says, “I don’t know where I would be without Pat and my Wyldlife leader before him.” You meet people you thought you would never meet. The connections you create with your leaders and other people will last forever. On the website Community Toolbox the article ‘Establishing Youth Organization” the author says, “Young people involved in organizations can receive information on staying safe and healthy from their peers or adults they know and respect.” Youth groups are a great way to find people that will make a positive influence in your life. They will always be there for you no matter what. People bond over God. At camp you spend everyday talking about God. On the Young Life website there was an article, “God Saved me Twice” written by Ned Erickson, he says “The best part was on Saturday night. Dave gave us 15 minutes to be alone and think about God’s live. As I prayed, I remember the miracle that God performed before I was born. It made me think of what Jesus did for me 2,000 years ago. God had saved me twice!” In Young Life you learn so much about god. Most people go to Young Life for the social aspect but a lot of people go to learn about God. At camp you learn about God in an exciting way. All the speakers are different but they all explain it good because the message is easy to understand.

Another benefit about Young Life is it's a place where you can be yourself. Young Life is a judge free zone. On the website Community Toolbox the article “Establishing Youth Organization” says, “Young People can bring a tremendous amount of life to an organization; often, their energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective are invaluable to members of larger community initiatives that chose to actively involve them.” During Young Life people go insane. Everybody is singing and dancing. Everybody has energy even if they’re tired because Young Life is always fun. I lose my voice every time I go to camp. Camp is unique because know one cares what they look like. During camp girls wears nike shorts, a baggy tshirt, their hair up, and most girls don’t wear makeup. Guys just wear the same things as they normally do. People rarely shower because there’s always something to do. Girls usually care about what they look like so it’s nice to go to camp and not care. People can look awful but still have the time of their life. Young Life is a place where you can be yourself without being judged.

Some people don’t believe in Young Life. A lot of people talk bad about Young Life but a lot of them haven’t been to Young Life. A person that I know posted on twitter saying Young Life is dumb. This person has never been too Young Life and he doesn’t know anything about it. He decided to go a an “all nighter” that Young Life holds. During the all nighter we did exciting activities like we went to navy pier to watch a movie, we played sports in a indoor place, we went to extreme trampoline, and we went ice skating. In between all these activities we had “club”. Club is where you sing music, then a skit is performed, and then we had a message about God. After the all nighter was done he said he actually enjoyed it. He only had positive comments about Young Life. He knew nothing about Young Life at first because he wasn’t involved with it. You have to experience young life or youth groups to know what it's all about.

Young Life and youth groups are great for teenagers. There are so many benefits with youth groups. The teenage years is a hard time for many teenagers and a lot of teenagers would benefit from a youth group. Youth groups are a great way to meet new people while being yourself. Youth groups can help teenagers become more social because they are making connections with people. You learn so much about yourself and God with a youth group. Young Life has impacted my life so much. If I didn’t start it in 7th grade my life would be different. I still talk to my leaders every once in awhile. I talk to the girls that were in my cabin and some of them are my close friends now. God has played a major role in my life throughout this whole journey. I have found myself through this journey. This experience was incredible and I loved it so much that I decided to become a Wyldlife leader. I now lead a group of crazy 8th graders. I am so happy I can lead them and help them along this journey. My life is changed for the better all because I did Young Life.