A large part of education at Columbia is learning to integrate what you are learning with the community you belong to. Each student is required to participate in a weekly Service Practicum; volunteering their time in the community. Luke, a first year Youth Work student, shares his experience.
I have learned a lot through my Service Practicum, particularly, that I have to watch myself much more carefully. Before, I could
basically do what I wanted to do and I really did not have to think if it would
affect anybody. Now that I am a leader and I have these young little guys
watching me, I have to be carefully of what I say and what I do in my spare
time. It really makes me think in what I do. Is what I do useful for anything,
or anybody? That is one of my biggest challenges being a youth leader. A
challenge for the best, to try and improve on myself.
I have also learned that not everyone will like me and some kids are harder to reach out to than others. There are some real ‘punk kids’ in there - real raw. Those guys are my challenge, then there are guys who are just amazing, who just need a friend. These guys just need a little push and they will be on the track for great things. Many of these kids do not have any older role models in their lives except for their mom and dad’s. Most impressions they have of older people my age are people who do not care about anything and only care about themselves and having a good time. I hope I can change their point of view and show them that we, as older members of the community and potential role models, can be better than that.
I can apply anything I do within this youth group for the future. I want to pursue youth work, and anything I learn from this I can apply for the future. I am pretty sure right now that God has called me to become a youth worker, and so I want to be as great as I can be at it. I have never done anything like this before I started working with this youth group, so any experience is a good experience, because it is all learning for me.
I have also learned that not everyone will like me and some kids are harder to reach out to than others. There are some real ‘punk kids’ in there - real raw. Those guys are my challenge, then there are guys who are just amazing, who just need a friend. These guys just need a little push and they will be on the track for great things. Many of these kids do not have any older role models in their lives except for their mom and dad’s. Most impressions they have of older people my age are people who do not care about anything and only care about themselves and having a good time. I hope I can change their point of view and show them that we, as older members of the community and potential role models, can be better than that.
I can apply anything I do within this youth group for the future. I want to pursue youth work, and anything I learn from this I can apply for the future. I am pretty sure right now that God has called me to become a youth worker, and so I want to be as great as I can be at it. I have never done anything like this before I started working with this youth group, so any experience is a good experience, because it is all learning for me.
Luke Friesen is in his first
year of the Youth Work Program and is completing his Service Practicum working as a
youth leader at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford. When he is not volunteering with youth, Luke moonlights as Clark Kent. To learn more about Youth Work at Columbia, visit www.columbiabc.edu/youthwork.
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