“No one has ever cheered like this for RJ his entire life.”
Kids long to be known. Kids long to be loved. Kids even long to be celebrated. When they sense they’re important – that they matter to those around them – they feel safe. And when they feel safe, they’re more likely to open up to their friends and share what’s going on in their heads, their hearts, and their lives.
Many adolescents are like RJ – shy, quiet, and reserved. Young Life is for every kid, and we want to go the extra mile for each of them. In RJ’s case, all it took was having hundreds of kids chanting his name…
Shy to the Next Level
Last year RJ* faithfully showed up to Young Life club every week. He came solely for the fun, and patiently “dealt with” the fact that we talked about Jesus! His leader knew he had to get RJ to Castaway Club, Young Life’s camp in Minnesota, so he met with RJ’s parents to see if it was possible.
It was a hard “no.” They simply didn’t have the funds.
But this never stops a Young Life leader. There are always fundraising opportunities! Long story short, RJ was able to fundraise the cost of the trip and came to camp!
Before camp, no leader had heard RJ say more than five words. He was “shy to the next level,” which put him on the leaders’ radar. We wanted to hear from him. To listen to him and learn from him. We wanted him to feel comfortable, because we want all kinds of kids to experience the good news of God’s love.
Shouts of Love
Each night at club, a kid is invited on stage to do a simple talent and the crowd goes WILD! And wild means WILD! The audience jumps up and down, screaming as loud as they can, chanting the person’s name. We knew we had to get RJ up on stage, as this would be a huge win for him. The very first night, RJ got called to the stage, shaking in his boots.
“What’s your name?” the program characters asked.
“RJ,” he said timidly.
At that moment, the crowd went nuts! RJ looked utterly confused, but he also kind of liked it.
“Where are you from?” the characters asked.
“Rochester, Minnesota,” RJ responded.
Again, the crowd went WILD.
A smile started to emerge on RJ’s face. But as the program character on stage asked RJ to present his talent, again, a confused look crossed over RJ’s face…he hadn’t prepared a talent…what was he supposed to do?
It was then the program character told the crowd that RJ was one of the finest artists around. In fact, he could draw a house in 10 seconds. They gave RJ a sheet of paper and a marker, 10 seconds to draw, and he got down to work.
At the moment of truth – the big reveal – the program character turned the paper around, and even though the crowd could barely tell it was a house, they went WILD!
RJ had a grin plastered across his face. “RJ! RJ! RJ! RJ!” chanted the crowd.
RJ couldn’t help but start fist pumping and dancing on stage.
You see, no one has ever cheered like this for RJ his entire life.
Cabin Time with a Celebrity Chatterbox
That same night RJ, his leaders, and his cabin mates sat down for cabin time, where everyone discussed what the speaker said in club about Jesus. The previously quiet teenager said more words than his leaders had ever heard him say in his life. He was comfortable, and felt safe enough to open up – in fact he was a chatterbox!
For the rest of the camp week, everywhere RJ went people chanted his name; he was a celebrity. He felt loved by everyone around him, and at Young Life camp, that’s the goal. For kids to feel the true and immeasurable love Jesus Christ has for us.
What simple encouragement lessons can we take from RJ’s story?
∙ Learn people’s names.
Say their name often when learning it.
Remember “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” -Dale Carnegie
∙ Let people know we’re for them.
Encourage them before a challenge.
Cheer for them during their effort.
Celebrate their accomplishments.
∙ Don’t just stop at one time.
When you see them again, call them by name.
Encourage them in who they are.
Continue to celebrate their victories.
Want to learn more about Young Life’s methodology in celebrating kids? Check out our Five C’s of Young Life Page.
*name has been changed
