Young Life group wants to encourage connection

MOSES LAKE — Christopher Voigt and Lisa Naydenov said the goal of the Young Life group they lead is to connect with teens who otherwise might not have many connections.

“I guess nowadays, kids don’t really have a sense of belonging,” Voigt said. “They’re friends with everyone on social media, but they don’t have that tight-knit group of friends in person. We want to be (a resource) for the kids in relationship building. Our goal is to build relationships with kids who may not have in-person relationships otherwise.”

Naydenov said it’s rooted in the Christian faith and is open to all teens, regardless of personal beliefs.

“It’s a faith-based organization. We are adults trying to get into the kids’ world, trying to meet them where they are. We try to get to know them, to earn trust with them, to walk beside them in life,” she said. 

“Our ultimate goal is to tell them about Jesus, but we have to earn that right,” she added. 

The leadership role is a part-time job for Voigt and Naydenov, who are helped by a number of volunteers. The leadership team includes both adults and students, Voigt said. 

“We have a great team,” Naydenov said. 

They started working as Young Life leaders in November, she said. 

The group sponsors activities at 7:17 p.m. every Monday night, either at the Red Door Cafe, 202 W. Third Ave., or Journey Church, 303 E. Nelson Road. Teens can find out where Young Life is meeting through the group’s social media. They are on Instagram at @Columbia Basin YL. 

Voigt said one of the practices of Young Life is that its leaders are out and about. 

“It starts with just being in the community. We go out to football games, or basketball games, or we grab lunch with a student and they bring friends, and we start to build relationships that way,” he said. 

Activity nights are a place for teens to hang out, maybe with people they haven’t met before, and discuss whatever they like, including faith if they choose. 

“We just come in, play games, have fun,” Voigt said. 

He has personal experience with the impact Young Life can have, he said.

“Growing up, I was a super-anxious kid, wouldn’t leave the house, meltdown daily. And then I ended up getting invited to go to Young Life camp. I had no clue what was happening, or what Young Life was. I don’t know, something clicked there — I came back and was a social butterfly. My mom was, like, ‘Who are you?’ She didn’t recognize me after that,” he said. 

The Young Life organization has programs designed for middle school students and other groups, but for right now the leaders are focused on high school-age youth, Naydenov said.

Voigt and Naydenov said they plan to take students to a Young Life summer camp, in this case one in British Columbia. 

“You take two ferries to get there,” Naydenov said.

Its remote location is an advantage, she said; there’s lots to do, and participants find they can give up scrolling on the phone. 

“I think one of the coolest parts about camp is that kids don’t even realize they’re missing their cell phones, either. They don’t even want them back by the time they leave. Because they don’t realize how much they get caught up in that until they’re not caught up in that,” she said. 

Voigt and Naydenov said they want teens to feel like they can find support at Young Life.

“Whatever resource they need, we want to meet their needs,” she said. “Build relationships that they can trust.”

Naydenov said it’s been a benefit to her, too.

“I think it’s been a bigger blessing for me,” she said. “People (say), ‘Oh, it’s so great that you do that.’ But I feel like I’m getting the better end of the deal, just because it’s so awesome to be part of their lives.”

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Young Life participants volunteered to let others paint their faces while the painters were blindfolded at a recent event.
  

    Outdoor activities are part of the Young Life program.