There comes a point that a youth worker will have a concerned parent(s)
ask one of the toughest questions they will ever be asked in youth ministry.
The first time I was asked this question I was still cutting my teeth in youth
ministry and I was completely unprepared. Luckily I was asked this question
when a parent called me at the office so they didn't see the blank stare on my
face. I said I would get back to them as before the day was out because I was
working on something else. I lied! My entire agenda for that day got thrown out
and finding the answer for this parent and more importantly for myself was my
only aim. The question was this: what
teenager treatment centre would I recommend as youth pastor?
Questions could continue about which centres are the best ones, and
eventually the cost of various treatment centres will come up. Parents are
willing to do whatever it takes for their kids.
I was recently challenged on this when I watched a CBC special on a teenage treatment centre in Calgary.
The Alberta Adolescent
Recovery Centre, based in Calgary, claims an 80 per cent success
rate. The Calgary facility that is supposed to help teens overcome
addictions is the subject of some abuse allegations, a CBC investigation has
found. [CBC Article Here]
This got me thinking,
what do I really know about teenage treatment centres? I've had personal
contact with only 2-3 centres, yet I know there are more. I have never
been on any of their properties and I certainly don't know what material
they cover in their respective programs.
Some questions I have thought through:
- What treatment centre would I recommend without hesitation?
- What do I really know about these treatment centres? If I need to research and even take a road trip, then I should do that. (This could also be part of #3&4 as well.)
- Does your organization have any policies about what treatment centre(s) they would support or recommend?
- If there is no policy in place, you might be a catalyst to get one established and a clear process that even the other staff and youth workers will know what to do if they are asked the same question.
- Does your church financially support a teenage treatment centre through their budget.
Jeff Smyth is husband to Heather, who blogs here. Jeff has been involved youth ministry leadership for 15 years in both the local church and non-profit areas of Canada. He has been serving for the past 3 years as the coordinator of community initiatives with DOXAToronto.com the Scarborough arm of Youth Unlimited (Toronto YFC). Learn more about him by visiting ThinkYouthMinistry.com or follow him @jeffsmyth
2 comments:
I have never had to deal with this question, although it almost happened on a few occasions. This is a great checklist Jeff, thanks.
I'm glad it could help you.
Post a Comment