2009.10.02
YoungLife is going on its third year in Salem and Glenvar High Schools
In the third year of YoungLife's official existence in Salem and Glenvar, local sponsors and leaders were able to bring close to 300 people to its annual banquet September 29 at the Salem Civic Center. YoungLife is a nondenominational Christian ministry that reaches out to teenagers through young (and youth-geared) adults and college students. They focus on building relationships with teens by first "winning the right to be heard." With their constant presence at schools -- at sports events, dances, to just visiting the school cafeteria, counselors give the kids the chance to decide if they want to talk to them about Jesus, first. They hold a weekly meeting, usually hosted by a teen's parent, and they have the opportunity to invite kids to YL summer camp in Rockbridge County.
Jeff Lakin, a 45-year-old former senior pastor isn't the typical YL counselor. They're more like Stephanie Ulan, a recent Radford graduate. Lakin is the counselor for Salem High and Ulan is Glenvar High's counselor.
This year, Ulan and Lakin have recruited Stafford Craymer, a recent Virginia Tech grad, as a volunteer YL leader to head up Capernaum, which is a program dedicated to kids and young adults with disabilities. Very similar to the mainstream YL program, counselors develop voluntary relationships with students by volunteering in special education programs.
Another program that the Salem-Glenvar YL is working to bring to this area is WyldLife - YL for middle school students.
"We're a community that does things well and we're not afraid to lead the way in terms of looking out for other areas," Lakin said. Their goal is not just to expand YL in Salem, but in Roanoke County schools like Northside that don't have it. "It's not about just keeping this thing in Salem, but we want to partner with beyond."
Terrible! This is a horrible group. Coersion.
They single out kids after enticing them to weekend retreats and such things, only to apply the pressure to them to comply with their cult rituals. Watch out for these folks. DON'T LET THEM NEAR YOUR KIDS!
Comment by Ron Willilams — October 12, 2009 @ 6:41 am
Wow, Ron, I'm not sure what all you mean by your post, but I'd love to talk to you sometime about Young Life. You must have had a bad experience with Young Life at some point, and I am terribly sorry about that. As the committee chair for Salem/Glenvar Young Life, I would love to have an opportunity to speak with you in person about this.
Young Life is in no way at all a cult and has no rituals associated with it. Many teen are struggling with many questions about life. Young Life leaders build relationships with teens and support them through these often difficult times. They are interested in working alongside parents, schools, and local churches to see that every young person is loved and supported. They provide amazing camping experiences, Bible studies for those who are interested, incredibly fun/safe/positive activities at their weekly "club", and strong supportive relationships that today's teens need.
As the parent of a Salem High School teen, I am so glad that Young Life is here. Several volunteer leaders from Roanoke College have built strong relationships with her. It is so nice and reassuring, as a parent, to know that I'm not the only one looking out for my child's best interests during this time in her life.
Ron (or anyone else with questions about Young Life) please feel free to contact me at s_habeeb@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts and find out why you have this perception of Young Life. I won't try to convince you to think otherwise, but I would like an opportunity to seek to understand your point of view.
Comment by Scott Habeeb — November 3, 2009 @ 4:41 pm