A Little Help

A few weeks ago, we ran an editorial about the shifting burden of responsibility to the shoulders of our youths.

More and more these days, changes in privacy laws and government policies force teenagers to be more in charge of their destiny early on in life whether they are ready or not.

This is quite aside from the benefits to teenagers of recognizing well before they become adults that they need to develop a vision for their lives and use that as a source of inspiration to do well in school, and learn to become self-sufficient.

This week, we want to draw attention to the need for adult guidance and support for this phase in teenagers lives. As long as teenagers are willing to grab the bull by the horns and become their own best advocate, there are plenty of resources in our communities to help young people get and stay on the right track.

But we want to invite more young adults and adults to volunteer and make a difference in their success.

In Waitsburg, we have Boy Scouts, Rainbow Girls, Leos, Rural Green Youth Enterprises, 4-H and FFA in addition to the many school-based and extra-curricular sports programs.

In Dayton, we have some of these same programs and as well as programs that serve the entire valley, such as Salt & Light and, the subject of this column, Young Life and Wyldlife.

Representatives from Young Life, a faith-based youth outreach ministry, came to see us earlier this week because they are currently recruiting for volunteer positions in Dayton. The Waitsburg program, run among others by Jeff and Lori Bartlow, is part of the network's Walla Walla chapter.

Dayton Young Life Executive Board Secretary Anita Hutchens told us the Dayton chapter is hoping to add new volunteer youth leaders, finance (fundraising) committee members and executive board members. Young Life is not an assertive faith-sharing or prosthelytizing organization, Walla Walla representative Shane Prudente said. It is not affiliated with a specific church or denomination, though volunteers are expected to be Christian. The main goal is to reach out to kids and do positive things with them through song, camp and other activities. Volunteer leaders should expect to help out about five hours per week. The ministry has two foci: Wyldlife for middle schoolers and Young Life for high schoolers. Hutchens said her team, which includes part-time area director Diana Frame, hopes to engage in a Dayton-area fundraising campaign to raise a $30,000 annual budget, which helps pay for Young Life and Wyldlife summer camps.

We don't necessarily advocate a volunteer choice for Young Life over other local and much-needed youth outreach programs mentioned above. All of them are worthy of prospective recruits' consideration and can be contacted online or with the Times' help.

It does seem that Young Life, just as other supportive organizations like it, makes a difference in the lives of teenagers and can sometimes turn their lives around.

"First time I ever came to Dayton, I was doing drugs and drank a lot," one Dayton high schooler wrote in a testimonial. "I used to be mean to people and nobody at school liked me. Making bad choices was a big part of my life." The young man goes on to the day he was introduced to soccer coach D.J. Frame who invited him to church, where in turn, he was later asked if he wanted to join Young Life and go to camp.

"I said now because I couldn't afford it," he wrote. But volunteer leader Tammi Weppler told him there would be a lot of work projects, so "I worked to raise the money for camp."

The teenager found Young Life camp "an amazing place" with "lots of fun things to do," but more importantly, the connections he made and faith he found helped him decide he was done with drugs and alcohol.

"When I came back home I made more friends and I started going to church, Sunday school and Young Life club," he wrote. "Young life changed my life and I can't wait to go again (to camp) this year." Hutchens said community members interested in joining the Youth Life/Wyldlife team in Dayton are invited to come to a series of introductory meetings:

Finance Board: Wednesday, March 14, 12-1 p.m. at Sky Book & Brew

Executive Board: Wednesday, March 21, 7-9 p.m., Methodist Church (Clay Street entrance)

Leader Orientation: Tuesday, March 13, 7-8 p.m., Delaney Building

For more information, call Diana Frame at 509-540-1598 or 509-382-4553 or send her an email: dianaf@columbiainet.com

From personal experience, there are few things more gratifying than engaging with youths in positive life-building and nurturing activities.

It's the antidote to the kind of societal isolation many teenagers risk slipping into with working families and the temptations of substance abuse even at a young age.

We hope you can make a difference.