Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with some local St. Pete Beach teens and was struck by their good will and attentiveness. Not exactly the designation we give teenagers today.
As I struggle to steal a minute of uninterrupted conversation with my own children, one particular comment resonated with me. “It so nice that we don’t bring electronics, no one is talking on the phone or chatting to other friends; we are always talking with each other.”
Cheyce Bachelor was referring to the time she spends at her Sunday youth program and during their summer mission trips. I have to think this group, which operates out of Pass-A-Grille, UCC Community Church and are known locally as WAVE, is doing something right.
While the kids gather each week to have some fun and explore their faith, youth leaders say the idea behind the program is to give teens a safe, welcoming, loving environment to gather. These leaders hope to nurture each youth so they understand that they are all invaluable and irreplaceable.
Cheyce points out that the group is very diverse, with most going to different schools and living in other communities, “but at youth, we all get together and hang out and it’s nice to open up your friend group.” Along with the groups weekly gatherings, each year the 50 plus kids leave their friends, jobs, family and the creature comforts of home to help those in need.Taking time out of their summer, they travel to some part of the United States or the world. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay according to the youth is in smiles, but each year they chose to go back again, try harder and usually with an even bigger group, as they continue to recruit friends to join their program.
She says, “I really like getting close with my group – the people you volunteer with and the people you volunteer to help -you get to immerse yourself in the work with no distractions and I like that. Normally, you have your friends and keep putting off helping people, but these kinds of trips give you that opportunity.”
Another one of the teens, Kristin Smith remembers Pocahontas, Virginia, as her favorite stop. While she was there, her group helped build a wheel chair ramp for an elderly lady. When I asked the teens about the work, they say it is always hard, but you are “surrounded by friends and nice people so you don’t think about the work, you are always having fun while you do it.”
This year, the kids voted to do a labor intensive building project. Jeanne Haemmelmann, Associate Minister for Youth and Young Adults and Leader of the WAVE group, says she is alway amazed at how the group responds to the choices. Each year she gives the high school seniors in the group three options for the following year’s mission. “ I try to give them a variety from the very difficult, hands on with long days, to the easy, more hands off, short days.” Haemmelmann says, the kids always pick the hard ones that have the most work and the least play. They will travel to a river village in the Amazon to work with indigenous people in the jungles of Peru. Working with Life Tree Adventures, an arm of Group Works, the teens will build a church and parsonage in two weeks. According to Caleb Renault, one of the groups’ seniors, “we wanted the project that would accomplish the most in the time we had.”
Group leaders say the area they are traveling to is very remote with little or no resources, so they are responsible for bringing their own supplies, including tools, building materials, food and housing. These 14-18 year olds will leave behind iPods, iPhones and wifi, along with air conditioning and a comfortable bed to deliver 2000 pounds of lumber up a 100 foot embankment to a small Amazonian village of 100. There will be mud, bugs and sore muscles, but they say they can’t wait.
In order to be self sufficient and not a burden to the local people, the group will travel by boat with everything they need, spending their days working in the village and evenings sleeping on the boat, some in hammocks. The accommodations sound anything but luxurious, and are absent of electricity and of course any kind of computer access.
In a world where most youths are looking for their next hand out, these kids are looking to provide the next hand up and are already working hard to raise the funds required to ensure that no youth is left behind for financial reasons. To get there, they will need to raise money not only for their group’s travel and stay, but also for the wood and building supplies.
Organizers are also ensuring that a couple of days on the end of the trip are dedicated to rest and fun. So, this year, the kids will be adding a hiking trip up to Machu Picchu. Haemmelmann tries hard to give the kids balance. After 20 years as a youth leader she recognizes the need to reward the kids for their efforts. “What the kids see and do is very challenging. We try hard to break it down for them and help them understand that they are making a difference in the world. They can’t expect to change everything, in one trip, but the important part is just to give back when you can.”
As I spent time talking with this exceptional group of young people, I couldn’t help but see the difference in their attitude and the positive effects on them because of their volunteer work. Ironically, it is the work that they enjoy, remember and get excited talking about, its not the white water rafting or the amusement park that was their favorite. Some even went so far as to say they always make sure that the fun doesn’t interfere with getting the job completed.
This group is a non-profit organization and is always happy to receive support and encourages involvement with the group from any teen who would like to be a part. If you would like more information or would like to donate to their work, visit:www. pagchurch.org and click on the youth ministry link or contact Jeanne Haemmelmann (727)366-0867.
Story by Lisa Dower