As I drive around Baton Rouge, I have noticed less school zone lights flashing in the afternoons.  This can only mean one thing...students are finishing their school year and being released back into the wild for the summer!  Not that long ago, summer was a time for rest and relaxation with a few summer reading books thrown in to keep your mind sharp.  It seems that students today, especially teenagers, are filling their summers with activities, trips, and service.  Gone are the lazy days of summer for lying around the pool and playing ball in the streets.  

What does that mean for those of us in youth ministry?  We need to make our summer programs matter.  The reality is that teenagers are just as busy in the summer as they are during the school year.  We should focus our energies on doing a few things really well. 

As for the diocesan youth ministry staff, we focus our summer energies on our Catholic Leadership Institute.  In just two short weeks, we will be leaving for St. Louis University for an eight day journey into what it means to be Catholic leader.  We live on campus in student housing at the Jesuit university, giving students a taste of what it is like to go to a Catholic college.  Meanwhile, we learn important leadership skills, spend time working on our personal relationships with God, and develop lasting friendships within our CLI community.  Those who attend CLI will spend time learning about their own unique gifts and discerning their vocations to see how God is calling them to use their gifts in the world.  It is an intense 8 day journey, but it is definitely time well spent.  

If you would like to get a taste of what St. Louis University is like, visit their website and read the student blogs.  For more information about our CLI program, click here.  Please pray for the 90 people traveling to St. Louis from June 2-9 as part of our CLI community.  For those of you who are past Baton Rouge CLI participants and staff, check out our Facebook group to re-connect with old CLI friends!

Make the most out of your summer!  I know we will at CLI!

This time of year my mailbox gets flooded with graduation announcements and party invitations.  In youth ministry, I have the privilege of walking with so many young people on their high school journeys and then sending them off to the next phase of their lives.  At graduation, the prospect of heading off to college seems glamorous and surreal, but sometimes the transition into college life can be quite stressful for young adults.  

Busted Halo has a book titled The Freshman Survival Guide that gives some very practical and uesful tips for high school graduates on how to navigate the summer between high school and college.  You can read their 7 tips below or check out their full article.  Also, don't forget to get connected with the Catholic Student Center or Newman Center on your college campus.  If you need help finding it, try this website that can help you search for Catholic Masses and Campus Ministry at your college.  

1.     Take Care of Your Relationships --(See chapter 1, p. 5)

2.     Fight Procrastination — Whether it’s shopping for dorm supplies or getting your freshman reading done, make yourself do one thing each day to get ready to go. Another good approach is to dedicate a day each week over the summer to getting college stuff done. Tell yourself, “Thursdays will be my college prep days,” so it doesn’t all mount up for the last weekend before you leave. You’ll want to save that time for friends and family. (See chapter 12, p. 121)

3.     Talk to the Roommates — sooner rather than later about who is bringing what to avoid duplicates. Check your college’s rules to see which appliances are allowed (usually you can have a mini-fridge but not a toaster oven). Check out ourpacking list!

4.     Save your $$$  – Don’t blow it all on college supplies before you leave. (See #3.) You may be surprised at how little you’ll need. It’s nice to have posters for your dorm room and that thing that hangs over the door to hold your shoes but it’ll be nicer still to have a few bucks in your account the last couple weeks of the semester.

5.     Talk to your Parents — They may make you crazy but let them give you advice. It’ll make them feel better and they may actually have some helpful wisdom to share. Remember you’re probably going to need them in the months to come and the better your relationship is now the easier it will be to ask for help later. Try to be patient with them and keep in mind that this is a big transition for them too.

6.     Seek out Mentors — Talk to friends who just finished freshman or sophomore year at college and ask them for their best advice. They’re fresh from the fight and can give you the clearest picture of what to expect. Check out the Interactive RA for advice from RA’s around the country.

7.     Know Where to Find Help on your new campus — wander the website for your school. You know your own struggles best so whether its extra academic help at the writing lab, figuring out where the counseling center is and how to get an appointment, or knowing where the gym is, give yourself a head start. (See chapter 18, p. 180)