Where do youth want to be? As youth workers, we seem to know this answer. Or, atleast we think that we do. We read studies, hear lectures, sermons, and have on-the-ground-knowledge from personal interaction with the youth we regularly work with. But do we actually know where they really want to be? As people of faith, as young people, in their careers, in their personal lives, etc.

What if we started our time with our youth, maybe at the beginning of the program year, or at the beginning on a meeting, with asking the question “where do you want to be in x amount of time?” What if instead of focusing so much on the past and present, we focused on where youth wanted to be? Isn’t our job to be uplifters of youth? Aren’t we meant to help them get where they want to go?

So, why not ask them where they want to be? They know where they are now. So, let’s help them move forward, into their futures, and let’s help them build bridges so they can get there.

That’s our job. To build bridges with our youth, so they can get to where they’re going.