
There are tons of differences between a 6th grader and a senior in high school. Can they both thrive in the same environment? Can they both thrive in the same environment? That’s the question we’re wrestling with this week. In our conversation, we discuss the developmental differences between MS and HS students, the importance of varied communication styles, and unique ways we can connect with each phase inside and outside of large group.
Voices In This Episode
EPISODE RECAP
- Host Brett Talley, along with podcast guests Ashley Bohinc, Candice Wynn, and Crystal Chiang share their experiences with having a mixed group in youth ministry (1:48)
- The major differences between middle school and high school students that make a shared space difficult (9:58)
- The difference between maturity and development (12:23)
- How we can reach middle schoolers and high schoolers better during shared large group times (23:24)
- How to keep students engaged in a combined environment (26:11)
- How to keep middle schoolers engaged (30:15)
- How to keep high schoolers engaged (39:15)
QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE
Small groups help students dive deeper into a topic they might have a tough time understanding. —Candice Wynn Click To TweetIdentifying a champion for each age group in your youth ministry is a powerful tool that can help you figure out what it looks like to be more intentional with each grade and each phase in the room. —Crystal Chiang Click To TweetLeading a youth ministry with middle schoolers and high schoolers in the same room? Always be thinking about how you can tweak your programming to be more intentional with each phase. —Candice Wynn Click To TweetMiddle school leaders have to find ways to concretely anchor abstract thoughts to things middle school students know and understand. —Ashley Bohinc Click To TweetIf you're a leader of both middle school and high school students, you have to be bilingual. You have to speak both middle school and high school languages and be constantly aware of who you’re communicating with. —Candice Wynn Click To Tweet
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE
Website: INFLUNSR
Resource: Phase Guides
Resource: XP3 Middle School curriculum
Resource: XP3 High School curriculum
Resource: RYM 028: Should Middle School And High School Be Separate Or Combined?
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