Pris(Teen) is a tween/teen girls program emphasizing God's commandments for us while developing Godly women. It emphasizes relationship building and bonding with parents demonstrating the God family relationship.
Currently this program is split into 2 program sessions: fall/winter and spring/summer. Below are some example of subjects. Soon I hope to have the program translated for the sane and those who can't read chicken scratch. I have about 3000 stickies and post-it's I'm also having to transcribe and place in the correct spot. I guess that's why all of my receipts and documents for the tax year are always delivered to my accountant in a large plastic bin. I really don't want to know what she says under her breath or after I shut her door. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
If your church or after school program are interested in this program prior to its printing, please let us know and we will try to help best we can. As promised:
Fall/Winter
Crush in' - what are crushes and how to handle them without becoming a stalker
"hooked"- discuss the "hooking up" trend ( this will be the only time we discuss sex and only with permission once parents know exactly what will be discussed)
Relationships: opposite sex, cliques, mean girls, and teachers
"What if I can't knit?" Being a Godly woman as described in Proverbs 31
God character trait examples based on the Fruits of the Spirit - first 3 are love, joy and peace
Moms: "If it's not one thing, it's a Mother." We study mothers such as Mary, Sarah and Hagar, Hannah, and the mother of Moses. We study these examples privately with just girls but create homework with their moms as well as plan an activity with the girls and their moms. (Remember part of this program is to bring kids and parents closer.) I pray
that both groups will grow spiritually, grow their compassion and that the teens will begin associating fun with their parents not just rules. My brother is a Baptist preacher and he said something that really stuck with me. "With Baptists you always know what they're against but not what their for."No truer words. Of course, my husband and I are not Baptist so I really appreciated his sensitivity to his own denomination. When I first developed this program, I asked if I could try it out with his youth as they needed workers for the girls. My brother deferred to the youth director- a kid still in seminary who told me no. We agreed we were here for kingdom building but the Baptist had different "mapquest"directions on how to get there. I cried for 3 days. Not because I was turned down as much as I knew how hungry the girls were for good healthy female relationships.
Lastly, during the month of February we will emphasize the study of "love" from the book of Ruth.
Spring/Summer
Good decision-making and goal setting "huh?" 2 of the last fruits of the spirit: meekness and temperance. Fancy words for humble and controlled or self-disciplined.
Boundaries: building and keeping. "look at the hand."
Money Matters (a lot)
Being a Lady: etiquette and manners "Audrey Hepburn - God style"
Daddies: how they affect our self-esteem, evaluating them- are they a safe person emotionally and spiritually? (We also have homework for dads and daughters as well as planned activities.
Divorce: with the rate at 80% Christian or non-Christian how do we handle it? "We are Family." (We also have activities that are between all family members including blended. Although we are blessed to get our self esteem from our Heavenly Father, teenage girls still rely on their biological earthly father. We will do everything we can to foster talk relationship between the father and daughter or both the father and stepfather.
Peer Pressure - fitting in (God tells us to be in this wold but not of this world so what does that meN and how to help teens navigate that while their flesh just wants to be accepted and popular. Can there be both?)
Continue to study more God character- longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith
This is a program parents have to be just as committed to as girls. If both parents are alive and living near, they must participate. Otherwise, it sends a detrimental message to your daughter that one to two hours a month is too much to spend with your daughter focusing only on her and her needs. Just because she's out of diapers doesn't mean she doesn't require attending to. You reap what you sew. My father abandoned me at age 13 because my mom was tired of him screwing around on her. Him being a cop, well, that's just what they did in those days and she just wSnt gonna turn a blind eye to it. He left us when I was close to 12 or 13 and my brother was just 3 or 4ish. On his visitation days, my brother and I would be dressed sitting on the couch watching every car that drove by only for him to never show. He now lives in Panama City and I don't allow him near my children and we don't talk. You reap what you sew. Both parents must meet with leaders before you start the group. If you don't have parentL support, it's not fair to start something which will break their hearts later.
Lastly, we established earlier this was a relationship based program. You will be their friends, surrogate mothers, Christian advisors as well as the woman who just holds them while they cry. This is a time sink. I don't mean that negatively but..... If you are getting ready to start a family, build a house, care for an ailing parent- then wait and start when you or others can commit to them. No men whatsoever and all the "house rules" Re in the program material. You may take these girls to the mall, for pizza, have them over for sleepovers or popcorn and devotions after the football game. They will be your children, grandchildren, little sisters, and most of all you want to lead them to a personal relationship with Christ so you will be eternal sisters kingdom-building. Please before you speak to your pastor or recruit workers, pray about your commitment as well as the Holy Spirit making a way for you making your work practically already finished.
Obviously once the Holy Spirit has prepared the hearts, check with your church and make sure they are ok with everything written here before you order the program. Expectation management is 99% of your function as a leader of the girls! servant to God, and worker for your church. Keep them all in the loop. A heart-match is far more important than "but she has a huge house with a finished basement perfect for the girls."
