If I knew the answer to this question, I would definitively blog about it. But unfortunately, I don't. I never know where to put things in my office. I feel like as a youth minister, there's so many things that go into our job, it's hard to organize everything. For example, in my office I have things from whoopee cushions to rosaries to papers that need to be filed to play dough. I also have a ton of old files that should be organized and over a hundred books on the book shelves. Where do I put all these things? I feel like I need a toy box or something....or possibly a miracle.
Also, I "wear many hats". Meaning, youth ministry is just a small part of my job. In my current occupation, I coordinate religious ed for 6-12 grades, teach 2 classes a week, am the sacrament of Confirmation coordinator, coordinate youth ministry, serve on the SOS committee, help with technology needs at the parish, sometimes cantor at Mass, update the announcements on the parish's TV screen, head up events for single young adults, and most recently...send all the bday cards for the staff to sign around the offices. Like I said, I wear many hats. It doesn't make sense to have the beach balls next to my brochures about survivors of suicide.
I have a very organized friend, whom I'm hoping will pay my office a visit some day soon, and help with what I like to call my "Office Emergency". I'm totally open to suggestions on how to solve this problem! :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Grants! Who needs em? Wait...me.
Grant writing can be stressful!!! Today is Thursday, and on Tuesday afternoon my boss gave me a grant application that I had to have completed by this evening before I left work. It wasn't her fault or anything, neither of us knew that the grant was due by Friday morning, but it left us with both a lot of work. She wrote 2 or 3 grants in the time frame, and I wrote one. I couldn't work on the grant yesterday because I have students come on Wednesday nights, and this morning I had a staff meeting and a webinar I had to attend. So...around 3:30pm, I started writing the grant. I finally left work at 9:00p.m.
I wasn't writing that ENTIRE time, but it still took forever. Don't let this happen to you! lol. Here are some suggestions to help you with grant writing...
1. Know when grants are due. Check out your diocese's website to find out about available grants, or talk to others in your field, and find out how you can apply. Don't just assume someone will tell you about them; sometimes you need to search for them yourself. If you think it's too late to send it...maybe you could fax it and it could be there on time?!?
2. While writing your grant, any time you can quote a priest, bishop, pope, or Jesus go for it. Also anytime you can quote something that was published is good too. For example, my diocese did a study about young adult ministries and published their findings. So, when I write a grant in a few weeks about a young adult program at our church, I will quote some of the statistics from their findings. This will show you are educated on your topic, that you spent some time researching your ministry's needs, etc.
3. If time allows, write it, save, but don't send it quite yet. Let it soak in overnight, and come back to it the next day, and make changes to make it sound better. Having a clear mind can make anything sound better.
4. Make sure you are meeting all the criteria or qualifications of the grant. Also make sure you read all the fine print. Sometimes grants can be very picky, so before you spend a lot of time writing the grant, make sure you even qualify. If you have questions about the grant, there is often a number or someone you can contact for more information.
5. Have co-workers proofread it. Sometimes I don't always say things the way I want to say them, and it's nice for someone who knows our program to get their feedback on word choices and phrasing.
6. Have a non-co-worker proofread it. Best to have someone who is excellent at grammar. This way they can double check for mistakes, and they will let you know if it makes sense to an outsider or someone who isn't that familiar to your program.
7. Be honest. If your program is suffering because you lack the funds...tell them. Don't beat around the bush. They know you need money, that's why you're applying for the grant. Tell them straight out answers.
I think that's all I got. I hope this helps, and good luck!
I wasn't writing that ENTIRE time, but it still took forever. Don't let this happen to you! lol. Here are some suggestions to help you with grant writing...
1. Know when grants are due. Check out your diocese's website to find out about available grants, or talk to others in your field, and find out how you can apply. Don't just assume someone will tell you about them; sometimes you need to search for them yourself. If you think it's too late to send it...maybe you could fax it and it could be there on time?!?
2. While writing your grant, any time you can quote a priest, bishop, pope, or Jesus go for it. Also anytime you can quote something that was published is good too. For example, my diocese did a study about young adult ministries and published their findings. So, when I write a grant in a few weeks about a young adult program at our church, I will quote some of the statistics from their findings. This will show you are educated on your topic, that you spent some time researching your ministry's needs, etc.
3. If time allows, write it, save, but don't send it quite yet. Let it soak in overnight, and come back to it the next day, and make changes to make it sound better. Having a clear mind can make anything sound better.
4. Make sure you are meeting all the criteria or qualifications of the grant. Also make sure you read all the fine print. Sometimes grants can be very picky, so before you spend a lot of time writing the grant, make sure you even qualify. If you have questions about the grant, there is often a number or someone you can contact for more information.
5. Have co-workers proofread it. Sometimes I don't always say things the way I want to say them, and it's nice for someone who knows our program to get their feedback on word choices and phrasing.
6. Have a non-co-worker proofread it. Best to have someone who is excellent at grammar. This way they can double check for mistakes, and they will let you know if it makes sense to an outsider or someone who isn't that familiar to your program.
7. Be honest. If your program is suffering because you lack the funds...tell them. Don't beat around the bush. They know you need money, that's why you're applying for the grant. Tell them straight out answers.
I think that's all I got. I hope this helps, and good luck!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Life is Wonderful
Life is Wonderful was the title of my middle school class last week. We use the curriculum called Edge by Lifeteen and so that's the title they gave the lesson. The night was about respecting the dignity of all human life, so I decided to teach it right before the 2012 March for Life in Washington, DC.
One of the things I added to the lesson was I read them the story Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. The famous line from that story is, "A person's a person, no matter how small". The story says that line over and over again. I thought it was a wonderful way to express the importance of life in a way adolescents could understand. Even though this is a children's book, I thought my 6-8th graders enjoyed it.
The rest of the night included watching a scene from the movie It's a Wonderful Life, and talking about abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Just touching a little bit on each one. Some of my students already have very strong opinions about these issues, and I was a little surprised by their negative remarks. But in youth ministry I often have to remind myself, that I am not the one changing hearts, God is. I'm just there to help. If anything, it got them thinking.
I pray my students and the rest of the world will soon realize how wonderful life is, and how it is something we should defend and protect.
One of the things I added to the lesson was I read them the story Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. The famous line from that story is, "A person's a person, no matter how small". The story says that line over and over again. I thought it was a wonderful way to express the importance of life in a way adolescents could understand. Even though this is a children's book, I thought my 6-8th graders enjoyed it.
The rest of the night included watching a scene from the movie It's a Wonderful Life, and talking about abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Just touching a little bit on each one. Some of my students already have very strong opinions about these issues, and I was a little surprised by their negative remarks. But in youth ministry I often have to remind myself, that I am not the one changing hearts, God is. I'm just there to help. If anything, it got them thinking.
I pray my students and the rest of the world will soon realize how wonderful life is, and how it is something we should defend and protect.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Human Foosball
Tonight my students played Human Foosball with balloons. The students sat in rows of chairs facing the direction of their goals. We used balloons as the balls (1 balloon for every person), and students had to try to get the balloons in the opponent's goal. Every other row was facing a different direction. (The direction of their team's goal) The teachers were the referees and they also helped keep the balloons in the area. It went pretty well, but my students figured out that if the balloons touched the ceiling, they popped. So they though that was cooler than getting the balloons in the goal, and most of them popped. All in all I thought it was a pretty successful game, and the kids seemed to like it. Good for a lot of students as long as your have enough room to do it. You could play this game outside with beach balls too.
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