NOMHLE MPOTSHA: Discussion1: Children at Risk -Church Intervention
To limit the risks faced by young people like Sarah and respond to their needs, my faith community I could take the following actions:
1. Provide a safe and nurturing Environment: We could establish a regular after -school program at the church, offering a safe space with adult supervision, nutritious snacks, and educational support. This would address Sarah’s lack of supervision and resources scarcity, fostering a caring environment where her first faith experience can be nurtured through positive role modelling, as Brewster describes.
2. Offer Mentorship and Positive Role Models: I could volunteer as a mentor, or the community could recruit caring adults to guide at-risk youth. This would help Sarah navigate negative peer influences by providing consistent, trustworthy figures who model healthy behaviours and support her through the questioning and experimentation stages of faith development.
3. Create Opportunities for Exploration and Support: The faith community could organize workshops or discussion groups where young people feel safe to explore their doubts and search for meaning, as Brewster suggests is crucial during the second stage of faith development. Additionally, we could connect Sarah’s family with financial or emotional support resources, helping to reduce economic instability and encouraging her to remain engaged with the community. These steps would not only limit the risks Sarah faces but also respond to her needs by fostering a supportive faith journey, aligning with the church’s potential to focus 75% of its efforts on youth ministry, as noted earlier.