Teens (YAP)

Each week, our teens get to learn about life with our marvelous mentors Jackie Bowman, Chris Frisco, and Linda Siegall. This group is usually referred to as YAP = Young Adult Program. They love to hang out in their cozy purple room with the couches and to support one another on life’s journey.

Their curriculum focuses on two things – Howard’s Seeds for Celebration and the Living Values curriculum. For each Via, Howard writes a brief meditation on the Old and New Testament readings assigned for each Sunday. These brief meditations are called “Seeds,” and they offer a way to make these ancient texts come alive in our modern world. The Living Values curriculum was created by a group of 20 educators who gathered at UNICEF Headquarters in NY. It offers experiential activities, group discussion ideas, and meditation guidelines for 12 critical social values (like cooperation, honesty, humility, love, and respect). Both the Seeds and the curriculum provide cornerstones for weekly discussions and check-ins.

As you might suspect, this is not your typical group of teens. They actually clean up – both Wall Street and the French Broad River! They care deeply about issues of hunger, acting on those concerns by putting on a great Hunger Banquet every year and by participating in an annual 30-hr. fast. Last year, they created a powerful and informative documentary based on their personal interview with Russell Means, political activist and leader in the American Indian Movement. The documentary generated a great deal of discussion when shown at Jubilee! The teens are probably most famous for their acting abilities. They did an amazing “Christmas Play” last year, and they were a huge hit at Jubilee!’s recent 20th Birthday Bash with their take on what makes Jubilee! special.

One of their fun adventures is an annual trip to Scarowinds (Carowinds amusement park all dressed up for Halloween). They also enjoy eating pizza, camping, and snow tubing. Recently, several members of YAP completed an afternoon on the Alpine Tower at Warren Wilson College. All in all, they’re pretty busy.