youth conference redux

So...the youth conference has come and gone...and now I am home and a tired, tired girl. It was definitely an interesting day. I helped run two groups on "Hot Topics/Speaking Out." The kids...and the things they had to say reminded me of when I was their age and the passion I had for things. They talked about the war a lot. One kid started off our first session by saying, "I think Bush is an idiot" and it went from there. We talked about Bush, his policies, the war, if we should send the troops home, terrorism, 9/11, immagration, health car, poverty and hunger, drugs, gangs, etc. I am amazed at the diversity of the things the kids talked about.

The thing that annoyed me most...was actually my co-facilitator. I mean...the session was supposed to be about the kids speaking out, not us. He just would not SHUT UP. And he is quite conservative...and so it was influencing what the kids were willing and comfortable saying. So, I ended up having to say more than I wanted to...to make the kids knew that saying liberal things were okay too. I don't know...I just think it would have been better to have a session where we said little to nothing...and let the kids battle it out with each other.

It was still interesting hearing what these kids had to say...and how dedicated they were to not just complaining, but making a difference in the world.