The Shockwave Youth Centre, a non-profit organization that was formed to provide something entertaining and useful for the youth of Carlyle, started off the New Year with a lock-in.
"Parents had to sign forms and then from 9 p.m. New Year's Eve to 11 a.m. New Year's morning, the kids were locked in the Youth Centre. They weren't allowed to leave and no one could come in," explained Pastor Matt, who organized the event and is in charge of the Shockwave Youth Centre.
Seventeen youth were out for the event, and during the lock-in the youth played card games, board games, X-Box, and various other activities. At midnight, the lights went off, the music was cranked, and a dance party took place with whistles and confetti to ring in the New Year.
"I challenged all the youth with how 2012 would be different from 2011, some things they wanted to work on."
"From about 4 o'clock on some of them started to doze off, but some went strong through the night and didn't get any sleep."
Pastor Matt held the event so that the youth would have something to do for New Year's Eve, and he had heard of other groups doing lock-ins and having great success with it. "I wanted to give it a try, and everyone really enjoyed it."
Pastor Matt is now busy planning out the New Year. "2012 I'm going to be working with parents and volunteers more, there's the realization that you can't raise your teenager by yourself and you need group support, and you need a village to raise a child. I want to build that community with the parents and be available to them. It's not me versus them it's us working together, so that's something I want to work on a lot this year"
Also this year, there will be two mission trips to Mexico. The one in February is very youth heavy, as it will over the winter break. The group will travel by bus to San Carlos, and depending on the situation, the group with either be building churches, or running kids programs, or distributing clothes and food.
A second trip will commence in March, which is more targeted towards adults and those who have the flexibility to go without missing school.
Each trip is a 10-day excursion, with two days spent on the bus each way, for a total of four days of travel, leaving six days of volunteer work in Mexico. Everyone is responsible to provide the $700 required to go on the trip.
While the February trip is full, there are still openings for the trip in March for anyone interested in participating. The mission trips to Mexico are held every two years.
The Shockwave Youth Group will also be a part of another exciting event. "At the end of April, April 25 to the 27, we will be taking a busload of kids to Youth Quake, YC, a three-day event in Winnipeg, Manitoba." YC is a multi-denominational youth conference, which features speakers, concerts, workshops, and many fun activities. To attend the conference, forms must me completed and handed in along with the $110 registration fee by the end of January. Youth will sleeping in a church.
For anyone wishing to join the fun and productive youth group, the group meets many times throughout the week, and youth are encouraged to show up and join. About 40 youth between the ages of 12 and 18 currently partake in the Shockwave Youth Centre. The youth meet on Thursday nights for Bible study from 7:30 p.m. to 9, where they talk about life and deal with some of the issues the youth face. Friday night Shockwave opens at 7 p.m. and hosts some sort of activity such as town-wide scavenger hunts, improv nights, and dodge ball until 9 p.m. After that the building remains open for the youth who wish to stay. The building also opens at 7 p.m. on Saturday and remains open for as long as there are members who wish to stay. On Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Sunday school is held.
The Shockwave Youth Centre provides a fun, exciting, and productive atmosphere for the youth. More youth are always welcome and encouraged to join. To get involved, show up at the Shockwave Youth Centre during open hours, or contact the Pentecostal Assembly.
