Why social media and other communication technologies are critical to the success of youth conferences and events.
By Joan Drammeh and China DeSpain Freeman
“Everything this generation deals with is based on technology,” says Marquis Boone, director of Real Anointed Worshipers (R.A.W.), the youth ministry of New Mercies Christian Church in Lilburn, Ga. “To be relevant, we have to use video, multimedia, Internet, social media, text messaging – anything to do with technology – because that is how kids today relate to the world.”
Technology inspired the theme for R.A.W.’s Access Granted Youth Conference, held in April for ages 12 to 22. (See next page.) “With our young people dealing with so much stuff in the media and the Internet, God wants them to know to take that same kind of direct access with him.”
New communication tools – from social media Web sites to Twittering and texting – have rewired the way youth meet, express themselves and stay connected. And meeting planners must be adept at using them to engage young people. “You have to understand their language and their tools,” George Barna, founder of The Barna Group, a Christian market research firm, told meeting planners at the 2008 Rejuvenate Marketplace in November in Virginia Beach. “You need to involve and use all of the senses:
audio, tactile and visual stimulation. It’s like the Rubik’s Cube – you’ve got to get them involved full range.”
What’s Driving the Trend
In essence, many Internet and social media Web sites take the work out of socializing. Without ever leaving the comfort of their homes, teens can see who their peers are dating, what their friends are thinking and doing, and who likes the same TV shows. They can watch the latest music videos and browse through photos of their friends. And they can search for spiritual meaning.
A 2007 report by The Barna Group on “What Teenagers Look for in a Church” found the following: “one out of every four teenagers had learned something about their faith or spirituality online in the last six months. And one-sixth of teenagers and one-quarter of born-again teens said they had a ‘spiritual experience’ online where they either worshiped or connected with God.”
Moreover, the way teens and youth are using social media is already evolving. “In the old days, teens would go online and create a digital disguise – an online version of themselves – which really wasn’t a true representation,” explains Gary Rudman, president of GTR Consulting, which conducts an annual study on teen marketing.
“Now what we are seeing is a new trend, where teenagers are the most real online,” Rudman continues. “They feel like they can say what they think online versus in person because they don’t have those awkward, uncomfortable teenager-like experiences. It is a little bit of a safe haven.”
He says that Facebook and MySpace dominate the mainstream social networks, especially Facebook, even though there’s been a lot of buzz about Twitter these days. (See next article for details on all three.) Rudman has found that Twitter is not popular among teens. “Twitter is not on their radar because they don’t need it -they’ve got texting, Facebook and MySpace,” Rudman contends, adding that “when the next thing comes around [in social media], it will take a much shorter time for it to reach critical mass.”
Mainstream Alternatives
Some faith groups, however, don’t want to get involved with mainstream social networks because of the profanity and inappropriate content kids and teens can find on these types of sites. One solution is to explore Christian-based alternatives, such as 101christianspaces.com, faithout.com and faithlight.com. There are also Christian YouTube alternatives, such as xianz.com and tangle.com, which features videos, a virtual Bible and a prayer wall.
“We actively monitor all content uploaded by our users, and we maintain a strict policy that does not allow un-Christian content, in contrast to most other social networks,” says Jim Peters, community manager for faithlight.com. “The biggest difference you’ll initially notice is that we have no profanity, death metal music or other unwholesome content on our pages.”
Access Granted: Behind the Scenes
Getting kids involved in the planning stages of the Access Granted Youth Conference, which drew 500 participants April 1-5 in Lilburn, Ga., was critically important to organizers. Marquis Boone, youth minister director for New Mercies Christian Church, invited groups of 13- to 19-year-olds to planning sessions that started in September. “We got the process going by asking them who they would like to see, what speakers and what artists.”
Participants were involved in promoting the conference as well. The group created glossy handbills that looked like club fliers, which kids were asked to circulate at their schools. “This year we also did a lot of stuff with YouTube and Kyte.TV with commercials and things of that nature,” Boone says, in addition to advertising the conference on Facebook and MySpace.
Every year the kids come up with a theme song and dance for the conference. This year’s song was called “Access Granted.” A version produced and sung by one of the youth ministry’s members is available on iTunes, and revenue generated by the sale of the song has helped defray conference costs.
The demand to be in the know at the R.A.W. youth group is so high that Boone has gone a step beyond mainstream social media networks to create a Web site for the church’s youth ministry, therawyouth.com. The robust, well-designed site has many features, including discussion forums, photo galleries, videos, polls and an eztexting.com account that permits members to sign up to receive mass text messages.
“The eztexting feature allows us not only to send messages about events but also birthday reminders,” Boone explains. “Young people don’t read bulletin boards so we have to find ways to reach them on
their level.”
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