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Quinby Rainey - Ethnography Proposal 1
Quinby Rainey - Ethnography Proposal 1
Quinby Rainey - Ethnography Proposal 1
Quinby Rainey
English 1113-1920
14 September 2022
When some young people hear the words “youth group”, they tend to immediately
However, none of those terms comes within reach of what my youth group means to me. I attend
Hammon Community Fellowship which is quite a small church in size, yet has a very faithful
Christian family. Although I love our Sunday morning services, my favorite time spent at church
has to be our Wednesday night services because of the atmosphere that our multiple youth groups
create. Community Fellowship holds four different age group classes on Wednesday nights,
ranging from four year olds to high school seniors. Before people attend their classes, they gather
in the main youth building area and worship with a live band. I am the leader of this band. In my
paper, I will discuss assumptions that have been formed about the typical “youth” experience in
church, what I intend to learn about in this community over the course of this semester, and why
I find attending a youth group is a vital resource for people in their teen years.
Young people may question the value of joining a youth group, wondering if getting
connected into a church is worth their time, and worrying about being judged. Even those who
identify as Christian wonder why attending Sunday worship isn’t enough. These are concerns
that people commonly think about when considering joining a church community. However, the
main foundation of any church should be to accept others as they are and leave the judgment up
to their God. But Sunday services are not where people feel like they can express themselves.
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Wednesday night services are where youth members can relax and escape the stress of having the
eyes of numerous adults watching them. Youth groups tend to especially enjoy worshiping with
people who are close to their age and in a small, more inclusive setting.
Though the main idea of a youth group is to build and strengthen one’s relationship with
his or her God, there are other reasons for joining a youth group. In an article written by Kellen
Roggenbuck, many benefits of attending a youth group are mentioned, such as teamwork,
problem solving, skilled communication, bridging concepts, active listening, and social
awareness (Roggenbuck). People do not solely learn the religious aspects at youth groups; they
also learn skills that will help them succeed in the real world. Over the course of this semester
while I study the behavioral patterns and changes of different age groups at my church’s
Wednesday night services, I hope to gain valuable insight on what aspects of this community
need to be changed, what strategies seem to help students pay more attention in classes and study
sessions, and the reasons for why people come to my church’s youth service in particular. I
intend to also review how successful my youth group is from a prospective point of view so I can
gain a better understanding of what keeps this culture in my Hammon community prospering.
One way I will achieve this is by taking a step back from my normal leadership role on some
Wednesday nights and allowing myself to observe the group from an outside perspective. This
will help me note any flaws or restraints that are holding other people back from attending the
Furthermore, I find that people in their teen years benefit from being involved in some
sort of youth group. As previously mentioned, a youth group’s meaning isn’t just to talk about
Jesus or Christian morals; instead, it is a critical atmosphere that differs from a school classroom
or a softball game. Youth Pastor Daniel Rodriguez stated the benefits of youth group
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participation as, “an excellent way for them to interact with other people, build their character,
learn life lessons, and so much more” (Rodriguez). Attending my youth group weekly allows me
to take a break from the rush and stress of school, worship and express my ideas freely in an
age-related environment, and have a fun evening with friends. For my research, I will be able to
conduct interviews with kids of various ages which will provide insight of each of the members
of my youth community at church. Along with interviewing the youth, I will also interview the
adult teachers and supervisors that keep our Wednesday night services running smoothly.
Questions I intend to ask them revolve around why they enjoy and prioritize attending every
week. I very much enjoy attending my youth group and I hope to find ways to encourage other
In conclusion, I hope discussing my cultural group with the rest of the English class will
convince others that participating in youth groups can have very positive outcomes, clearing up
any misconceptions they may have. I plan to provide a clear example of what a cultural group
should look like with examples of characteristics that make my particular group a beneficial one
compared to other types of social groups. Youth groups like mine are not solely used for talking
about the Bible for about an hour and then leaving. An article by Youth Work Essentials states
that youth groups have both educational and developmental purposes, such as enabling young
people to meet with their peers, socializing and becoming part of the community in which they
live, helping young people to move from adolescence to adulthood, nurturing personal growth
and offering activities that challenge and stimulate them (Youth Work Essentials). People should
allow themselves to view youth groups as not only a way to learn and grow in their faith, but also
Works Cited:
Roggenbuck, Kellen. 6 Non-Churchy Things Teens Learn at Youth Group. n.d. Web.
https://www.youthworker.com/6-non-churchy-things-teens-learn-at-youth-group/
Rodriguez, Daniel. 3 Reasons Your Teen Should Join a Youth Group. 3 April 2022. Web.
https://myarisechurch.com/3-reasons-your-teen-should-join-a-youth-group-what-to-know/#:~:tex
t=One%20of%20the%20best%20ways,lessons%2C%20and%20so%20much%20more.&text=Ev
en%20the%20best%20families%20face%20trying%20times.
Youth Work Essentials. Why Start a Youth Group? 2022 Youth Scotland. n.d. Web.
http://www.youthworkessentials.org/getting-started/why-start-a-youth-group.aspx