Home Youth Leaders Youth Leaders Blogs Celebrate Recovery for Youth: How This Program Helps Students

Celebrate Recovery for Youth: How This Program Helps Students

Celebrate Recovery for youth

Is Celebrate Recovery for youth? Will high schoolers (or even junior highers) benefit from the program? I hear those questions often from adults who attend Celebrate Recovery (CR). The format of our church’s small groups is similar to CR, with a large-group and small-group session. But the curriculum is written specifically for students. It features the same guidelines and principles, just a different delivery.

What I think people really wonder is this: Can the small-group sessions really work for students?

Why I Love Celebrate Recovery for Youth

While leading junior high girls, I’ve learned so much from them. For example, no differences exist between the hurts, hang-ups, and habits of adults and teens. Actually, the only difference is that kids are finding healing earlier in their lives. They’re desperately looking for an outlet to express their pain and emotions.

The sharing in small groups is honest and deep. Confidentiality allows students to share issues they feel they can’t share elsewhere. Many times I openly cry with girls as they tell their story. Their problems and pain are very real. This may be hard for adults to accept. But youth are very aware of everything that goes on in their environment, and it deeply affects them.

The best part about Celebrate Recovery for youth is seeing the life transformation. Out of all this pain, I see students forgive others and makes amends to people they’ve hurt. They break off unhealthy friendships, break addictions, and experience victory and joy. This is proof that the program works for kids who stay with it.

A Firm Foundation

In Celebrate Recovery for youth, teens learn how to process their feelings and understand their actions. They gain a firm foundation on God’s truth for the rest of their lives.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that they won’t experience pain and problems as they enter adulthood. However, I hope they’ll always take the tools they’ve learned and apply them to their lives. So, yes! A Celebrate Recovery for youth program is very appropriate and relevant. It works for both junior high and high school students.

I became a leader to serve and be a blessing to others. But my students have blessed me much more than they could ever know.

I’ll end with this verse: “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Thanks for letting me share.

Torie


Bio Hi, I’m Torie and I lead the Jr. High girls for The Landing at Saddleback Church. I’m so excited to be part of this great ministry. Before this, I had been attending Celebrate Recovery for over a year and had just completed a step study. I think I was the only brave soul who wanted to lead the Jr. High girls! I can honestly say Jr. Highers are the best! It’s been a wonderful blessing to be part of God’s plan in changing students’ lives. God bless!