A troubled youth is a youth who is troubled or affected by someone or something. He or she is affected by family, pressure situations, challenges, and so on.
However, a troublesome youth is a youth who is problematic in his or her actions toward family, community, society, church, and individuals.
There are many troubled and troublesome youths in every society, including the church, who need special attention. Hence, this lesson aims to learn how to handle troubled youth.
Objectives of the Study
- Describe who a troubled youth is.
- Identify some factors leading to becoming a troubled youth.
- Discuss what could be done to help a troubled youth.
- Mention what caregivers of troubled youth should know and do
Both Sexes
Youth in this context are the young persons (male and female) who are either single or married, with challenges. They are in-between children and adults, and because of the peculiar nature of this stage of their life, they are prone to turbulence and challenges. Hence, their unpredictable actions towards life.
Troubling and troubled youths
There is a difference between troubled youths and troubled youths; the troubled youth can be said to be that young person who has not gotten his or her bearings right ,thus creating problems for those around him or her. Such youth could be involved in substance abuse, cultism, gangsters, etc.
However, a troubled youth is deeply concerned about his or her life and worried about what life is posing to him and how life is going with him. Such a person may be on the verge of giving up on life, and if proper attention is not given to him on time could commit suicide.
The church’s Roles
The Church is the best agent or organ in society that can successfully handle troubled youths because it has all it takes to do so. This is because the Church has lots of people with various experiences, the youth are passing through that are giving them sleepless nights.
The Church’s contribution or help is to introduce the gospel to the youth to concretise that victory against any other attempt to go back to his or her vomit.
There are strong weapons in the hands of the Church to help the youth, such as the weapons of money, influence, personality, structures, etc.
The responsibility of the Church is to connect any troubled youth with the right persons within the Church who will carry out necessary actions on them.
Some Factors Leading to Trouble in the Life of the Youth
Life is unpredictable and unstable. There are various experiences facing mankind. Some of these experiences are good, sweet and desirable, but some are bad, ugly and undesirable. Here are a few lists of what could lead to making youth get troubled, namely:
- Lack of being loved at home or on any other platform
- Lack of satisfaction lion’s body or physical development.
- Failure is almost in everything.
- Disappointment from parents, friends, colleagues, etc.
- Sudden change in physical appearance due to a natural disaster
- Sudden changing status due to the untimely death of parents or any of the loved ones
- The question about faith and negative influence from peer group (the matter of sin)
- Molestation of any kind e.g., rape and sexual abuse by any person leads to emotional trauma.
- Taking advantage of their abuse challenges or exposing them to danger.
- Not allowed to express themselves on any matter
- Prolong sickness of parents, siblings or personnel that seems to defy medications
- Experiencing the spiritual attack of the wicked
- Disagreement among parents
- Maltreatment by stepmother/stepfather or any other relatives.
- The guilt of past sin.
- Delay in marriage or childbirth.
The above are just a few of that could make the youth troubled in life. How can the Troubled Youth be handled or helped
Identify the cause of what led to the trouble
Knowing and discovering the root of the trouble with a particular youth may not be easy, but seeking the help of God in prayers and deep meditation makes it possible.
If it is the problem of sin, such a troubled youth needs Jesus, and every effort should be made in sincere love and care to bring the person to the knowledge of Christ, the Saviour.
Give them the responsibility that could occupy and make them happy always
If it is a result of a major failure in life, the troubled youth should be surrounded by helpers and encouragers. They should be connected to facts about those who have failed several times before getting it right in life. They can be directly connected to such people with the hope of helping them out until recovery is obtained.
The following virtues are important for any solution provider or organisation to get results and a permanent solution to the trouble any youth may be going through.
Every solution provider must, of necessity, be intentional about helping troubled youths
Every troubled youth would like to see the sincerity that the solution provider displays in their actions at every point of the matter. Most troubled youth don’t usually come out about the truth of their problems immediately until they see the love and sincerity displayed.
The solution provider must be a mature person-spiritually, emotionally and physically
A display of immaturity in any form can destroy every effort to render a physical helping hand to the troubled youth.
Some immature behaviour like laughing, abnormally, not showing any seriousness, not being and showing an attitude of condemnation toward the troubled youth (just to mention a few) will piss off the youth affected.
Such a person must have and always show genuine interest in the victim and not just for the sake of gathering information about issues of life that youths are passing through.
In handling troubled youth, the major aim and purpose is to render help and not to gather information to show that we are informed about what youths are going through.
- If, for a long period, all we are doing is just asking for more details from someone undergoing an unbearable condition without some measure of help to show that we are doing something that will lead to a positive end, the person’s concern may just switch off.
- Youths are very sensitive when it comes to telling their stories to anyone. They are comfortable bearing their troubles alone for longer than divulging their real-life stories to just any person who will not give a solution.
The solution provider must be confidential
This implies that he must not divulge information about the victim to anyone without the consent of the victim. Trust is built through confidentiality.
The problem solver must be youth-friendly
He should be someone who understands the characteristics of the youth, what they can be going through, their culture, language, body language, etc. Such understanding will keep him or her flowing with his client.
- The youth have their ways of seeing things, and they believe most often that they are better informed than the older generation. To handle any troubled youth, therefore, we must be ready to understand where they are coming from and what they believe in.
- There must not be any statement that will devalue what they value at the initial stage of contact, but as we get deeply involved in them to the point of them surrendering to Christ in us, then we can gradually point out the areas we want them to adjust whether in dressing, the kind of music they play, the kind of friends they should have or not have etc. This will be done through discipleship.
- The solution provider must be very disciplined, fearless and ready to face any consequence that may likely surface in the process of rendering helping hands to the troubled youth.
He or she must be ready to spend and must be spent.
A stingy person or organisation and be that is not ready to spend on the victim must change if the result is to be obtained.
The solution provider must be ready to work with other people to solve the problem of the troubled youth.
Such people may be family members, friends, or neighbours of the victim.
Above all, the solution provider must be prayerful, have a discerning spirit, and be empathetic.
Conclusion
To handle any troubled youth, the fruits of the Spirit that were listed in Galatians 5:22-23 must be displayed throughout to prove that we mean business and that we are up to the task.
Also, we should know and understand that no human creature can handle any trouble a fellow human is passing through unless the Lord gives His backing (Psalm 127:1-2).
An organisation outside the Church may render helping hands in bringing a troubled youth back to normalcy, but it may not be complete without the help of a solution provider within the Church.
Progress reports of the ongoing processes in handling the youth with troubles would be taken periodically until such persons experience the desired changes.
Reflection Questions
- How would you describe a troubled youth?
- As a youth minister, how can you easily identify a troubled youth?
- What are the steps that could be taken to help a troubled youth?
- Discuss the importance of trust and confidentiality in helping troubled youth.
