Facebook, Relationships 2.0, Uncategorized, Web 2.0
Connecting with our Youth via Facebook
My wife and I teach 7th Grade CCD this year. We are finding it to be a bit of a struggle compared to the 5th Grade “angels” that we taught last year. In spite of the rules that we established on the first day of class, we are constantly seeing cell phones in use during class! Besides laying out the ground rules of the class, we had each student, ranging between the ages of 12 and 13, fill out a little survey. We asked questions like, “Do you own any of the following: iPod, Bible, Video Game System(s), Catechism, Cell Phone, Computer, Rosary, etc.? How often do you Pray? How often do you read your Bibles? How often do you attend Mass? Do you have a relationship with Jesus?” All but one child said that they have a relationship with Christ, but the majority of the kids seldom attend Mass, pray, or read their Bibles. This begs the question, What are our young people basing this relationship on? Relativism plagues the thought of many young people (as well of some parents of young people!) View the results of our survey here.
When God called us to be Catechists, we had to sign a form that listed all of the “inappropriate” things that we were not to do. I think that some of these guidelines came about no thanks to the Priest scandal. For the most part, these rules are not altogether bad, but I think that some —not all— can hinder us from reaching out to the youth. Although the topic of Facebook was not on this list of guidelines, it could very easily fall under one of the other rules against contacting an individual student directly, or sending information home without first getting it approved by the head of the program. So, here lies the dilemma, How do Catechists and Teachers enter into the world of our Catholic young people without walking a fine line? Jonathan Sullivan has some great advice in his video, “Social Networking: A Primer for Catholic Teachers and Catechists”.
Five Key Points that Jonathan shares:
- Don’t set up “dummy” accounts to gain access to your students (not only is this a bad idea, but it violates the user policies of most social networking sites)
- Don’t friend students (unless they are over 18 or a relative)
- Report inappropriate behavior
- Monitor what others are posting about you
- Assume everything is public
After finding out that 90% of our students are on Facebook, I knew that I needed to connect with them outside of CCD. So, I created a Facebook group called “CCD 168″. I designed the logo to appeal to young people. I was stunned how many of our students watch “Jersey Shore” religiously! My advice is not to make your logo look identical to a trending brand, because eventually that trend will die — and not to mention that kids will see right through it. The reason that I chose the name “168″ is because there are 168 hours in a week. We are with our students for only an hour-and-a-half a week. If we can get them to realize the importance of Mass, Prayer, a Sacramental life, and opening their Bibles, God will reveal to their hearts what a relationship with Him truly is. Our young people (especially at the Junior High stage) are looking for direction, whether by seeking the approval of their peers or by what the M-TV culture is feeding them. This is symbolized, in my logo, by the sign with the arrows pulling in two directions. The sign with the cross, symbolizes that Christ, ultimately, is the “direction” that we are seeking. Kids don’t want the fluff! Plain-and-simple, they want us to be real with them. This is symbolized by the grittiness of the letters “CCD” and “168″ in the logo.
What is nice about the way that the new Facebook works, is that when we post new content to the community wall, by default, it will show up in the student’s stream. We also have a discussion forum within the group so that students can post any questions they may have about their faith. CCD 168 is not just for our students, but for any kid in CCD with a Facebook. So, if you are a kid in CCD or have Kids in CCD, check us out and “Like” us!
Below are some related links to this topic:
21 Nov 2010 Catholic Tech Tips
I’m confused. By setting up the Facebook page, aren’t you violating the no friends under 18 rule?
And 7th graders are 12, which means for them to use Facebook is against the rules/terms of Facebook. I know they do anyway, but it doesn’t seem right to encourage breaking the rules/law just to reach them.
Ann,
You make a valid point. The difference however between setting up a community page and “friending” the students, is that the community page is public, whereas “friending” a student could be viewed as private. So, there is no personal contact. I would also add that I did not create the page exclusively for my students, but as a tool to encourage all youth to grow in their faith and relationship with Christ.
One of the reasons that the “culture of death” is winning the battle for our young people, is because MTV, BET, etc. do not seek the approval of parents. They market rebellion to kids. When I set up the page, 90% of the students already had Facebook account, and there was an even greater amount with cell phones. A 13 year old can very easily create themselves a Facebook profile without their parents knowing, however, a 13 year old would have a hard time qualifying for a cell phone. Ideally, I wish 90% of our students did not have a Facebook or cell phone, but this is just is not the case. Often times parents are not living their faith, but expect their kids to. The old “do as I say and not as I do” clause. I doubt many parents are checking their kids’ phones, to see what their children are texting and the types of pictures they are taking with these devices. The ironic thing is that the kids who are mature enough to have a cell phone are not permitted to have them and the kids that are two immature to have them do. I side with the parents whom do not allow their kids cell phones and whom do have limited or no access to Facebook.
So, does this make me a hypocrite? Am I encouraging kids to go behind their parents backs and join Facebook? I do not think so. But what I am doing is trying to influence them in a positive way within their environment, while not overstepping the boundaries. So, let’s say that one of my students logs onto their Facebook, the first thing that they are going to see is their “newsfeed” or “update stream.” This includes updates from friends and from pages that they have “liked.” Judging by many of the kids in my class, they have liked many of the MTV programming pages and explicit hip-hop artists. So while they might see a video of some rapper who’s entire video is about using women, they might also see a video that “CCD 168″ has posted by a Christian rapper, who is telling them that women are to be respected and not treated as objects. Or they might see a video of kids their age adoring the Most Blessed Sacrament. Or they might see a very powerful Homily that challenges them to live an authentic life in Christ. The Community page is also a place where kids can ask tough questions about the Faith.
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