Young people today often have an image problem. It seems that
they are mostly mentioned in terms of problems: gangs, drugs,
alcohol, dropping-out and pregnancy. No wonder many adults are
pessimistic about our nation’s future.
Young people today often have an image problem. It seems that they are mostly mentioned in terms of problems: gangs, drugs, alcohol, dropping-out and pregnancy. No wonder many adults are pessimistic about our nation’s future.
Of course, this is a false portrayal of most of today’s youth. Kids in trouble get the headlines, but many more teens live more normal lives, just as previous generations did. And a significant number not only stay out of trouble, but they make positive contributions to their communities.
A local example of “good teens” is No Limit, the youth group of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Gilroy. These high school students have scheduled some service projects to help local residents during the summer.
Traditionally, as a way of living their faith through belief and action, the parish has sent a large contingent of youth and parent chaperones to Mexico on a yearly mission trip. The students spend a week helping with building projects, but more importantly, building relationships and community with the local villagers. One year, the group actually built a new school. This year, however, the trip was canceled due to government travel advisories.
The leadership of No Limit decided to substitute a monthly “Youth Reach Out Work Day” to provide assistance to needy people in Gilroy. Time and energy would be expended to help local residents with a variety of household tasks.
On June 20, they visited Sunset Gardens, a senior citizen complex, to help the elderly residents with tasks such as:
– Cutting grass
– Weeding
– Trimming bushes
– Cleaning windows and screens
– Cleaning roofs and rain gutters
The day was considered a success because many neighbors saw the teens working and came around to ask for help with their own projects they had been deferring.
July’s Work Day found No Limit members assisting a retired nun with maintenance chores like clearing brush, trimming and weeding, and general cleaning up of her property.
On both occasions those who volunteered reported they found themselves “tired from the hard work, but refreshed from the sharing of a meal and camaraderie during the day.”
Since the people who are going to benefit from August’s Work Day have not yet been chosen, Lynnie Nojadera, one of several adult leaders of No Limit and a parent of teens herself, invites readers to contact her at (408) 476-2469 or Ln*******@ya***.com to nominate senior citizens or others who are in need of this kind of assistance and ministry.
Of course, the summer isn’t all work for these teens. Each Wednesday through Aug. 19 the group holds a movie night at 8:30 p.m. on the field at St. Mary’s School. Any high school age students in Gilroy are invited to join the fun by bringing a blanket or lawn chair “to enjoy some refreshments, an evening of fellowship and a good movie.”
Members of No Limit participate in a number of other activities during the year:
– Youth-oriented mass at 5 p.m. Sundays, followed by the Youth Group meeting at 6:30
– The Passion Play dramatized for all masses on Palm Sunday and Good Friday
– Cookie-baking for St. Joseph’s Family Center during the holiday season
– A haunted house at Halloween.
For more information about No Limit and its fall schedule, call St Mary parish at (408) 847-5151.
