Step out of your comfort zone and get to know other people. Join the challenge Comfort off, connect on and break through the loneliness.
Young people are more connected than ever through their smartphones, but at the same time, many of them feel deeply lonely. This is also true of young people in the church. In a culture where socialising often revolves around presenting oneself in the best possible light, it is easy to lose touch with others.
The challenge encourages young people to be mindful of others and to break the cycle of loneliness. For each day of the Week Against Loneliness (24–30 September), there is a different challenge: ring someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time, send an encouraging card, or have a chat with someone who is on their own.
“Attention is perhaps the finest gift you can give someone. And the special thing is: you get something in return yourself. ”You give, you receive,“ says youth worker Matthijs Voskuil. He recalls a conversation with a 19-year-old lad who was active in the church and living life to the full. “Yet he felt lonely, because nobody really paid him any attention. ”These challenges won’t solve all the loneliness among young people, but they do provide a key to tackling it.”
The challenge is an initiative of the BasiC Christian youth community, part of the Interdenominational Knowledge Centre for Children’s and Youth Work (IKC). The parents’ platform Credible parenting is part of the ‘Bingo for Someone Else’ initiative. The bingo card features simple challenges for families.
The bingo card also offers opportunities in church youth work, explains Henriëtte van Eekelen from the training platform Goed in vorm. “Youth leaders can challenge young people to consciously look for ways to do good for others. A challenge is particularly motivating for teenagers. Who will be the first to get bingo?”
