Young Life helps teens with ‘tough questions’

The Mercer Island city, school district and community have taken a vocal stand against underage drinking and drug use. Although the problem may seem unavoidable, it is not. Studies have shown that the choice to use is heavily influenced by various factors in a youth’s social environment: community and family norms, mass media messages, the accessibility of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The Mercer Island Communities That Care (CTC) project addresses each of these factors head-on.

The initiative, begun in 2005, has gained strength in recent years. In 2007, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Office of National Drug Control Policy awarded CTC a Drug Free Communities grant. The organization has also garnered the support of city Councilmembers, the school district, community organizations, parents and teens. Together, these groups are taking multi-leveled strategies to reduce underage alcohol and drug use among Mercer Island youth.

Over the next few months, the Mercer Island Reporter will be highlighting various community efforts that play a role in CTC’s Islandwide initiative; from church groups to “Cafe Conversations,” to vocal high school students.

As pointed out, the media plays a pivotal role in influencing today’s youth. We at the Reporter strive to play a positive one.

Young Life ‘stronger than ever’

Many Islanders have heard of Young Life. Most remember it from their teenage years; a popular evening hangout for high-schoolers, hours spent talking about life and faith, retreats to the exotic-sounding “Malibu.” Indeed, Young Life has waxed and waned over the decades on Mercer Island. It was initially very strong in the 1970s when it began, petered off in the ’90s, and almost disappeared at the turn of the millennium. But now it’s back. And with more than 80 students, the non-denominational Christian ministry is stronger than ever, according to Mercer Island Young Life area director Marshall Jamieson.

Before Jamieson, 30, came along, Young Life never had its own Island chapter, but was part of the greater Eastside chapter. This all changed in 2004, when Jamieson was appointed to lead a new generation of Young Life youth on the Island. With a long personal history in Young Life and experience with leadership, the Eastside native felt the job would be perfect for him.

“It was a mutual deal; me wanting to have the job and people saying that I’d be a great fit,” said Jamieson, who graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Today, Jamieson and his wife, Emily, run the Island ministry together, along with a dozen other Young Life volunteers.

According to Emily Jamieson, who attended Young Life when she was a student at Mercer Island High School, the ministry isn’t only about sharing God’s word, although this is a big part of it.

“Kids don’t feel like they’re going to church. It’s more of a big-brother, big-sister organization. We open the Bible, talk and just have a bunch of fun,” Emily Jamieson said.

And this is where Young Life plays a role in Communities That Care.

“Our goal is to have a relationship with the kids and give them a chance to be heard,” the volunteer added.

Marshall Jamieson, who has spoken with Youth and Family Services and CTC director Cindy Goodwin about the initiative, agreed.

“There are a lot of situations where you can be sitting with a kid and think, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect a kid to be sharing this with me,’” the Young Life director said, adding that conversations range from dealing with peer pressure to relationship issues to academic stress. “I’d say we’ve had numerous kids come to our leaders and say they’re caught up in an issue. They say, ‘I want to get out, but don’t know how.’”

All of Young Life’s volunteers, who undergo thorough background checks, are experienced in dealing with these tough questions. The team meets monthly to discuss how best to approach a youth’s concerns while serving as a positive role model and friend.

Goodwin said that she sees Young Life as an important piece to the CTC puzzle.

“I talked to Marshall at a CTC meeting and he understands the challenge. He understands the whole picture of MI and is really invested in these kids,” she said.

There are currently two Young Life groups on Mercer Island, one for middle-schoolers and another for high-schoolers. The middle school group, called Wyldlife, is the first of its kind on Mercer Island, as Young Life was formerly a high school organization. Marshall Jamieson believes that middle school is a crucial time to reach out to youth, particularly these days.

“I really think that middle school kids are dealing with issues that I was dealing with in high school. Whether it’s drugs and alcohol or relationships and sex, I think they’re dealing with this stuff at an earlier age,” he said.

However, Young Life is not only about tough conversations. It is also about goofing off with friends, “de-stressing” after school and learning about Jesus.

“Our hope is to give all kids a chance to respond to Jesus. But if a kid says ‘no,’ our hope is that we can be a great role model,” Marshall Jamieson said. “I think a kid can come from a great, loving family but — especially during middle and high school — they need to have other healthy role models in their life.”

And that, Goodwin and Jamieson agree, is what Communities That Care is all about.

For more information or to sign up for Young Life, contact Jamieson at: marshall_miyl@msn.com or (206) 779-6442.