Preparatory meetings for major youth trips

Everyone going on a major event or trip need to hear the same rules and information.

• Currently it may be impossible to get everyone together at the same time and place. This means make-up meetings.
  
  • This is a huge pain and it may mean 2-3 times repeating the same information.
    
  • But otherwise you are set up for a series of “you never told me that,” “why?” “that's not fair,” etc. You'll get those phrases regardless but you have no comeback or defense if, indeed, you never told them.
    
• You need to pretty much say the same things in the same way, otherwise the kids will identify the differences and use these to their advantage.
• These meetings should include get acquainted exercises, descriptions of exactly what will happen, exact rules and expectations, any cultural training needed, information gathering (cell number's and SMS information, email addresses, special food or other requirements), question answering.
• For major events this may require more than one meeting.
• For major events, one meeting should include parents or there can be a separate parent meeting. Most of the meeting(s) should NOT include parents.