Can openers

Home Manual and electric can openers are not worth anything. They don't work when you need them to – if they are not lost -- and don't work on the size can you have in your hand. Your church kitchen, and any camp kitchen will probably have a commercial manual opener (big thing with a handle). If they don't, they need one!!! You might think about having one with a “base” (clamp) to carry with you. If you have a portable commercial opener like this you will need a 1” X 1” board to go between the clamp and the counter.
Commercial openers can quickly and easily open any size and shape of can. I still carry a home style manual opener in my “retreat boxes” just in case a kitchen should have a commercial opener but doesn't.

The value of recreation spots or disks

Recreation “spots” (rubber disks) can be used for a bunch of things including place holders for games (one rear per spot), bases, and indoor flying discs. Keep a few of these available in your youth and recreation locations. Carry one in your backpack.

Koosh Balls

Koosh brand balls are hairy balls without a core. Koosh balls have a 1000 uses, but their best quality is that if someone gets pegged by one it doesn't hurt, and things aren't as likely to get broken as with any other ball. Unlike most soft balls, these can be thrown long distances.
I always had a half-dozen of these handy.
See the links page for more information.

Board games

Have a tub of board games in the youth room. Taboo is a popular one because they get to buzz each other. You should never have to actually buy board games. If you even whisper in a back room the need for board games you may be buried in donations.I also kept small versions in the catelog cases I took on trips.

Youth rooms and spaces

Take seriously all the advice in the manuals and books to have spaces that are appropriate for the occupants and for the activity. In other words, a room that youth actually will like being in. Don't postpone this for a rainy day.

• Discussion space looks different from a study space which looks different from a recreation space. Either the room needs to be flexible or you need 3 or more spaces (sections).
  
• Approach the room from the view of a new youth entering for the first time – when you have a new youth ask for the suggestions for making the space better.
  
• There is a balance between keeping things the same for the sake of tradition (“we've always had that awful painting in here – we sometimes add a mustache or other decorations”) and dingy, rundown and out of date.
  
• Out of date happens quickly. Every few years you have a new group. Create a new youth room.
  
• Do fill it with leftover hand-me-downs. I've experimented with this and run down furniture, besides being off-putting is quickly destroyed since it is not valued. New furniture will be valued and taken care of.
  
• But do get hardy furniture.
  

Professional travel equipment

Even if you are a volunteer youth worker, you are a “professional” at camping, sleeping on church floors, playing active games, working on mission sites. Buy professional level equipment and clothes for these situations.

• You don't want to mess with air-mattresses on a trip, and they usually have a hole in them anyway. Get a backpacker's pad.
  
• Good boots, gloves for warmth, gloves for work, non-fog safety goggles.
  
• Get a sleeping bag warm enough for really cold weather. Also get a lightweight sleeve that can add warmth in the sleeping bag, and that can be used as a light covering outside of the bag in warmer weather.
  
• Rather than a full pillow, bring a small pad and use your backpack or dirty clothes bag as the basic pillow.
  
• Carry Lamb's Wool (used by dancers) to pack around “hot spots” on your feet to avoid blisters.
  
• Layer clothes for changing temperatures through the day.
  
• Invest in a good Poncho or other quality rain gear.
  

Youth Room Rules

Youth Room Rules

Since this is a complete document, I thought I would offer it intact, with formatting, to anyone who wants to see it – it might not be universally interesting. To do this, if you'll (go to my blog page, if you are getting a feed of some sort) and leave a comment with your email address. This is a moderated blog which means the comment will never be posted (unless you are actually giving a comment). I will then email the document to you. I promise that I will not send anything else to your email address: no ads, promos, phishing items or viruses – just the document. I probably will offer other complete documents like this in the future, and will use the same method.

Kent

The contents of my backpack

Over the years I discovered the value of a well stocked backpack. I was ready for any situation: stuck with a youth group at a snowed-in airport (games to play), building houses in Mexico (lamb's wool), looking for a lost kid (flashlight), cutting a youth out of a binding piece of rope (knife), on and on.

This is a rather random seeming list of junk, but each item has served a purpose. People of different genders, cultures or geographic areas may want to add other items to the list. Please add your suggestions as comments to this post.

Notebook paper

clothes pin (to clip paper down in a wind)

Various pens, pencils (knife works as a pencil sharpener)

PostIt Notes (many, many purposes)

Chapstick

Multiblade pocket knife (yes, I've lost a couple to the TSA at airports, although I've inadvertently smuggled knives onto an airplane THREE TIMES. Which is kind of scary.)

Small songbook

Pocket package of Kleenex

Pocket package of hand wipes

Markers and, of course, a Sharpie or two

Gum, breath freshener

Eyewash, contact case, wetting solution

An expandable Ethernet cable and USB connector

A covey of Koosh balls

A “spot marker” to use as an indoor frisbee

Miniature deck of cards

band-aids

Ear plugs

Q-tips

matches

Lamb's Wool (to protect against blisters)

Bill sized envelopes

USB flash drive

Aspirin/Tylenol/Advil

I suppose people with more delicate stomachs should carry Tums...

length of string

Masking tape

Ankle wrap

lightweight, throwaway rain coat

small flashlight

Batteries (which has caused my packback to be inspected by the TSA...)

What else should be on this list?

Stuff for the office

1. I inherited three cockatiels from my sister and put them in my office. This was very helpful in my ministry. Children and youth would flock to my office to talk to the birds, which allowed easy conversations. They would also occupy the children when I was trying to talk to the parents.
   
2. A Skittles/M&M dispensing machine also drew kids to my office. Although I put a "only one handful per visit" limitation (a limitation ignored by the head of staff, I might add).
   

A personal travel kit

Put together a permanent travel kit with all the standard trip items: small, toiletries, a small first aid kit, basic medications, suntan lotion, ointment, eye wash, spare glasses or contacts, a small package of Kleenex (which can double as toilet paper), a little ball of string or twine, lots of bandaids, small flashlight, a couple of youth type toys.  Assume that on some trips you will not be able to get to a store for anything.

Spare T-shirts

Keep on hand spare t-shirts of various sizes so that if a kid's shirt gets wet or soiled they can change into a spare and keep going.  They are to clean and return the t-shirt by the following week.

A Youth Ministry Office

If you have an office, make it youth friendly: Some kids like scoping out an office, picking up things off the desk to look at them. So have things in your office for them to look at/play with: joke books; toys; funny calendars; pictures of youth events on walls.

My favorite toys

Having some playthings always available is valuable for youth ministry.

I keep many of these in my backpack so they are with me always, just in case.

• Flying disc (of course) -- any kind or many kinds including pie pans
• Koosh balls www.kooshball.com -- a hairy ball without a core. You can peg someone with it and it doesn't hurt but you can throw it hard and fast and long. Good for indoors and outdoors and a variety of games.
• Spot markers – indoor or outdoor bases, landing spots, flying disk golf  targets, parking place for circle games such as musical chairs, indoor flying disc.
• Plastic table cloths – Although they work ok as table cloths, they make great snow sleds, bibs for messy games, screens, wall decorations and bulletin board covers
• Anything from Klutz www.klutz.com (Be sure you have their two volume Encyclopedia of Immaturity)

Retreat boxes

Have prepacked, permanent “Retreat Boxes” using catalog cases for trips and retreats:

• Song books and bibles.

• Games and travel items: small balls, like Koosh and hacky sacks, Frisbee; Mad Libs; travel games; first aid kit; A board game or two; balloons; string or twine.

• Supplies: paper (sn assortment of types with the backs of discarded office paper usually is fine for letter sized); pens/pencils enough for a maximum sized group; paper clips, rubber bands; variety of markers, crayons; ruler; calculator.

First Aid

Have a major first-aid kit with you always.

• Only give the most basic of first-aid (band-aid level).  Anything else take to the emergency room, unless you are a doctor or nurse.  We are not trained to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries.

• Do not dispense anything, even aspirin without the explicit consent of parents.  Like the hospitals, get the parent on the phone.  There are too many odd reactions to medications, too many families with different views of medications in general and certain ones in particular.  The youth may not have a clear picture of what is acceptable and what is not.