Yesterday I framed the idea of crowdsourcing with our youth ministry to mark our meetings with their fingerprints and to challenge them to think deeper about their faith. Today I’d like to break it down with a few ideas I am experimenting with with our own group. If you decide to try a few of these ideas, remember:
The more students you field a question to, the more potential engagement you’ll have.
Crowdsourcing is not a substitute for prayer and the Word, it is an enhancement. (Duh!)
Ok, onward.
One of the keys to getting a good response is to offer an either.or approach. Ask an open ended question like, “What do you want to do tonight?” and you’ll get confusion. Ask an either/or question and you’ll get more kids offering decisive a answer.
Elements You Could Crowdsource
Take some of the pieces of the meeting I mentioned yesterday and send them out via text or Facebook and see who’d like to take those responsibilities.
Maybe you have two messages on your heart. Ask your kids which one would benefit them most. Ask this one early enough. Give them your text as well and maybe they’ll look it up.
Which game would you rather play tonight Ninja or Volleyball?
Announcements: Should I wear the sombrero or the viking helmet to do announcements? Take a picture with both hats on and let kids chime in. (I wish I had a viking helmet)
The goals of crowdsourcing isn’t just to field the elements of your meeting, but to get insight about your kids, spot idea leaders, and get feedback about the program or even get new kids involved by asking their opinion.
Remember:
1. Don’t be afraid to try and fail. We all fail, but at least your kids see you reaching out.
2. Be patient with your kids. It may take them time to respond. Don’t judge them as slackers too soon.
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some crowdsourcing ideas using the social media our kids use.
Which of these ideas are ones you could try with your group?
Have you tried anything similar? What was the response from your kids?
Experiment and let me know what happens.