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Straight from a Youth Worker's Mouth

New Year’s Newspaper

Supplies: Plenty of newsprint or large paper, markers, pencils, crayons, colored pencils and copies of the Guidelines Sheet – have several available for students to refer to as they create their papers.

Tell your students they are going to make their own newspaper that "reports" the news of their lives during the past year. Using the supplies provided tell them to be as creative as they can to create their paper.

Give your students plenty of time to work (45 minutes or so – depending on how fast some in the group work), play some background music, have helpers/counselors walk around the room to help and encourage them.

When the students are finished, gather them back together and have them share their papers with the group one at a time.

As they share ask them to respond to the following questions:

• How do you feel about how the past year went?
• Was it mostly good or mostly bad? Why do you think that is?
• If you knew then what you know now, how would you change the past year?
• Now how do you think you can make this year better?

Have the group then pray for each person as the finish. (If your group is really large, break into smaller groups for prayer, or do a prayer for all at the end of the sharing time.)

In the closing prayer, give thanks for the many blessings and experiences of the past year, and the excitement and potential for the coming year to grow in our faith in Christ Jesus.

Encourage them to make the best of the coming year.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9


GUIDELINES FOR YOUR NEWSPAPER

• Think about the "Highlights" of the past year – pick one or two moments that you would make the HEADLINE of the year.
• Think about the low times of the past year – pick one or two moments that you would like to make part of the OBITUARIES pick something you wish was "buried"
• What would go in the SPORTS section – be creative – don’t just think of sports in the traditional sense – did you play any "games" – good, bad, or just plain fun.
• How about the DEAR ABBY section – what part of the year do you wish you had had some expert advice? Or maybe you got some really good advice, or gave some.
• LOCAL section – what newsworthy things happened in your neighborhood, how did they impact your life?
• FAMILY section – what newsworthy things happened in your family this year.
• What would you have to report in the ENTERTAINMENT section? Any fun events you attended or hosted, any great movies you saw, memorable concerts…
• Think of something really funny that happened this past year – try to draw a cartoon for the COMIC section.
• What about BUSINESS – how did you do financially – did you make a hefty sum babysitting – are you blessed with a fat allowance – did you work a "real job"? What did you do with the money? Fun, food, clothes, gifts, entertainment, charity, church?
• RELIGION section – what would you put here? Where did God show up for you in the past year or do you think he was strangely absent? How would you report your relationship with God, where is it now, where is it going, what would you change?

As you look at your Newspaper,

• How do you feel about how the past year went?
• Was it mostly good or mostly bad? Why do you think that is?
• If you knew then what you know now, how would you change the past year?
• Now how do you think you can make this year better? Be prepared to share your Newspaper and the answers with the rest of the group.