Pows and Wows
Pows and Wows were introduced to me at a church camp when I was younger. I ended up taking this idea and using it in my junior high Sunday school class. It would be just as effective during youth group depending on how you do your youth group meetings.
You can use a dry erase board, large sheet of paper, or anything else that you can write on and then either erase or dispose of. You also need something to write with. Divide the page up into two columns. One column for Pows and one for Wows.
Pows are the bad or negative things that happened during their week. This could be anything really. Bad test grade, a test coming up, a loss in a sporting event, being sick, and so forth. Wows are the good or positive things that happened during their week. Again, this can be anything that they think of. A good test grade, a big sports event, making dance team, and so forth.
I loved doing this with our group! This helped them to start thinking about what is really important and what they want the rest of the group to be thinking about and praying for them. It’s a great way to start of the day or meeting.
“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”- Psalm 68:4-5
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Great idea. I acutally was just introduced to this a few weeks ago on a youth mission trip (sort of like sharing “highs” and “lows). I appreciate your description of the process.
Our group also picked up Pows and Wows at some long-ago mission trip. Our twist is that nothing is written down. Each kid takes a turn giving their pow and wow, while the others listen. The non-speakers are allowed to ask clarifying questions but may NOT interrupt or respond with their own stories until the exercise is completely over. It helps to give the speaker something to hold that they symbolically pass to the next person once they are finished talking – funny items work well (at our Halloween bonfire it was a plastic rat). I would only recommend Ps&Ws at the end of a youth event once some level of trust is established. Its a great way to wrap up an event, as a closing prayer fits perfectly at the end.
Here is how I introduce the concept when we have new kids at a meeting:
“We all are bombarded daily with noise – talking, texting, parents, teachers, TV – and many times we are so busy thinking of our own responses to all this that we forget to actually LISTEN. Pows and Wows is the gift we give each other. Its the gift of listening.”
My group really embraces this concept. I think repetition is the key to success because they are more open every time we do this.
Just my thoughts – Jody
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