Juveniles attack – raiding campsites, setting fire to homes for asylum seekers. New headlines every day. Isolated cases? Many young people are bored and live from day to day unemployed with no prospects for the future. Seeking fellowship and adventure, they land in radical right groups. Others only live for the weekend dose of Techno and Ecstasy or hide in a computer world.
Crossroads youth programs have much to offer such young people.
Participants in our sport groups, the coffee bar, the youth choir or our "action"-weeks come from the surroundings as well as from our families. Young people from marginalized groups find new friends. We organize programmes in those areas, where crime and drug abuse is growing. So we help to prevent crime.
There are streets were many Germans born in Russia live for example. They belong to so called marginalized groups. It is not easy to contact them. But some of our volunteers are from the same background, some of our volunteers are ex-convicts. So it is easier to get in a talk, to think about the future, to build up relationships and to share the love of Christ.
Different programmes reach different young people with different skills. It is most important for young people to take over responsibility themselves - as volunteers i.e. in a youth prison.
Contact – Young people from all classes of society spend their leisure time together.
Adventure –Physically disabled, mentally retarded, socially disadvantaged, foreign, convict or ‘bourgeois’? All have an opportunity to discover their own gifts and learn how to become part of the group.
A place to learn - Young people take on responsibility for each other and for others. Living their faith, they can help contemporaries going through crises.
Regular functions are open to young people in the neighborhood:
Sports Groups - Playing volleyball, soccer, ping-pong and athletics develops a feeling for the individual’s own body. Competition awakens motivation to succeed, perseverance and team spirit. Aggressions must be handled and the games encourage integration and the development of fairness.
The tearoom – Sundays, between 40-80 young people come to the tearoom, part of our public youth program within the rehabilitation ministry. Following a varied program of movies, slide shows, concerts, devotionals, testimonies and lectures, the participants have the opportunity to talk. The open, non-binding atmosphere makes the Tearoom attractive to young people in trouble and opens the door to counseling and practical assistance..
Choir - The ca. 50 singers of the Projectchoir meet Wednesday evenings for choir practice. Everyone is welcome, no one has to be able to read music, and musical talents are encouraged. The choir sings in prisons and churches in Germany and in countries like Kenya, India and Brazil.
Youth retreats - The highlights of the recreational program are the weekend and summer retreats in Germany and in foreign countries. The intense fellowship between such different personalities in such different stages of development, with different backgrounds and problems provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and to rethink one’s own attitudes and values. Especially visits in foreign countries encourage understanding for other cultures and open new horizons. Other recreational and travel program are available for families or senior citizens.
Activities in marginalized areas of our town - "Wiehagen in Action" und "Möllenhagen in Action" are annual highlights of Crossroad’s rehabilitation program. These programs include sports, campfire evenings with barbecue, children’s programs, movies and time to chat and build bridges to families, children and young people in parts of the city with social problems. In 1997 the "Wiehagen in action" program succeeded in getting the whole area together to make the Guinness books of records for building with matches.
Groups for children – Singing, games, crafts and Bible stories encourage social awareness and the development of children’s personalities according to Christian values.
Groups for teenagers - Teen programs emphasize adventure and discussions about various subjects and life issues. Special attention is paid to integrating young people from foreign or socially weak families.
Discussion groups – In these discussion groups we emphasize a personal atmosphere. Every other week some eight young people from all kinds of backgrounds meet to talk in a private atmosphere. After studying the application of a selected scripture text to everyday life, the group turns its attention to the questions and problems of the individual participants.
Projects in schools and colleges - Presentations on criminal behavior and addiction in schools and colleges can also have a preventive effect.