Wyldlife truly makes a difference with their mentorship program. It allows middle schoolers a safe space to be themselves. Wyldlife provides many avenues to connect with the middle schoolers. “Club talk” allows children to have fun and play games. After the children unwind, the leader gets up and does a 5 to 10 minute testimony. These club talks are very relevant to the children. The leader’s job is to give the children a little perspective of who the speaker is, something the leader is dealing with now, or something the leader went through at their age.
“Campaigners” are smaller groups. It allows the children to dig a little deeper and ask bigger questions. It’s where they bring their thoughts and conclusions as they navigate through life. With all of the negativity in the world, this group allows a place to share positivity. “Camping” which is another way to connect to middle schoolers, gives children the opportunity to get away. It’s a different space away from home. Camping gives the children a different environment where they can get out of their bubble and open up a little more.”
Contact work” is more personal. This is where the mentor meets the child in their world. Whether it’s walking on the beach, sitting with them at a park and just having real life conversations with each other. These different opportunities give the children the comfort and space to be open and learn about God and also find themselves.
Wyldlife doesn’t want to stop there. The goal every summer is to have the financial means to allow more children to go camping and not worry about it financially. Wyldlife takes a bus to camp, which is also shared by other groups in the area. Wyldlife wants to be able to take their own bus to camp, which would allow for more children to attend camp. Wyldlife also wants to be able to lower the cost for the camp so more children can participate. The goal is to partner with the community and businesses to help support the mission.
All in all, Wyldlife has made quite the impact with the children. Many parents open up to Lisa, telling her how much their child enjoys Wyldlife. Lisa states: “Some parents tell me their kids enjoy the conversations we have, or they hear them singing the songs from camp. ” So it’s clear to state the kids are positively impacted by Wyldlife’s involvement. We look forward to the amazing things Wyldlife has stored for the future.