Discussion

The goal of the Service Blitz is not merely to expose and empower the youth for a single weekend but to create attitudes of compassion and concern that will last a lifetime. The best way to make a service project like this one "stick" is to use group discussion to help the youth learn the importance of social awareness and civic responsibility from a single day's event. Use the questions below to help the youth in your group process their observations and experiences and begin applying them to their own lives.

WHAT?

1. Who did you serve today? What were your specific tasks and responsibilities? How did they fit into the greater project as a whole? Do you feel like you made a difference?
2. What did you observe around you? What was particularly surprising to you?
3. How did the experience make you feel? What were your expectations for today's service experience? How did the actual experience differ from these expectations?

SO WHAT?

1. What new things did you learn today, about yourself or your community?
2. How do you think what you accomplished today benefited your community?
3. How well did you work together as a team? What were some of the challenges today, and how did you address them? What suggestions would you make for future service projects here?

NOW WHAT?

1. What social problem was addressed by your service project today? What do you think are some of the causes of this problem? Did your experience today teach you anything new about hunger and poverty in our nation?
2. What moral value do community service and volunteerism have? Do you think everyone has an obligation to help and serve his neighbors in one way or another?
3. Oliver Wendell Holmes said that "a mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." How will your experiences today affect your decisions in the future? How will you try to learn more about social concerns? Are you inspired to volunteer in your community on a more regular basis?

Allow your youth to talk freely about what matters most to them. Some of the questions may elicit more emotional responses than others. Just make sure to guide the discussion in a way that allows everybody to share and reflect on their experiences.

If you hear particularly inspiring words or stories, please make note of the comments and share them with us using our website. Your group may be featured in future Souper Bowl of Caring materials! If you have a youth who seems particularly eager to continue serving, help him find a local charity at which to volunteer, using resources such as www.ysa.org. If you have a youth who is especially enthusiastic about the Souper Bowl of Caring and seems interested in leadership, nominate him to our Youth Advisory Board. After the youth have shared their experiences and reflected on the implications of those experiences, invite them to explore ways they can continue serving their communities.