Section 1: Coordinating Adult and Youth/Teen Programs

IOR has two distinct programs for Youth and Teens. The teen program generally includes a Teen Consultant.

Click here for all Youth and Teen Program Forms and Materials

Joint Sessions

When there are related adult and youth trainings, it is customary to hold one or two family activities throughout the training day. Generally the family activities are led by the Youth Trainer.

Family Activity #1

Introductions & Program Overview

It is important to have at least a short (15 minute) family activity just to kick-off the trainings with brief personal introductions and with an overview of the youth program and agenda. Youth Trainers can share the agenda with the youth and parents at this time to introduce parents to the structure and objectives of the youth training and to the timing. Adult Trainers usually review their agenda after the children depart to their own training room.

One recommended activity is the “Handwriting Exercise” and involves breaking the ice and introducing the theme for the training day(s).

Family Activity #2

Smooth Moves: Family Roller Coaster

This activity focuses on family awareness and strategy building as they relate to culture shock. The “Family Roller Coaster Activity” involves the children individually plotting their emotions on a chart as they relate to their move starting with when they first found out they were going to move, to the training day itself, to one year in the future. The children will prepare a series of activities related to strategies and other adjustment and culture shock exercises to share with their parents. The session is almost always led by the Youth Trainer because the children will have prepared their charts and other related activities prior to the parents’ arrival. Youth participants will be prepared to “present” to their parents in the youth training room at a pre-arranged time. Parents do not need to prepare.