There was no transition at all. It was "Hey, you're in high school," "Hey look, you're a senior," then BAM! it was, "See ya 'round, kid."
-Alex
"I heard someone say 'the fence is down,' and by that they meant the fence of your school, your family, your church, your friends, who were once a fence around you saying, 'This is the type of person that you are,' or 'This is what you are and are not allowed to do,' or 'This is what is and is not appropriate.' That fence drops way down as soon as you get to college, and I saw that instantly. First day on campus, your parents drive away, no one knows you...Suddenly I was faced with this situation in which I literally could have re-created myself...and nobody would have known that I had ever been any different."
-Emily
Conclusive research done by the Fuller Youth Institute's College Transition Project states that only half of students who are connected to a youth group when they graduate from their respective high schools decide to stay with their faith when they reach college.
This is an extremely menacing problem, and one that raises questions about culture, school systems, and the time period, but has only recently been questioned inside the walls of the church. It is often a tendency for people in the church to blame this problem on parties at college, different environments that students move into, and emotional changes college students quickly undergo, but why is the church body not reexamining themselves as well?
When it comes to problems that youth face once they begin college—according to Dr. Powell’s research—the top three are: finding solid friendships, aloneness, and finding a church to call home.
There is no better way to help fight these problems than when the church and its members continuously stay in contact with these college students that have left their congregation and to maintain relationships that should have been built during their high school years. We cannot expect change in the church when we send off youth in hopes that they will come back to the church stronger in faith without the help of the church itself.
When students leave for college, walk beside them and stay in contact with them. How should they know what those relationships are supposed to be like if no one else is intentional about maintaining them? Learn how to integrate them while they are still in high school so they know what to look for when they first move away. Learn how to stay connected when they do not know anyone in the place they are now living. Learn how to make friendships between youth, students, and adults in order to grow.
