Senior Send Off Conversations
School is out and graduation day has arrived! For a lot of students, it’s the finish line they’ve waited a long time to reach. Beyond that they may be thinking about moving into a freshman dorm a couple of months from now - or they may be focused on the upcoming beach week, or the stretch of empty hours in every day they are going to have to fill.
And you, as their mentor, may see graduation day the same way: a culmination of years of work. Graduation day means the terms of engagement have changed. It’s okay to feel like you’ve done your job, crossed the finish line and can now tap out. But.. what if your students need you now more than ever?
Think about it. You’ve spent the last few years pouring your time and energy into a group of students preparing to enter the real world. Wouldn’t it make sense to keep walking with them through this shift, instead of cutting the cord? In other words, what if your role is changing, not ending? As students are transitioning into full-on adulthood, now more than ever they need advice, encouragement, and insight from someone older and wiser. But they don’t necessarily want it from their mom or dad.
That’s where you come in! Over the course of the unfolding months beyond graduation, you are in the perfect position to be the voice they need. To be the listening ear they may require. To be the cheerleader they didn’t know they wanted. To be a constant in a new and exciting, but totally different life stage.
We want to set you up to have a conversation where you can help walk them to their next phase. We want to help them transition into Christian community where ever they’re going.
And you, as their mentor, may see graduation day the same way: a culmination of years of work. Graduation day means the terms of engagement have changed. It’s okay to feel like you’ve done your job, crossed the finish line and can now tap out. But.. what if your students need you now more than ever?
Think about it. You’ve spent the last few years pouring your time and energy into a group of students preparing to enter the real world. Wouldn’t it make sense to keep walking with them through this shift, instead of cutting the cord? In other words, what if your role is changing, not ending? As students are transitioning into full-on adulthood, now more than ever they need advice, encouragement, and insight from someone older and wiser. But they don’t necessarily want it from their mom or dad.
That’s where you come in! Over the course of the unfolding months beyond graduation, you are in the perfect position to be the voice they need. To be the listening ear they may require. To be the cheerleader they didn’t know they wanted. To be a constant in a new and exciting, but totally different life stage.
We want to set you up to have a conversation where you can help walk them to their next phase. We want to help them transition into Christian community where ever they’re going.
1. Invite your graduating senior to have coffee. Coffee’s on us! Scan the QR Code at Starbucks to purchase a beverage for you and your graduating senior.
2. Share their personalized card. Remind your graduating senior that we weren’t meant to do life alone, share their personalized card with them which has contact information to help them connect to a Christian community near them.
3. Square Squad Exercise
Mentor Instructions:
Mentor Instructions:
- Take out the one-inch-by-once-inch square of paper and write down the names of the people who matter most to you. This should be a very small number of people. The names of this list should be the people who love you not despite your imperfections and vulnerabilities, but because of them. To quote the author—“When you’re facedown in the arena, these are the folks who will pick you up and confirm that the fall totally sucked, then remind you that you’re brave and they’ll be there to dust you off the next time.”
- You should also include the people who are brave enough to say ‘I disagree’ or ‘I think you’re wrong,’ and who will question you when they see you acting outside of your values.”
- Keep your square with you at all times. Use it to catch yourself when you find yourself feeling like you need to “get someone back” for criticizing you, your work, or your ideas. Yes, the criticism hurts. But people who dish out cheap-seat criticism aren’t (or should NOT be) on your list. When you’re struggling to make a difficult decision, rather than beating yourself up about what other people will think or say, just go to someone on your list who will remind you who God says you are.
- I’d love to be one of the names on your list!
4. Share Playlist. We’ve created a playlist of some familiar worship songs to take with them where ever they go! Go to Spotify and in the search bar you can scan the QR code and add to your library. L
5. Connect them to Liquid Young Adults let them know they can follow Liquid Young Adults on Facebook so that they can stay connected to what’s happening!
6. Lastly, take a selfie with your senior and send it to your High School Coordinator or Deby@liquidchurch.com