Micro, Meso, Macro System

Sociology divides all our social contacts into a model of society. This model they call micro, meso, macro system.

In the microsystem we are shaped by our family and nähere environment. Especially in child rearing you can see this quite well. A child from a divorced family who has experienced a lot of conflict reacts differently to conflicts than a child from an intact family.

On the mesosystem, we are shaped by our family and our environment

At the meso level, we are shaped by organizations. This can be the school, the youth group, the church or other social networks. Especially young people are looking for a support outside of the family. They want to become independent. With the youth group we have an ingenious way to influence the children at an early age. We can give them important basics to take with them on their way

The macro level includes the whole culture, legal system, policies and norms of a society. The macro level is different in every country, and in Switzerland it is even different in many cantons. A typical example is the Swiss pünctuality. We don't even have to get out of Europe to realize that not everyone is as pünktlich as we are.

Types of socialization

Further, sociology distinguishes three different forms of socialization. These are the primary socialization, the secondary socialization and the tertiary socialization

The micro, meso, macro system applies to each age group. These three forms of socialization are divided by age group.

Primary socialization

Are approximately the first three to five years of a child to experience. The child is mainly socialized in the family. An important skill is communication. Through this he can communicate and learns to express his own will

Secondary Socialization

This stage is more interesting for us as youth leaders. Secondary socialization includes childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Überwhere they come into contact with outside family systems.

Children learn to settle into the macrosystem. We can help the children with the Jungschar to master this step. For example, we can consciously make group games so that they have to integrate themselves.

The children learn to integrate themselves into the macro system

Tertiary socialization

Tertiary socialization enters adult life. This stage includes employment and starting a family. However, this stage is not relevant for the Jungschar work

Childhood from 6-11 years

What to know about this age

Most no longer believe in Santa Claus. They become more reality oriented and get a more developed thought structure. Logical thinking is developing and communication is well advanced. 

Children at this age like to tell in detail what they have experienced. They can proceed according to a sequence and see a connection.

Toddlers and the beginning school-age child see everything from an egocentric perspective. They see themselves as the center of their lives and cannot yet empathize with others. In middle age they learn to be sensitive. They develop a strong sense of justice. For example, they cannot understand it if someone gets more chocolate just like that without doing more.

At this age, children learn to play in groups. They do not yet know real group loyalty. It can happen that a child prefers to play alone and then does so. With time this changes (approx. 3rd grade). The children learn to be a group and to make social cooperations. They also learn to be loyal and not to tell on each other (around 4th grade)

Be fair to the children. If someone has done more, they should get more and vice versa. Don't question their newly learned sense of fairness without reason.

Don't expect too much from the kids in group games. They love to play games in a group, but can't directly identify with the group. But also give the children the freedom to do something different from what you have planned. Something they can do on their own without other children.

Children like to squeal because they don't have a group feeling yet. It gets difficult when you have more developed children who see tattling as a violation of the group and slower children for whom tattling is still normal. Try to be fair to both and not to offend anyone

Faith development

Faith is becoming increasingly important due to the increased thirst for knowledge. Children at this age can still be very well captivated with stories. However, if the child's caregiver is unbelieving, there is a danger that the child will view the stories of the Bible as untrue or even view them as fairy tales. The school child defines as „real“ what can be observed, heard, or perceived with the senses. The difficulty now is to explain to the child that the invisible God is also real (Römer 1, 4-6). 

As a child, parents are usually the most important caregiver. At about 10-11 years of age, children begin to question the attitudes of their parents and listen to opinions of other adults who are close to them.

Many children have trouble distinguishing the scientific from the Christian, so they divide their lives into two. One is the Sunday school life, where they believe in Jesus and the stories are real. On the other hand the school life where they believe in the big bang. As long as they don't üoverlap, most kids don't mind that everything isn't überly true.

Children who learn to trust early on have an easier time of it at this age. They can more easily trust adults, such as teachers, to say the right thing. Children who grew up without trust find it harder in several life situations.

Children are incredibly active. Doing and being inevitably go together at this age. A faith that takes place only on the level of thinking and feeling is unimaginable for them. They want to do things that please Jesus. Learning by doing is not only pedagogically right, but also theologically. 

Related to the silent time/ devotion/ input

Work with theatres, objects or pictures in your devotion. Care should be taken not to emphasize the wonders of the Bible too firmly. Children are quick to cram them into the category of fairy tales and read them as teenagers along with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The focus of the stories should always be to emphasize the love of God and that He wants to be our friend. 

The Jungschar leader should accept and embrace the theories of developmental psychology. Challenging the child early on  does more harm than good.

Among other things, make sure that children under 11 still understand everything as you say it, for example, Jesus is knocking at your heart. The children canöt understand that Jesus is really knocking at the heart valve. Better in this sense would be, „Jesus wants to be your friend“.

As a leader, you should be strongly careful not to misinterpret children's reactions to gospel messages. For example, if a child just sits there bored and rips out a few gräs, it doesn't automatically mean that he or she isn't taking anything away. Most of the time there is a process going on in a child and you need to be patient until it is finished.

Try experiencing a story from the Bible with the children sometime. For example, go into a well together and look at how Joseph felt. Or do another experiential program with them

Teen years from 12-16

Worth knowing about this age

At the end of the 6th grade, puberty begins for most. Girls now begin to pay attention to their appearance. They can spend hours in the bathroom and in front of the mirror. For the boys it starts a little later, but they are just as vain as the girls. They become concerned about their image and what others think of them. 

The children have now become teenagers. They spend more and more time in cliques. Parents' opinions don't matter as much anymore. What their peers think is more important. School rules become a minor matter when the whole clique violates them.

Rebellion against parents becomes the norm. In the nerve-wracking rage that can arise in part, even sometimes unschöne words fall from both sides.

As a teenager, you don't become a new person. Adolescent development takes place on the foundations of childhood.

Adolescents are strongly seeking themselves. Again and again they need confirmation that they look good or that their pimples are not visible at all. In puberty a big physical change happens, but so does a psychological one. The struggle within them can lead to frequent outbursts of anger, with which many parents are overwhelmed. Puberty is very difficult for adolescents who have experienced neither love nor trust in their childhood. They now have to develop their own character without anyone ever having told them that they are valuable

Teenagers can comprehend complicated thought processes. Unlike children, who need their rhine to follow, they canön comment from what is happening. That means, for example, they can tell you what their teacher told them about democracy without having to tell you the whole backstory.

One of the most important issues for teenagers is love and friendships with the opposite sex. In today's media, a completely false image is conveyed of what a perfect relationship should look like. Because young people are especially in this topic on the search, they need support. Even if it is difficult for many group leaders to find the right words, it is important to talk openly about this topic. What God means about sexuality should be clearly communicated to the teenagers early on

Important topics which are often taboo in Christian circles. A relationship is good as long as it is approved by God. This phrase doesn't make a lot of sense with teenagers yet. The rest of the class also just wants the person who looks the best to bounce. We need to make the real meaning of a relationship clearer to the young people again. This also includes having patience, waiting for the right one.

Related to the Jungschar

A young person needs a reference person outside the family, whom he can trust completely. Nevertheless, the family is still very important. It gives support to the pubescent.

Because we know that teenagers are very group-oriented, we must also try to inspire the whole group. Our opportunity as group leaders is to harness this group cohesiveness. We must become a part of the group that they accept. However, not a wolf in sheep's clothing who wants to force the young people into an adult pattern. If a suggestion for activities does not go down well with the teenagers, you should not insist on your authority but give in once in a while. However, it should be noted that this does not apply to safety regulations and accident risks. As a leader, try to empathize with the group and address issues that concern them. A certain amount of spontaneity is needed here. Teenagers tend to be skeptical. They are hard to motivate and really just want to hang out. Try to lure them out of their reserves

Belief development

Teens believe what their friends believe. This may be consumer obsession or, at best, Christian faith. Because of the mood swings they experience, feeling good becomes more important than their own beliefs. 

Youths convert in part only because the rest of the clique does too or because they want to please their group leader. Therefore, it is not surprising if a teenager falters in faith when his reference group ächanges. However, as one grows older, faith can gain firmness and become a fixed ¨conviction.

Despite well-laid paths in the past, no one can tell how a person will progress. Many people do not üget beyond group belief, or do not want to evolve. 

In the late teens or sometimes never, there is the searching faith. Through an awareness of one's own identity, the search for answers is stimulated. For example, if a teenager comes from a Christian home, has converted early öh because it is expected of him, this may yet be a belonging faith. When the teenager is confronted with other views that do not come from his ideal, Christian world, it can  overwhelm him. He begins to search and try new things, to seek new goals in life that he may later regret.

After the seeking faith comes the final stage, one's own faith. In this stage man has discovered faith for himself. Independently of a group or a culture. This faith does not necessarily have to be the Christian faith. With other religions or convictions a similar stage of development is recognizable. Therefore, when evangelizing, care must be taken not to accuse them of having a false faith. The Christian faith should be proclaimed in such a way that they are motivated to entrust themselves personally to this Lord

Relating to Quiet Time/ Devotions/ Input

Teens' trust must be gained first. Only when teens perceive an organization to be good, do they really pick up on anything. 

When it comes to activities and games, they are there if they can meet with the group. They put up with the evangelical stuff as long as the group is present.

Even in devotions, it is important to get the whole group excited. Nevertheless, each individual should not be forgotten. Specifically in faith, care should be taken to reach each individual. If we can make a teenager feel that God is interested in them, even if they are not in the group, they have taken a big step in their faith life.

As a youth worker, you need two things above all: Godly patience to discern the right time and a love for butterflies. Many teens are very fickle in their faith and do not yet have consistency. Don't be afraid if they take a few steps back in their faith life. In time, they may take a few steps forward again.

Closing words

What we must not forget, however: We can divide children into groups, but each one remains a unique person, with his or her own prerequisites and developmental stage.

God has made each person unique. There will always be easier and more difficult children. In order to give everyone equal love, keep reminding yourself of this.

God has made each person unique

Image credits

Cover photo: Juropaarchiv, www.juropa.net

Competencies Listing: Jeannine Weibel