Oh to be young again.

I had a fun filled night last. Was out having a drink with my friends or maybe even out for a night on the town clubbing and making plenty of noise? 

The answer is of course no. I was out in the dark with my head torch on digging holes in a grass verge so that the members of the local scout group could pop six crocus bulbs into each hole. The crocus bulbs were all in a large basket so easily got to. But the scouts thought it would be better to make little bundles, chaos prevailed.

it was a really fun night and I enjoyed being part of a scout troop once again. Once all the little bundles had been planted up and the holes firmly closed we made a final check of the area to gather any unplanted bulbs. 

I then organised the scouts, both male and female, so different from my days as a scout into a straight tight line along the starting point then we did what could only be described as a little rain dance over the ground as a last goodbye to the bulbs until they pop their heads out in an array of colour in spring. 

I wait in anticipation and look forward to seeing the joys of our labour.

How different from the two surveys I read about young people in the last week.

Both surveys were taken by religious groups concerned about their effect on the lives of young people like those I spent my evening with.

80% of high school students leave the church, never to return.
70% of teens never read a Bible.
63% believe religion is out of date and out of touch.
40% read the horoscope column daily.
93% know their birth sign.
58% of teens believe students should have access to contraceptives.
25% of high school students contract some form of Venereal Disease.
42% of teens say there are many ways to God.
60% question that miracles are possible
28% feel the content of the Bible is not accurate.

The group that did this survey went on to say that this was a very frightening survey and evidence of the slip of youth into the depths of despair.  I am making no comment at this moment I leave you to come to your own judgement.

The second survey is an even more recent one and in the opinion of the group that carried out the survey even further evidence of the decline in youth.

65% of all Christian students are sexually active.
75% of all students cheat regularly.
30% of all students have shoplifted in the past three years.
45-50% of all teen pregnancies are aborted.
A high percentage of teens are alcoholics and more are heavily involved in the consumption of alcohol.
Many try to commit suicide daily
10% of students have experimented with or are involved in a homosexual lifestyle.

It would be remiss of me not to say that if some of those are accurate there is some cause for concern though I am not sure of the gravity of concern because I, unfortunately, could not find the questions that were asked and that might have played a large part in the answers given.

So as I head off to face my day a meeting with the previous secretary of the Community Council and a later meeting with the school headteacher am I feeling concerned about what I read?

Not at all because I am full of the joys of my encounter with the young people of the village. I left them feeling that the world was in good hands and they sounded very much like my friends did at the same stage in life if not even more concerned about the things we need to be worried about.

Have a good day and rest easier there is much to rejoice in and much to hope for.