Handbook Helps!

If you have been in AWANA Sparks Club for any length of time, you are familiar with "Helps!"  

As a part of a set of standards for completing handbook sections, Clubbers are allowed to receive up to 2 helps per section they recite.  When they get stuck on a verse, they can ask their leader for help, and the leader gladly responds by saying a word or two to get them going again. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, I have learned that it is not always that easy, and I have seen leaders and listeners struggle with this seemingly simple standard.

We've all been there, you're happily listening to a clubber recite and you give them one help, and then two helps, and then they stop and ask for another help, and....... It should be easy to stop the clubber and remind them that they are only allowed two helps..... but sometimes it's not!

I have seen leaders cringe when a clubber stops for the third time and stands there with that angelic smile on their face. I have overheard listeners sneak in that third help a time or two, and I have witnessed the passionate and determined clubber who hears the words, "I can't give you another...", frantically respond, "Wait, wait, I know it...it's....I know it, just give me a second..."And then a second turns into to half a minute with the listener trying to make sense of random guesses and a choppy version of something that use to resemble a bible verse.

Now, I will admit, there are times that I have definitely wanted to give that third help because I know how hard the clubbers work at memorizing verses.  And sometimes, the looks on their sweet little faces just makes your heart melt...... but stand strong leaders!  Don't cave into the pressure, and don't feel like you have to be the bad guy who always has to say NO!  Instead, train your clubbers and listeners to use Help Passes!

The idea here is that you want to be able to hand your clubber two help passes and have them understand that once those two passes are gone, they cannot get another help. This is a tangible way to help clubbers see the limit without having to be told over and over again, or without them feeling like they need to test the "help boundaries" every time.

When a clubber has already used their two help passes and gets stuck again, give them a quiet moment to think before handing them back their handbook.  Let clubbers know that you will allow them 8 seconds of "think time" if they need to pause a third time, but after that you will hand them back their handbook so that they can return to practice before trying again.

It's important during "think time" that leaders do not count down the 8 seconds with their hands or voice, this will only stress out the clubber and interrupt their efforts to recall the verse. When the 8 seconds is up, simply hand them back their handbook and offer them some encouragement before they return to their seat to practice. 

Taking time at the beginning of the AWANA year to train clubbers on these procedures will help eliminate frustration for both leaders and clubbers.  If clubbers know what to expect, they are much more likely to be able to self monitor and react more favorably when redirected to practice.

Club leaders may want to use this tool for their entire club or just keep it available for clubbers who are struggling with the help boundaries. However you choose to use it is fine, just as long as your leaders and listeners remain consistent.

I do not have a template for "Help Passes" yet, but I am working on getting a downloadable version created so please check back later.