“I love having Jaydlynn serve as a Youth Leader at CI Kids. She’s got such an authentic connection with the kids. She’s a natural community builder,” says CI Kids Director Renee.
Jaydlynn has been part of City Impact for 10 years, starting in kindergarten and now serving as a Youth Leader every week. We sat down with Jaydlynn to hear about her leadership experience at City Impact.
Q: What’s it like to be a youth leader at CI Kids?
A: When I was young, I had fun coming to CI Kids. I got to spend time with my friends. We would jump around during worship and play games. Now I’m a leader at CI Kids. I started out serving in the kindergarten classroom. They were super fun and high energy. I learned how to turn their Bible lessons into games that they wanted to play. The little kids were sweet and fun.
I’m leading in the 5th grade room now, and I love it! The older kids can be sassy and immature, but they also want to talk about real things.
Some kids are dealing with hard things at home or in life, and City Impact is a safe place for them to open up or just feel what they need to feel.
Q: What do you like best about being a youth leader?
A: I’m naturally an introvert, and I’m a good listener. I like to connect with kids one-on-one, ask them about their day, and just listen. Whether they’re having a great day, smiling and sharing wins, or their day was terrible, and they need to vent – it means a lot to kids to have someone to listen to them.
Q: Is there a kid you’ve gotten close to in your class?
A: The kid I connect with the most in my small group is Dairia. She’s a really confident kid. Sometimes she’ll get disruptive in class. She just wants to be heard! We have a good connection. She trusts me and I can get her to focus and participate in discussions and activities.
I want to see Dairia keep her confidence as she grows up. She’ll be a great leader someday!
Q: How has being a youth leader affected you?
A: Serving as a Youth Leader over the last four years has definitely challenged me to grow. I’m a role model to these kids. I get to teach them about Jesus in ways they can relate to in their lives. I connect with them and let them be goofy and show them how to be respectful of one another.
Q: What do you like best about City Impact?
At City Impact, nobody is an outcast. Our faith connects us, and we build this safe community. There’s plenty that we don’t all agree on, but we respect each other. We can all trust that this is a safe place to come together.
We’re proud to have young leaders like Jaydlynn continuing the ripple of empowerment!