A group discussion for teenage girls on how music affects their choice of boyfriends and overall dating relationship.

OVERVIEW

This program will help teenage girls understand that their dating standard should not come from the music that they hear. Furthermore, this discussion will help them understand that their worth does not come from the type of guys they date.

LEADER PREPARATION

• You will need tapes, CDs, and videos of popular artists talking about relationships.
• Bring magazines of the popular male vocal artists.
• Encourage girls to bring pictures of their boyfriends. If they do not have boyfriends, ask them to bring pictures of any boys that they would like to date.

GROUP BUILDING

• Ask small groups of girls to reenact some of their favorite videos, without naming the artists. The rest of the group guesses who the artist is.
• Ask small groups of girls to sing one of their favorite popular songs. Ask them (in a fun, nonjudgmental way) to explain to the entire group why they like the song.

GROUP PRESENTATION

• A youth leader wildly emerges from another room lip synching and dancing to a popular song.
• Ask the group what messages were conveyed during the lip sync and dance.

GROUP DISCUSSION

• Does your boyfriend resemble one of your favorite artists?
• Can he sing and dance like the artist? If he does not, do you wish he did?
• What characteristics do you look for in a boyfriend? What influences your preferences?
• Are there other characteristics that you should look for in a boyfriend? What are those characteristics?
• How does music affect your preferences in a boyfriend?

WRAP-UP

• Do not be so concerned with image that you forget the substance of a young man.
• To look for characteristics of a good man from the Bible, not from the media.
• Talk to respected adults about important characteristics of a boyfriend (or girlfriend).

Elizabeth Pierre cCYS