May 14, 2018
A group of friends, including senior Joe Roseman, who are involved in BreakDown smile for a photo after a community performance. At community performances, anyone can come watch BreakDown perform, and Roseman was on the greeting committee for that performance. “Before BreakDown I had anxiety with [meeting new people],” Roseman said. “But it’s an excellent fostering leadership program and has helped me to take on those roles more easily.”
After senior Joe Roseman went to a BreakDown STL performance four years ago, senior Daniel Loaney asked if he would be interested in joining BreakDown. Roseman was excited to have found a practical way to serve.
“I have a heart for ministry, so I really wanted to find a way to do ministry in a practical form. I’ve done community service and volunteer work, but reaching high schoolers who may not ever hear some of these messages is very important,” Roseman said.
After giving a lesson on suicide, Roseman was able to reach out and talk to a student in need.
“One kid came up [to me] and basically told me his life story. He’d been abused by his parents, and his girlfriend blamed him for leading her to commit suicide. I was able to help him deal with that by reminding him that it wasn’t his fault. Also, others blamed him too so reminding him that what other people think of him doesn’t determine his value was something I helped him work through,” Roseman said.
To prepare, the off-stage team runs through lessons individually and together as well as run through possible scenarios when sitting with the students at lunch.
“It’s a lot of hard work and preparation [for the lessons] outside of school, but all that pays off when we get to see kids respond to the lessons. There are some people where it’s in one ear and out the other, but when we get positive responses, it’s awesome,” Roseman said. “Witnessing kids open up who wouldn’t normally do that is the most rewarding part.”
Roseman believes his experience with not only speech and debate but the people in his life have helped prepare him for his presentations and conversations with the students.
“I’ve had experiences with other people in my life who have gone through similar things that we talk and give lessons about,” Roseman said. “I don’t want to go in and just start talking about something I don’t have experience with since knowing is one thing, but the experience is another.”
Other experiences, such as the leadership team Roseman is on at his youth group, have also equipped Roseman.
“I’m on the leadership team at my youth group and it does a similar thing [as BreakDown]. Kids need someone to be there for them, so being brought up in that environment to help others at my church has been extremely helpful,” Roseman said.
The main focus for Roseman is asking questions and learning about the students before sharing the lessons.
“I really have to get myself in a selfless mindset because I’m going in to talk with others about their life, and it’s not about me. [To get into that selfless mindset], I try to remember why I joined BreakDown, to care for other people,” Roseman said. “The relationships are the most important part; the lessons are only impactful if a relationship with a kid is built first.”
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