The Importance of Connection-Lauren's Small Group Experiences

 Group Member: Lauren Turner

Hello! My name is Lauren Turner and I am a part of Vols for Women’s Worth! I am a sophomore here at the University of Tennessee. I was born and raised here in Knoxville, so I have been a vol fan my whole life! I love being a part of this group because I know that I am helping so many women in my area get back on their feet and learn how to live life again. This is such a great opportunity! 


My Middle School and High School-Small Group Experience

Growing up, I have participated in several different small groups with other girls that are similar in age to me. Going to these groups has been a part of my weekly routine since I was eleven years old. I grew up attending and still go to Two Rivers Church, which is located in Lenoir City. Two Rivers has middle school and high school ministries that meet every week on Wednesday nights. At each weekly meeting, we would meet with our small groups for about 45 minutes at a time. This allowed me to connect with so many other girls my age each week. We would update each other on what was going on in our lives, talk about the sermon, and each give our prayer requests that week. This allowed us to connect on a personal and spiritual level. Our church also took semesterly trips to different camps, which strengthened our small group’s bond even more. We would all room together at these camps, and do all of the activities as a group. I loved meeting with my small group because I was able to talk about the stressful events in my life without feeling judged or alone. A lot of times another girl in my group was going through a similar circumstance, which we were able to bond over.


Freshman Year and Sophomore Year of College-Small Group

At the start of my freshman year of college, I joined a small group through the Young Life ministry here on campus. I struggled finding new friends at first, so this small group allowed me to connect with other girls going through the same significant changes. We all were new to college, dorms, and many of them were new to Knoxville. We each were struggling with homesickness and getting adjusted to college life. These group meetings gave us the opportunity to bond over that difficult adjustment in life and made us not feel so alone. I loved meeting with that group each week my freshman year! This year, I joined a different group through a local church near campus called Sevier Heights. I have met weekly with this group since August and some of the girls in the group are now my close friends. I love that I have built such great communities through these groups. 


How My Experience Meeting in Small Groups Has Related to Our Campaign

All of my small groups have been girls only, which is part of the reason why I think we all felt so safe sharing what we might’ve been struggling or dealing with. We are able to relate to each other as girls, and bond over our difficulties together. This is very similar to what the women who are a part of Hand Up for Women’s program feel when they meet as a group. They are able to connect over their difficult past experiences and learn from each other. These groups can help them feel less alone and to build a community. The program is so much more than just a small group meeting, but these classes give the women a chance to connect and grow together. They build relationships with one another and encourage each other along the way, just like the girls in my small groups. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Community - Zac's Thoughts

Image
                                                                   Group Member: Zac Johnson     Hi, my name is Zac Johnson and I am a sophomore here at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. I, like Lauren, have lived in Knoxville my whole life and I am glad to be part of Vols for Women's Worth raising funds for Hand Up for Women. My hobbies include weightlifting, hiking, church, and reading - all of which have something in common - each have various communities that I am invested in that keep me enjoying those hobbies.       I n fact pictured above is me on top of Mount LeConte, with my friends cropped out, enjoying nature with company. I had a 6 hour shift later that day and given the hike is about 11 miles long without my friends I am not sure I could have made...
Read more

Introducing Vols for Women's Worth!

Image
  Vols Put a Hand Up for Women: We Are Vols for Women’s Worth! Our Purpose We are “Vols for Women’s Worth,” a group of University of Tennessee students who are crowdfunding for Hand Up for Women. We are raising funds for the twelve women who are currently a part of Hand Up for Women’s program. This program gives women the opportunity to learn how to live life again, by teaching them basic life skills they may not know and connecting them with other women in similar situations to them. It costs $8000 for each woman to go through the program, and they pay nothing. We need your help raising money for these amazing twelve women! A Look Into Hand Up for Women’s Program Their program gives women the opportunity to press the restart button and learn how to live life again after difficult situations like abuse, addiction, homelessness, etc. They also each have a mentor that helps them throughout their time in the program. They answer any questions and encourage them along the way. The wome...
Read more

Order For a Cause!

Image
  Order For a Cause! A percentage night that led to connections and strong bonds between women! Percentage Night and Raising Canes Overview Our group hosted our first percentage night at Raising Canes on October 29th! This was such a great opportunity for us to share about our campaign and meet so many people who were excited to help. Raising Canes is an on-campus restaurant that is very popular amongst many students. They are known for their delicious chicken tenders, fries and toast! We knew this would be a great place to host a percentage night because of the large number of students that go there each night. They are definitely one of the busiest dining options here.  How Did the Percentage Night Work? Our campaign received 15% of the cost from each order if Hand Up for Women was mentioned. We sat by the line of people waiting to order and passed out flyers for our campaign. These flyers said “Order for a Cause: Help local women get back on their feet and hit the restart...
Read more