This year's Girls Night event at the Innisfail Alliance Church will be particularly sweet, according to organizers.
“This year we've got a free dessert bar with candy,” said Lindsay Denham, one of the youth leaders at the church, adding the fun won't stop there. “We've got music and skits and other entertainment.”
The yearly event, the fourth annual at the church, is meant to help support girls from Grades 7-12 through exciting events and directed ministry.
Girls Night will go from 5:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. April 10 and will feature a carnival theme.
Previous versions have focused on short “minute to win it” games, a “Battle of the Tomboys” or arts and crafts. The event features a spiritual component but Denham says this will not be integrated into activities in a threatening way.
“As much as Innisfail has a lot of amenities we're kind of missing out on organized activities,” she said. “Even if you're from outside of Innisfail it's a good way to get these kids in the community together in a place where it's safe.”
Girls Night has been a successful outreach program in the past, having attracted 80 girls in 2010.
Back in 2008, the Alliance Church decided to hire a travelling girls group and got some good ideas for how to host a similar event. The professional troupe was a collective “that travels around and basically talks about things that young girls struggle with and basically how to deal with it and how Jesus can play a part of it.”
Wendy Landin, who runs Journey Fitness, will speak about the importance of living healthy lives in all components at this year's event.
“She talks about the holistic part of it which includes your spiritual, physical and emotional well-being,” Denham said. “She works with a lot of women.”
One game to be played is the “cake walk” that's similar to musical chairs. Players walk around until the music stops and check to see if the square on which they stand corresponds to a drawn number.
Denham says it's important to make sure young people aren't overlooked when it comes to social supports.
“Targeting our youth and our teenagers plays a huge part in their future development,” she said. “It benefits their character and their future.”
Some studies even show a link between low delinquency rates and affiliation with a local church in some populations, she said. Many children who are not tied to the church attend the youth group, she added.
“They can just show up,” she said, noting there is no cost to attend. “We encourage everyone to come.”
Denham says she's looking forward to speaking after Landon has a chance to talk to the group.
“In between some of these sessions we do break up and there's kind of free time,” she said.
