“Can you keep a secret?”
We’ve been asking that question of our friends since we were little kids. The secrets usually dealt with relational things - becoming aware of the opposite sex, purchasing a Christmas present for a friend, trying to figure out whether or not to “tell on someone” for behaving badly, etc.
Confidentiality is the adult way of talking about keeping secrets.
The word is much more sophisticated, but the” secrets” usually are still about relational dynamics.
Three Reasons to Honor Confidence
- Youth Expect Confidentiality. When kids open up to you and reveal their honest feelings, when they share with you their ups and downs, when they let you in on their experiences, they assume you’ll keep the information to yourself. Your confidence is a matter of respect.
- Youth are Hurt by the Divulging of Confidences. Betrayal; that’s what it feels like when requested confidentiality is broken.
- Youth Build Trust on Confidence. Trust in larger, more important issues is often built on confidences kept in smaller, more everyday matters.
There are, of course, some matters (such as physical or sexual abuse) in which even the reasonable suspicion of ill-treatment legally requires you (in most North American localities) to alert a child protective agency. Make sure your youth know that your love and concern for them, as well as your moral obligation to protect them, will lead you to obey such requirements.
From: ABZ's of Adventist Youth Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group
