No, this is not about improvising at the last minute when four young people show up instead of 40. Or when no one brought the nosh and you make do with the stale crackers in the church kitchen. This Help Sheet is about intentional improvisation in youth ministry. It's about tapping into the creative, playful, even profound ideas, emotions and words that run deep in young people.
Improvisation is about being comfortable with a blank sheet and letting young people write it.
It's about entertainment, but it's also participatory. Improvisation involves everyone and is fun. In a more professional vein, improvisation is a theater experience in which participants set out to solve a problem with no preconception as to how to do it. People, especially youth, learn from experience. When improvising situations, players get a chance to practice how they'll react, making them more prepared if the situation arises.