{"id":12067,"date":"2023-05-10T12:40:59","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T19:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/high-school\/go-to-the-campus\/?p=12067"},"modified":"2024-05-03T22:27:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-04T05:27:02","slug":"how-to-talk-to-parents-about-cru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/high-school\/go-to-the-campus\/how-to-talk-to-parents-about-cru\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk to Parents About Cru"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Many Cru volunteers and staff feel nervous about meeting the parents of the students with whom they work. Some say they feel intimidated and are worried that parents will be suspicious of them and the work we do. However, it does not have to be this way. If you feel stressed about meeting parents, remember you and the parent have something in common\u2013you both want their student to thrive!<\/p>

This is why Cru exists on high school campuses. We believe the good news of Jesus Christ helps students thrive in their spiritual life and that overflows into EVERY part of their life. Many parents want the same for their children. Showing selfless, humble concern for their child will win many parents to your cause.<\/p>

This is great advice, but how do you explain what we actually do?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Giving a Good Explanation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The best kind of explanations are concise, clear, and given with confidence. Learning to explain Cru to parents will build trust with them and the more you do it, the more natural it will feel.<\/p>

It is true, Cru can be confusing to some parents. It is not well known, and we are a little different<\/a> from other campus clubs or organizations. Some other organizations may focus on athletes, college-age students, or are just less focused on Jesus and talk more about values. Parents may not understand why or how we do the things we do.<\/p>

In your explanation, you do not need to tell parents all <\/em>the details of everything<\/em> we do. If you do this, your explanation will be long, confusing, and really parents do not want to know everything<\/em>. You need to give the parents the information they want to know, which is the information they need.<\/p>

However, if you are vague and not too specific, this will just raise suspicion. A suspicious parent will not have the desired outcomes. Your goal then, is to answer the most important questions parents have and to answer a parent’s biggest question of all, “C<\/em>an I trust you with my child?” <\/em><\/p>

This is a delicate balance, but know your goal is not the perfect presentation. We may put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We may think that we can change people’s minds, but the truth is we cannot change people. That is God’s job.<\/p>

Some parents may not like Cru and refuse to let their child attend. It is not our job to change their minds or their hearts. However, having a good explanation may help remove some barriers.<\/p>

We want to be faithful to present our mission with Cru as best we can and trust God with the results.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tMeeting parents to tell them what Cru does is the first step toward aligning with parents.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Prepare an Explanation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Using generalities such as “Cru is a Christian student outreach” or “We do student-led clubs” will only get you so far and may only be helpful for some parents. Instead of using these terms or clich\u00e9s, it is best to just memorize a clear, concise explanation of your local Cru movement, one you can share anytime you get the “What is Cru?”<\/em> question from parents.<\/p>

Your local Cru ministry will have its own unique characteristics or strategies for reaching students at your local campus, but in general, you want to answer the big five: what, who, where, how, and why.<\/p>

Here is an example of an explanation from a city that uses a student-led club strategy. It answers some of the questions that parents are going to have.<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m <name> and I’m a volunteer with Cru.\u00a0Cru is a faith-based organization whose staff and volunteers help coach and support the student leaders for our after school Bible club. We want to provide safe spaces on campus where students can learn about faith in Jesus Christ, feel like they belong, and can live out their faith at school.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

After hearing this explanation, parents would know that Cru…<\/p>