“... very few children are really bad.  They do, however, sometimes have complicated personalities and need very wise handling to enable them to grow into normal, moral, happy adults.”

- From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi

• CONSISTENT - introducing clear and brief ground rules from the very beginning sets out expectations and boundaries of love.  You will need to have strategies for dealing with anyone who breaks these rules.
• CLEAR - when communicating with young people remember to listen, be honest, and use your body language and tone of voice to convey exactly what you mean.
• CALM - shouting at and 'fighting' the young person only results in a competition of power.  Remaining calm demonstrates that you are in control and respect them as a noble being.  Shouting should only be used in the event of an emergency.
• CONTROLLED - you are the adult and you are teaching and role-modelling to the young people how they should react in difficult situations!
• CHANGING - are your expectations too difficult for the young person?  Can you change them to avoid conflict? 
• CONSULTING - young people themselves are often more stricter than adults when laying down ground rules and consequences.  By consulting with them and involving them, you increase ownership of the rules and expectations for behaviour.
• COMMITTED - turning up each week and not letting the young people down demonstrates to them that you are investing in a working relationship with them, which they should reciprocate and this should make discipline easier.

• If they have lots of energy, play some games (but not for the whole session as it may give the impression that playing games is the purpose of the group).  The Universal House of Justice says that junior youth "represent a vast reservoir of energy", therefore we need activities that channel their energy, and the amount of time sitting quietly during any one session has to be balanced with other things.
• If the group is new, they may not be used to the expectations, but should calm down after a few sessions.  Follow the Seven C's above.
• Divide and conquer - breaking them into smaller groups of 3 or 4 to read the story and answer the questions in the book is very effective at keeping them focused.
• Have a Plan B if things are not working.

• You need to be clear what kind of behaviour you want them to show / how you want them to behave.
• The mind can not process negatives - asking junior youth 'not' to do something is processed as something they can do.  Therefore, try and phrase rules in positive terms.  For example, change "no swearing" to "be respectful when talking with each other".
• You could have a virtues chart for everyone to see with regular discussions as to what these virtues mean (use resources from the Virtues Project International www.virtuesproject.com).  Junior youth get stars for displaying these virtues. It is important to reward each junior youth for their characteristics. One may always lack focus in the reading and writing, but may pay attention fully during art activities.  Everyone has gems, but not everyone has the same.
  
• Some junior youth are never praised for the good things they do.  If you can get into the habit of praising them (and doing it sincerely) you can improve your working relationship with the junior youth and they become easier to work with.  There is a story about one junior youth who would not respond to any consequences and was very happy to be sent home.  She was one day praised for her good behaviour and couldn't handle it because she had never experienced it before!
• Is the venue for the junior youth group the problem?  Is it too small or too big?  Are there too many distractions in the room?
• Only threaten to contact and involve parents as a last resort.
• It's supposed to take three years to train the junior youth, so don't expect overnight results!!!

• Firstly, it's about the behaviour - not the person, therefore it is never acceptable to hit, withhold food and drink, humiliate them, etc.  You may also be breaking the law by doing this.
  
• Consequences should be simple, brief, immediate, appropriate and realistic.
• For example, you could play a game at the end.  If someone has really caused problems and has been warned a few times, you could ask them to sit out of the first round or two of the game.  It is important to allow enough time so they can join in the later rounds and not exclude them altogether.
• Quickly learning the names of the junior youth can really help with behaviour management.
• Make eye contact with the junior youth - if necessary decrease your height so you are on the same level.
• Most importantly, work as a team of animators and consult before and after sessions to decide how you will manage any difficulties.
• If one junior youth is problematic, allocate one animator to work with them (discreetly).  You might find out that the person struggles with something (e.g. reading) and is trying to cover up the problem with their behaviour.
• Anger is a normal human emotion and should not be punished.  However, when people impose their emotions on others (e.g. by hitting them), then this behaviour should be challenged.  Happiness is also a normal human emotion, but if a person kept constantly hugging people to express their happiness, this would also become a problem.
• Identify the individual junior youth with the ability to influence the others and give them responsibilities.  As peer mentors, they can change the behaviour and group dynamics for their own group and for you.
• Remember to be Firm, Fair and Friendly!

• Use your tone to grab attention.  For example, say the word 'wait' three times in a row - say it firstly at their volume, then a little quieter, and then finally at the volume you want to talk at - this can lower the overall volume of the group.
• Plan in quieter time and activities, e.g. reflection activities.
• If the group is naturally loud and energetic, plan for the quieter activities to be after a drinks break or at the end of the session.