Campus Outreach in the Cafeteria

Ways to have Lunch with Students During the School Year

Nick Arnold is a student at Fuller Theological Seminary with the desire to be in youth ministry for his entire career. He's been doing youth ministry ...

Getting on the school campus during lunch is a great way to hang out with your youth group kids on their turf and meet new kids. I've had the opportunity to meet dozens of kids simply by meeting friends of kids I already know.

Different schools have different policies for visiting students on campus during lunch, but in my experience, they generally fall into three categories.

1. Off Campus Lunch

This is usually the easiest situation: the school allows students to eat lunch off campus. You can meet students at a local fast food restaurant, or you can pick them up and give them a ride. Sometimes schools will only allow a certain class off campus (like the seniors), so be aware of different rules on different campuses.

Meeting new students is done in a fairly neutral environment (not really their turf or yours, but it can seem a lot like theirs when they swarm the restaurants). Try mixing your off campus and on campus lunch visits with the intent of meeting new kids.

It's also generally easier to actually eat lunch yourself in this situation. Bringing your lunch on campus doesn't always mean you get to eat it.

2. On Campus Lunch at an Open Campus

If the school does not allow students to leave campus for lunch, then getting on campus to visit with them is the next best thing. Generally, open campuses will allow visitors to sign in at the office and go hang out during lunch. Being seen on campus is an important part of outreach, even if you do not talk to the students who see you.

Bringing lunch to the students is another way to make the visit more effective, though it can get costly if you're buying for a lot of kids. Not to mention, you could get mugged by the students!

Some schools straddle the fence between open and closed campuses, for instance, allowing anyone with a background check on file to visit the campus. Generally, the campus is open as long as you have been cleared. Getting the legwork done to get on campus can be a hassle, but it's well worth it.

On Campus Lunch at a Closed Campus

The hardest schools to visit are the ones that do not allow anyone onto the campus. The schools in the Los Angeles school district are all closed, often throwing a road block in my way to getting on campus during lunch.

However, I've found a few ways to get on campus even at a closed campus:

See if lunch clubs are allowed to invite guests. Then you can connect with students at the club.
Volunteer to be a lunch aid. Some schools might be open to you helping out with making sure the kids are following the rules.
If you volunteer in another capacity (counselor, tutor, coach), the administration might allow you to hang out at lunch as well.

I do NOT suggest:

Pretending you're a student (if you look young) or a teacher (if you could look like a teacher).
Sneaking on campus. Usually it's the kids trying to sneak off!
Bribing the person in charge of checking in visitors.

Bringing Food to School

Different schools have different policies for bringing outside food on campus. At the local high school, the general answer is "no," even for clubs, but many clubs and visitors bring food on campus anyway. Use discretion here, and follow what the principal allows. Sometimes official rules are overridden by the principal's preference.

If you do have permission to bring food on campus, be sure to bring extra for others who might want to share with you and the student you're visiting. Extra tacos from Taco Bell or Jack in the Box are always good options, as well as extra cheeseburgers from McDonald's or Burger King.

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