What Does NG3 Stand For?
If you are not familiar with the organization NG3, you need to jump on board. The group of men and women that make up Next Generation Character, Community, and Change are taking character building and small group mentoring to the next level at our local schools.
The concept of NG3 is simple, yet it is moving mountains for the individuals involved. There are school directors in the local high schools that are there to facilitate connection between churches, local business, and individuals from the local community to the students. Building those relationships begins with character development and connection on campus working alongside coaches and club sponsors to pour into the students.
Derrick Heberling, Area Director of NG3 Brookwood, says,
“So often we ask young men and woman to ‘step up’, ‘serve’, or ‘do better’, yet we don’t back up those demands with actions on our part. Students need adults that will walk alongside them and model the behaviors and characteristics that we are expecting of them.”
This is where the organization shines. After the school directors build relationships with the students in the school through character talks and just being present on campus, they offer up NG3 Groups, which are small groups focused on mentoring and connection. The students who crave a deeper connection in learning about themselves, discovering their faith, and also serving the community around them can jump in a group and find a safe haven with like-minded peers and mentors. The groups meet once a week for food and fellowship, and the mentors make sure to make it to games, practices, performances, or whatever is going on in a kid’s life that is important. And the mentors sure to make an impact.
When we asked Joel, a senior at Brookwood High School, what he like best about NG3, he stated,
“Coach Heberling pours into me on the daily, and I love that. Every kid deserves to feel love like that. Being a part of his family every Tuesday and Sunday is the best part of my week.”
Joel has been through some rough times, and he ended up leaving his mother behind in New Jersey to start fresh with his brother her in Gwinnett County his Freshman year. He does not have parents that pour into him daily, so Derrick and Brooke Heberling have taken him under their wing. Now, you can find him getting home-cooked meals, talking about faith, and getting loved on by their family daily.
“Joel is a special kid. Unfortunately, there are more kids than we would like to admit that need a strong adult presence in their lives.” Says Derrick. “For a child to develop correctly they need to feel safe and loved, and if my family and I can do that for kids in our community, then we sure are going to go at it full force.” And full force they have!
Brooke Heberling said this about having ‘the boys’ over weekly,
“I was a little nervous at first to take on such a big and important commitment, but these kids have my heart. Cooking for them, having them sit around my table, and just connecting with them makes my heart more full than I can describe.”
The Heberling’s NG3 Group is made up of the “Golden Helmet Leadership” team for the Broncos Football program. On their first meeting, when asked to share about their home-life, one boy stated, “I really don’t have a home-life. You guys are my home. That is why I want to be with you all the time.”
“I about lost it when he said that.” Brooke confesses. “The way that they were so willing to open up and share big parts of their lives and feelings made me know that the need for encouragement and validation is there for these kids; they just need someone to care enough to listen.”
The organization is steadily growing, and they are currently in 18 schools across the nation. Students involved in NG3 are not just in another program; they are being poured into on a level that will leave a lasting impact way beyond their high school career. Derrick states, “Our goal is to do life with these kids.” Tyler, a boy in the Heberling’s group lingered a little bit longer than the others when group was over last Tuesday. After eating, talking about their experience with church, eating dessert, and playing a few rounds of Mario Cart on the Switch, he said, “You know I really hate leaving every week.” For a senior boy to say that about a small group is pretty telling. NG3 is making an impact, one kid at a time.
“We definitely need to get the community on board.” Derrick said. Their three biggest need are NG3 Group Leaders, meals donated for the current NG3 Groups, and financial support. “The more people who get involved, the more kids we can impact.” Says Derrick. NG3 is for sure an organization we can get on board with.
Written By: Brooke Heberling
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