Youth Group "Jugendgruppe"

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 The German Family Society’s Youth Group "Jugendgruppe" (youth group) consists of teenagers and young adults ranging from 14 to 25 years of age that are interested in promoting their ethnic heritage by learning and performing traditional folk dances and songs. Practices and meetings are typically held on Sunday evenings, and include time for socializing among friends as well as rehearsing for future performances presented at our clubhouse and at numerous other events throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Some of our most beloved performances include “A Night in Vienna” (an annual formal dance held every January in our ballroom) with an elegant show of Strauss waltzes and Mozart minuets. We also perform at many other events such as at our own “Old European Days” festival, the “Kirchweihfest” (a traditional festival celebrated for over hundreds of years together with churches in many small towns of Europe inhabited by Danubeswabians – Folk Germans), and of-course at the famous “Oktoberfests”.

Each Labor Day weekend our youth group also travels to various cities throughout the U.S.A. and Canada for the National Danubeswabian “Trachtenfest” and “Tag der Donauschwaben” where youth groups from across the country have an opportunity to meet, make friends, and take pride in their German heritage by dancing for the festival. Additionally, on every third year, the National Danubeswabian Organization sponsors a first-class and very elite folk-dance competition named after Dr. Awender, one of our founding fathers. Proudly, our own Akron GFS youth were the first dancers in over 25 years of very difficult competitions to win the coveted first place prize twice in a row, while also receiving the first “Cristine Burmeister - Most Congenial Group” award that very same year.

The authentic costumes such as the “Dirndls” and “Lederhosen” worn during many of our shows come directly from Europe and are very costly (as is traveling around the country and to Europe), so we often have fundraisers to help defray some of our expenses. Making and selling traditional homemade German sausage is by far our most successful fundraiser, and is another way that our young people have fun together while experiencing another piece of their culture and heritage. The Youth Group typically makes sausage twice a year. Aside from rehearsing for performances, the GFS Youth Group also sponsors other social events such as camping trips, holiday parties, and field trips in order to promote friendships and family values. These have always been great ways to meet new people and make friends that last a lifetime! 

If you are interested in joining the Youth Group, feel free to contact our club leaders at any one of our events or by contacting Steve or Carri Sensius at ssensius@aol.com or csensius@aol.com 

How much does it cost to join the Jugendgruppe?  

There is no fee to join the group, but each family is expected to become an Active or Passive Member of the German Family Society to sponsor their child's activity in the youth group program. Dancers over the age of 21 may have their own membership. Please see our membership page for yearly fees and for more information. 

A youth group member must pay for all of their dance shoes, some hotel fees, some transportation, some food and drink, etc. unless otherwise decided upon by the group leaders. Youth group dancers are given a "grade" for attendance, the higher the grade, the more your trips will be paid for, or in full. 

Youth group members and parents are asked to volunteer their time at our events and festivals in the kitchen, at the youth group fundraiser tents, behind the bar, or any other job that might help our volunteer organization. We also expect full participation in our yearly sausage fundraisers.

Please contact our group leaders for more information on how to join.

I am not German/I have no dance experience, can I still join?  

No matter your heritage or previous dance experience (or lack thereof), we love to share our music and dances that have passed down for years with everyone! 

I am/my child is very involved in sports/other activities, can they still join for fun? 

We like to think of our dance groups the same as many sports programs. The more attendance your child has, the more they get to perform. Lack of attendance can lead to less dances performed, greater fees for trips, or further consequences. Please speak with our dance leaders to see if our program is right for you/your child. 

Does your group perform for hire? 

Yes! We love being able to dance for any venue, festival, cultural event, and more. Please contact our group leaders for rates.