Ministry with Youth
I’ve been very fortunate over the last few months, to have spent a great deal of time reading, thinking, learning, and talking about youth ministry. When I attended the Liberal Religious Educators Association’s conferences, I was able to meet with UUA program and field staff, in addition to colleagues with a wealth of knowledge and experience. And I’ve received excellent support from the Youth and Young Adult Programmer of the Canadian Unitarian Council, Ariel Hunt-Brondwin.
Youth ministry is a form of shared ministry, something we’ve been talking about a lot lately. It means ministry with youth, not to youth. It embraces the inherent worth of each young person, and supports their empowerment, as well as their spiritual and leadership development. Ideally, youth are leaders as well as participants, and adult advisors are there to support and guide where necessary.
Our own group is in a time of transition, which happens to most youth groups every few years as youth in leadership age out, and youth advisors turn over. We’ve moved from two groups to one because of our particular demographics this year, and we have many youth new to the group.
Yet, in a few short months, they’ve chosen to combine two media-related curricula to meet their interests; they’ve had some fun, community-building evenings; they’re working on their big fundraising event; and have even hosted a regional Youth Con. Not bad for a group “in transition”!
Over the coming months, I’ll be working with the Religious Exploration Committee to provide training and resources so that Youth Advisors feel prepared and supported in their roles as mentors and allies. Please let me know if you’d like to get involved.
Coming up:
Sunday December 5th: Youth-hosted Holiday Dinner. This wonderful evening of delicious food and fellowship is the primary fundraising event supporting youth programming and travel to conferences.
Now through May: exploration of UU principles through pop culture; youth worship; community building youth nights; and more!
February 4th - 6th: 15-hour Basic Youth Advisor Training workshop. Led by experienced trainers Tim Murphy and Christine Mishra, this weekend provides tools, resources, and experiences to inspire, support and empower.
Late winter/early spring (to be confirmed): Western Region Youth Conference in Saskatoon.
May 20th - 23rd: National Youth Conference – CanUUdle - in Toronto.
Peace,
Andrea
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
