Vision for the Youth Program at St. Margaret’s

7/1/06

Shading indicates areas that are still important, but were not strong part of past program.

A talk force of youth, adults and clergy of St. Margaret’s has, over the past several weeks, prayerfully reviewed our youth ministry program of the past three years; consulted with other teens, parents, and parishioners; and shared our hopes for this ministry going forward. The following vision is the result of this work, and will guide the selection of the new youth director, and the direction of the program.

The vision

St. Margaret’s will be a place where middle and high school youth can experience God’s love and, energized by that love, extend it to their peers and the world around them, having a great time in the process.

Focus of the program

Seven principles should form the foundation of the program. It should:

· Be Christ-centered, introducing Christ in age-appropriate ways that youth can relate to.

· Be driven by youth; that is, they should help set the direction of the program, determine activities and participate as leaders.

· Emphasize service in the church, the community, and the world.

· Reach out to youth in the church and in the community.

· Be fun.

· Have a curriculum that reaches kids by talking about issues that are relevant to their lives.

· Provide a safe place where youth can come and explore their faith and ask challenging questions.

Other elements: The program should:

· Be tailored to the differing needs of high school and middle school youth.

· Provide opportunities for gender-specific small-group discussions.

· Hold joint activities with other programs so activities achieve critical mass.

· Have a curriculum that is simple and direct enough to be capably taught by volunteers.

· Have a backbone of regular, well-organized activities that appeal to varied interests.

· Keep youth apprised of JYC and HYC events.

· Work with other ministries to create opportunities for intergenerational involvement.

The program will be developed by the director, with guidance from youth, parents, Youth Council, and the rector.

Characteristics of the director

The director must:

· Have the ability to attract and inspire a wide range of young people and adults and develop strong and trusting relationships.

· Have strong organizational skills.

· Have a primary calling to lead youth as opposed to other ministries. Prior experience with youth is preferred.

· Be a self-starter with the experience to work with a high degree of independence in a parish community that has very high expectations for the youth program.

· Be accessible to youth.

· Be flexible.

· Have the ability to recruit volunteers and delegate assignments.

· Be able to serve as a spiritual advisor.

· Be able to attract and develop adult and youth leaders for the program

· Be or quickly become part of a small group for his/her own spiritual growth and nurturing.

The director need not be Episcopalian, however, familiarity with a liturgical environment is preferred.

If our search process does not turn up the right candidate, we should keep searching until we find the right candidate, even if it means we start September without a program in place.

Adult involvement

· The program will have the active support and involvement of parents and other adults from the parish as best fits their gifts.

· Parents will help guide the program (e.g., as members of a steering committee) and will be encouraged to volunteer their time.

· With support from the youth program, parents and the church community will be involved in guiding youth toward confirmation.

Parish commitment

St. Margaret’s will demonstrate its commitment to youth by:

· The visible presence of the clergy and leadership (not just the youth director) in youth activities

· Adequate, dedicated space and sustained funding.

· Providing leaders with training and support.

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