Starting A Youth Group

[Jasmith90]

Hi All,
I was recently thinking about starting a catholic youth group in my parish for people aged between 13 and 16 and because compared to america,Ireland is really lacking in youth ministries and involvement whereas many of the protestant religions are starting to thrive here because they cater and involve the whole family into the church.If I get permission from my diocese to start the group (god willing) I then started to think how I could people excited about this group because in Ireland most 13 to 16 year olds are starting to turn to other vices for happiness such as sexual acts (yes even 13 year olds in Ireland are engaging in sexual acts) and illicit drugs and self harming,Could anyone offer me advice as to how to get people excited about their faith? God Bless

 

[jmjconder]

Hi All,
I was recently thinking about starting a catholic youth group in my parish for people aged between 13 and 16 and because compared to america,Ireland is really lacking in youth ministries and involvement whereas many of the protestant religions are starting to thrive here because they cater and involve the whole family into the church.If I get permission from my diocese to start the group (god willing) I then started to think how I could people excited about this group because in Ireland most 13 to 16 year olds are starting to turn to other vices for happiness such as sexual acts (yes even 13 year olds in Ireland are engaging in sexual acts) and illicit drugs and self harming,Could anyone offer me advice as to how to get people excited about their faith? God Bless

**Any “youth group” is not about gatherings and meetings - it is about relationships.

To begin with - go and be with the youth where they are…no matter where it is. Build relationships with a few key youth - have regular prayer with them and at some point have them - invite others.

It is not the famous line of “If you build it - they will come.” It is more - if you come to know them where they are - they will want to be where you are.

A VERY long process and takes a lot of prayer and patience. Blessings to you.**

 

[jmcrae]

Remember to involve their parents in planning the events that you want to create for them.

Even if it’s just a matter of, “here are some things I’m thinking of doing with kids in our parish who are about the same age as your son/ your daughter. Which ones do you think would benefit your kids the most? Do you have any other suggestions?”

When the parents “buy in” to the idea, their kids are a lot more likely to attend.

 

[Angela77]

That sounds like such a great idea!

I am 18 and am enthusiastic about the faith. But when I was 13-16…I wasn’t.

One of the factors that hampered my enthusiasm was the fact that religion class was always so watered down. We never learned about apologetics or the wealth of knowledge in the Catholic faith. Everything was “dumbed down.” By the time I was done with CCD, I didn’t even know about the Real Presence. (???) And it’s not like I wasn’t paying attention in class either. It wasn’t till I started really learning about the faith that I found it alluring. Go figure; it was hard to fall in love with something I knew nothing about. So don’t be afraid to present the truth to the teens. But most kids won’t want that done in an academic way…it’ll probably have to be done through engaging discussions with lots of food. Teens LOVE food.

I think another thing that helps teens get excited about the faith are the social bonds they form with fellow believers. It’s cool to have a group of friends you can have good, clean fun with. Once the teens realize they can have more fun swing dancing, or playing karaoke, or playing kickball than they would having sex or doing drugs… Also, the Catholic friends help to keep each other on track morally.

And the Sacraments. I think it’s hard not to get excited about the Church when the Grace of God is involved.

 

[Angela77]

Remember to involve their parents in planning the events that you want to create for them.

Even if it’s just a matter of, “here are some things I’m thinking of doing with kids in our parish who are about the same age as your son/ your daughter. Which ones do you think would benefit your kids the most? Do you have any other suggestions?”

When the parents “buy in” to the idea, their kids are a lot more likely to attend.

Yes, the parents need to be involved somewhat, but I have another take on this.

A) Why not ask the TEENS of the parish what sorts of activities they would like to do? The parents won’t be the ones ultimately participating anyway.

B) You don’t want it to be the sort of thing where the parents force their kids to go. Because otherwise it’s going to be a pretty unresponsive crowd. They need to willingly come.

 

[jmcrae]

Yes, the parents need to be involved somewhat, but I have another take on this.

A) Why not ask the TEENS of the parish what sorts of activities they would like to do? The parents won’t be the ones ultimately participating anyway.

B) You don’t want it to be the sort of thing where the parents force their kids to go. Because otherwise it’s going to be a pretty unresponsive crowd. They need to willingly come.

Good points. But they also need to be allowed to come. In today’s culture, very few teens are allowed to just leave the house and go somewhere, any more.

Parents have a hard time letting their teens go to something if they’re not sure what it’s about. Also, if they don’t know that good things are happening in the Youth Group, or if it seems like it’s all fun and games (and even if it’s obvious that the games are teaching messages, many adults are still under the impression that “serious” means sitting in desks and writing essays on paper), then homework and chores will always take priority over it, even if the teens want to come. That’s why it’s important to get “buy in” from the parents.

Also - parents should not be the adult volunteers - get young adults and other adults not related to the kids to be your adult leaders.

 

[Angela77]

Good points. But they also need to be allowed to come. In today’s culture, very few teens are allowed to just leave the house and go somewhere, any more.

Parents have a hard time letting their teens go to something if they’re not sure what it’s about. Also, if they don’t know that good things are happening in the Youth Group, or if it seems like it’s all fun and games (and even if it’s obvious that the games are teaching messages, many adults are still under the impression that “serious” means sitting in desks and writing essays on paper), then homework and chores will always take priority over it, even if the teens want to come. That’s why it’s important to get “buy in” from the parents. )

True, true.

Also - parents should not be the adult volunteers - get young adults and other adults not related to the kids to be your adult leaders.

In my Confirmation class, we had two older teen volunteers…I think they made the biggest impact on everyone. Also, when I was in 7th grade, I had a young adult teacher for CCD, and that was one of my best years of religious Ed ever. It’s really important to have younger role models to show that the faith is indeed being lived out by the new generation.