Volunteering at public school

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Evainprayer

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This is my first post, but I have been reading the forums for a long time!
My teen age son belongs to our parish teen group. I don’t know the leaders that well personally but am starting to wonder about this group. The last email requested volunteers from the group for an event at a local public school one of the leader’s children attends. My son attended catholic school, and one of the reasons was my unhappiness with the local public schools anti-catholic agenda. My son will not be volunteering, but I feel I should contact our pastor and address why the leaders are soliciting volunteers from our parish for a public school event. Does anyone else feel this is a conflict?
 
what is the event? who is the sponsor? who is supervising the volunteers? in what way does this work benefit your son’s youth group, the kids involved or the parish that sponsor the group? is the work and project worthwhile and not in conflict with Catholic values? not enough info to make an informed decision

if our local public school is having an event to publicize scholarship opportunities in the sciences for Hispanic youth, yes we will and have accepted an invitation for our HS youth group to volunteer in various ways, but because we know those in charge, and make sure the volunteers are properly supervised, and the event has direct potential to benefit our own youth, including those in our school.

if the school was asking for volunteers at an event sponsored by PP, the answer would be no. for instance we had no hesitation explaining to local organizers why we can no longer participate in Cropwalk, which in all other respects would meet every requirement for our parish youth group, but because of the sponsor’s support of projects in other countries that promote contraception and that mentality, we must regretfully decline.
 
What is your concern? Is your concern that the event is at the public school? Or is your concern the event itself? Do you not want your child entering a public school?
Do you object to public educated kids in the youth group? 🤷

Just because the venue is a public school is not a problem. Perhaps that is the only venue available?

Focus on the event. If the event is not something that you agree with, then that is a problem.
It is OK to volunteer at a public school - there are Catholics attending public school as well.
 
Depends on the event…

Is it raising money for victims of earthquakes? Then GO!
Is it raising money for “sex education” and passing out condoms? Obviously a conflict.

Need more info, please! 😃

The fact that it’s organized or held at a public school doesn’t matter in the least.
 
I don’t see what is wrong with helping out at public schools. I was not raised catholic but I send my kids to catholic school. There is nothing wrong with exposing them to different points of view. Maybe if he sees how other people think your son will appreciate catholic issues from a different perspective. Its good that your youth leader doesn’t just limit the kids to catholic functions. I believe that catholics should try to work with society and not always try to change society. After all, didn’t Jesus work with people from many different religions?
 
The event is a family fun day for the children who attend the public school. Of course I do not have a problem with children in the youth group who attend public school, however I have a problem with the local school district. Their teachers are member of the NEA, which promotes reproductive choice (among other things) the district participated in National Day of Silence (promoting the homosexual agenda) and from the families I know who send their children to those schools, there is a definate anti-Christian sentiment. For example, around Christmas there was a Winter Festival which highlighted presents, sledding, snowmen, etc. with mention of other religious winter celebrations and their explanations and a very small afterthought of “some people celebrate Christmas” on the bottom of the banner.
My feeling is if there is no acknowledgement for the families who are morally opposed to A Day of Silence; to be fair the district should not participate in these types of events. I feel very badly for the children who attend those schools who are subjected to anti Christian agendas as part of their education.
I don’t think it benefits the children in the teen group to participate in that type of environment no more than if Planned Parenthood was hosting a neighborhood carnival.
 
I think you should try to see things from an objective point of view not just a catholic point of view. After all what is the problem with learning how most of society thinks? Jesus didn’t try to overthrow governments or schools. Why should you?
 
Eva(name removed by moderator)rayer said:
🤷 not trying that at all- jst don’t see the benefit of solicitig from the teen group
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the benefit would be that your teen would get the chance to be with other normal teens not just catholic teens. Why shelter him from the world view on things such as pro-choice and homosexuality? what would that accomplish?
 
Em_in_FL said:
Nothing morally wrong there whatsoever. 🤷

Of course it’s up to you as to whether or not you’ll want your son to volunteer, but as for the event itself… sounds pretty family friendly to me! 🤷
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I agree. Plus he gets to meet other peple with different views. That will help him be a better adjusted person with a view of how other people think and what the rest of the world sees as important.
 
Em_in_FL said:
as for the event itself… sounds pretty family friendly to me! 🤷
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As would a community carnival… sponsored by planned parenthood. It isn’t the event so much as the organization it supports. The teens are representatives from the church.
 
Eva(name removed by moderator)rayer said:
The event is a family fun day for the children who attend the public school.
. . .
I don’t think it benefits the children in the teen group to participate in that type of environment no more than if Planned Parenthood was hosting a neighborhood carnival.
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post very confusing, is PP sponsoring the Family Fun Day? is this a gay lib event? I imagine all manner of things went on in the average public school this year many of us would object to. you are already supporting the PS system with your tax dollars, so that cannot be your objection. What is there about the family fun day itself, its sponsors, or any other aspect that would make it problematic for your group to help out? is this event promoting the educational agenda you find objectionable. Just because it is AT the school does not necessarily mean the school is running it, or that the people who run other problematic events are behind it. If you feel your schools are that bad, are you working politically to challenge the school board to change things?
 
puzzleannie said:
post very confusing, is PP sponsoring the Family Fun Day? is this a gay lib event?
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Sorry for the confusion. No, it is not sponsored by PP. My point was that any event that might appear as family friendly and even for a good cause (like Susan Komen run) but what is behind the event might not be such a good thing.
puzzleannie said:
I imagine all manner of things went on in the average public school this year many of us would object to. you are already supporting the PS system with your tax dollars, so that cannot be your objection.
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My tax support is not by choice, the children attending the event would be by choice.
puzzleannie said:
What is there about the family fun day itself, its sponsors, or any other aspect that would make it problematic for your group to help out? is this event promoting the educational agenda you find objectionable. Just because it is AT the school does not necessarily mean the school is running it, or that the people who run other problematic events are behind it. If you feel your schools are that bad, are you working politically to challenge the school board to change things?
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It is a family fun day for the school and its students. When this school district ends it association with NEA and events like the Day of Silence, I will be happy to see the teens, including my son, involved.
 
Eva(name removed by moderator)rayer said:
When this school district ends it association with NEA and events like the Day of Silence, I will be happy to see the teens, including my son, involved.
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maybe you should introduce your son to some gay people or people who work in an abortion clinic just so he sees another side of these issues.
 
It’s a family fun day, your over analyzing the whole thing imho.

Realistically you would probably disagree with the attitudes and opinions that many Catholics hold.

My point being, you can’t isolate yourself from different opinions and ways of living.
 
I think I see your point. You don’t want to support an organization in any way that supports things you don’t believe in. It’s sort of like when the American Girl doll company supported Girls, Inc., that supported reproductive rights. They said that the American Girl $$ wasn’t going to the reproductive rights arm of the organization, just the education part. But if you support one part, you support all of it in a way. You make it a stronger organization. (It turned out the AG money, was in fact, supporting all of Girls, Inc. in the end.)

Do you also feel like the head of the group is kind of “using” the group for his own obligations?
 
what_I_believe said:
I think you should try to see things from an objective point of view not just a catholic point of view. After all what is the problem with learning how most of society thinks? Jesus didn’t try to overthrow governments or schools. Why should you?
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It seems she doesn’t send her son to public school because she does not want him exposed to what the public school teaches. It is her right as a parent in the United States, to raise her child as she sees fit. Further, as a Catholic, she takes seriously her duty as first teacher of her child, and canon law which holds her responsible for his catechesis and formation.

There are many reasons why my children did not and will not necessarily be attending public schools. I don’t want them exposed to Planned Parenthood and so-called “safe” sex, for one. It is a view which Catholics cannot hold.
 
Eva(name removed by moderator)rayer, if you don’t want your son to go to this, you are under no obligation to let him go. Yes, you might look as if you have three heads when if you try to explain it to the youth director. Your pastor may or may not agree with you. So what?
 
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