2018-2019 Diocesan Youth Council
Applications Due August 15!!
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If you are a clergy member or youthworker who knows a rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grader who would be right for this program, now is the last chance to talk about this application with them. This flyer provides a good overview of the application process and calendar of the year-long commitment:
here.
The Diocesan Youth Council is a group of young people who represent the youth of the Diocese at Diocesan Convention. They plan and run Diocesan youth events and work to make the church a nurturing environment for the spiritual growth of young people. They seek to accomplish this through extending fellowship and hospitality with their fellow youth.
Learn more
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Fall Youthworker Gatherings:
Youth Ministry Colleague Conversations
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Want to find out what others in your area are doing in youth ministry? Have an idea for collaborating with neighbors on a program or project? Just want to steal great ideas and be encouraged by the camaraderie of others doing similar work?
Join us for one of the fall get-togethers for those doing youth ministry.
Thursday, October 4, 12:00-2:00 pm (w/ lunch)
Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill
Tuesday, October 16, 6:30-8:30 pm (w/ dinner)
Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester
Wednesday, October 17, 6:30-8:30 pm (w/ dinner)
St. John's, Beverly Farms
Thursday, October 18, 6:30-8:30 pm (w/ dinner)
Church of our Saviour, Somerset
These gatherings are intended for full-time and part-time youth ministers, paid and volunteer, clergy and lay, seasoned and freshly anointed--to encourage building more relationships among youthworkers across the diocese as we all continue to imagine new models of ministry for our time.
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And brand new in Fall 2018, for 9
th
-12
th
graders
Faith in Action: Las Fronteras
in partnership with Episcopal City Mission
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Based on the success of our powerful mission-focused pilgrimages to the borderlands through the Youth Leadership Academy, this new opportunity includes a year of site visits around the diocese to see Faith in Action.
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At each site, participants will explore issues of security and hospitality, stranger and neighbor, discipleship and servant leadership, all while participating in community service projects across eastern Massachusetts and developing a community of faith and support among themselves.
The program will begin with an organizational meeting in October, and the year will culminate in the group’s pilgrimage to the US/Mexico borderlands in August 2019.
For details on applying to be part of the inaugural team of this new program, click on the link below, or contact
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
, the Diocesan Youth Missioner.
Application due Wednesday, September 12!!
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Creation Care Day of Service
Cape Cod
Saturday, Oct. 13
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The Diocesan Creation Care Committee invites young people from across the diocese and across denominations to join in a day of beach clean-up and to learn about other ways to better care for God’s creation.
The goal is to put the extraordinary energies and commitments of young people to work in responding to the cries of creation.
In order to insure that this event is truly owned by young people, organizers are gathering a steering committee of young people and a few of their adult leaders to help organize the event - and get the word out through word of mouth and social media.
Young people and youth leaders interested in helping to plan this day of service and learning should contact
the Rev. Deborah Warner
and
Dawn Tesorero.
(Remember to include them both in your email.) They
are excited to set up some planning sessions soon.
Young people of all faith and of no faith are invited to help in this effort.
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Diocesan Youth Council Turns 20!
DYC Reunion being planned to Celebrate at Diocesan Convention
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Save the date: November 3, 2018 in Hyannis, MA
The Diocesan Youth Council was first granted convention voice and vote at the 1998 Diocesan Convention, making the November 3, 2018 convention the 20th anniversary of this important milestone. At this year's Diocesan Convention, former Youth Council members and mentors from the recent and distant past will gather to share with Convention what they are up to now, what they still have to say to the church today, and to reconnect with each other.
A steering committee is now being formed and details will be available shortly. In the meantime, help us reach out to long-lost members and mentors--from a year ago, from five years ago, and from 20 years ago. The party just won't be the same without them. To help in the planning, contact
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
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A Look at 2018-2019 Events Calendar
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Check out the
2018-19 Year at a Glance
, a downloadable calendar with a host of offerings for your young people and your groups. BIg church? Small church? New group? Just a few kids? Whatever your circumstance, you will find something here to include in your programming plans.
For more on all of these events, continue to check the
events page
of the youth ministry website, www.diomassyouth.org. If you are interested in assisting in the planning of any of these events, don't hesitate to contact our diocesan youth missioner,
the Rev. H. Mark Smith
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Resources for Youth Ministry
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New Model Policy for
Safeguarding our Children and Young People
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These model policies are grounded in Episcopal theology and baptismal promises to respect the dignity of every human being and dismantle unjust systems. They begin with a theological statement and
include provisions for use of social media, mission trips, pilgrimages, camp and conference center programs, and other overnight events.
From the new model policy:
"Ministry involves a necessary tension between a Gospel-based integrity and a Gospel-based intimacy as modeled by the life of Christ. A rigid adherence to a system of rules leads to an unproductive legalism. Yet, without the framework of the law, the intimate relationships into which Christ calls us risk distortion and harm. All the people of God are called to minister attentively within this tension. These model policies are intended to provide a pattern for attentive practice of ministry."
Among the most significant improvements, the new policies include definitions that reflect our current understanding of gender identity and sexuality, including Cisgender, Gender Non-binary, LGBTQ+, and Transgender, as well as provisions to enhance the understanding, welcoming and safety of all gender identities and expressions.
The Model Policies include enough detail to support those with limited experience to implement best practices and should prove a valuable resource for any congregation seeking to update their own policies and practices.
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