YOUTHLEADER — Teams from St. Mary's Cathedral in Winnipeg and Good Shepherd Church in Portage La Prairie work together in a problem solving exercise at the YouthLeader conference in Winnipeg Aug. 16 - 20. (Buchok photo)

Teens want to connect with a sense of purpose

By James Buchok

WINNIPEG — Teenagers aren’t much different than they were before they started texting, tweeting and facebooking, says a Winnipeg youth ministry leader.

“At the heart of who they are they still want to connect with a sense of purpose. It’s about their personal growth and growing in their community and in the world, the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago,” said Michelle Garlinski, director of campus ministry at St. Mary’s Academy in Winnipeg and a facilitator at the 12th annual Archdiocese of Winnipeg YouthLeader conference held at St. Benedict’s Retreat and Conference Centre Aug. 16 - 20.

YouthLeader is designed to empower young people aged 15 and older for Christian leadership in the church and wider community.

While Garlnski has participated in all the previous Winnipeg YouthLeader events, it was the first time for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg’s new director of youth ministry Erin Kinsella, who joined the archdiocese in early August. Kinsella said the week’s activities are designed to support nine keys to Christian leadership as set out by the Centre for Ministry Development in Buffalo, NY, where the YouthLeader program was developed. These keys to Christian leadership include principle-centred leadership, proactive leadership and following Jesus’ example.

“The most amazing part for me is watching the youth take ownership of their skills and realize that they are called and they have a choice to have an impact on their communities, their churches and their schools, ” Kinsella said.

Mariette Martineau of Kenora, Ont. in the Archdiocese of Thunder Bay was a third facilitator for the week.

Thirty-two participants from five churches and one school in the archdiocese participated in this summer’s program, including Good Shepherd Church in Portage La Prairie, St. Vital and St. Theresa’s churches and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Winnipeg, St. Mary’s Academy in Winnipeg and St. Theresa’s Church in Pelican Rapids, 600 kms northwest of Winnipeg.

A key component to YouthLeader is for the teams to look at the needs of their parishes and make a plan to respond to those needs.

“Take everything you have seen, done and learned here and apply it here,” Garlinski told participants. “You need to start thinking in a concrete way of what you will take back from this experience to your schools, your churches and your lives.”

On the opening Monday a community life planning session focused on the needs of each group’s community, identifying resources and creating a plan for success.

“The key is to be real in knowing the needs and resources in your churches,” Garlinski said. “Who do we have to connect with? Who is owning the need to succeed? Ownership needs to spread so that the needs are met. More ownership provides more support.”

She reminded all to adhere to what YouthLeader refers to as the FAIR principles for effective meetings: Facilitator (every group needs someone to take leadership); agenda (what the group needs to accomplish); information (everyone contributes more effectively when there is equal information to talk about); recorder (someone needs to record the main decisions of the group to keep the work moving forward).

“If you don’t practice it here you won’t take it with you and if that happens then this week was just a really nice week,” Garlinski said.