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National Youth Leaders Network to be Formed

Diocesan Press Service. December 4, 1974 [74338]

DAYTON, Ohio -- Adult youth leaders representing 42 dioceses of the Episcopal Church, meeting here November 18-21, took the first step in initiating a national network of professional church youth workers.

They also unanimously endorsed a proposed Episcopal Church Foundation student program, designed to develop new forms of ministry with youth.

On the final day of a National Youth Ministry Consultation at Bergamo Conference Center, the Rev. John McCann of St. Paul's Church, Kansas City, was named convener and the Rev. Tracy Wilder of Christ Church, Short Hills, New Jersey, co-convener of an ad hoc committee which will develop plans for the network and for future meetings of the group. A representative from each of the Church's nine provinces will be included on the committee, expected to hold its first meeting after the first of the year.

According to the Rev. James McAlpine of the national Youth and College Ministries staff, the youth workers requested that a letter be sent to the Episcopal Church Foundation expressing their enthusiasm for the foundation's proposed student program.

The Rev. James Trapp, youth officer of the host Diocese of Southern Ohio, said that the conference provided a chance for adults who work with youth "at the diocesan level" to meet each other. He added that those present, while representing several leadership styles, showed a willingness to accept different approaches.

He stated that the idea of youth empowerment was verified by the group -- youth empowerment being the concept that youth programs, to be successful, must come from young people and not adult "planning boards."

There must be interaction with caring adults to enable young people to gain self- determination and to share fully in decision-making connected with the life and work of the church, Mr. Trapp said.

The conference participants heard from representatives of the Taize (France) Council on Youth and from the New Vocations Project in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Taize group was looking for the meaning of spirituality and being a Christian in our time. They posed the question "Why am I a part of the Christian Church?", which was then discussed in small groups.

Vocational alternatives and vocations of the future are being studied by the Minneapolis project group.

During the day on Wednesday nine high school-age members of the Dayton Regional Advisory Committee on Youth (DRACY) met with the adults. The young people later conducted a meeting, to which the adult participants were invited.