« YNIA Teen Reflections: Ashley W (Day 4) | Home
SHYM Realistic Expectations Document
By Ryan | July 19, 2010
As many of our you have certainly noticed, our parish youth ministry efforts over the last three years have been incredibly fruitful, engaging an average of over 100 young people a month with various gatherings and events. I am proud to tell anyone who will listen how these teens have represented our parish by serving the poor and developmentally disabled in San Antonio, Texas, and how they have received awards for their enthusiasm and creativity at the annual Diocesan Youth Celebration in Biloxi. I love to brag on Sacred Heart’s youth and how they lend their many wonderful gifts to our community by serving as Musicians, Lectors, and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. They have served as Catechists, Committee Members, and Peer Ministers, and have taken on various short-term ministerial roles that are vital to the life and mission of Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart couldn’t ask for a more active and life-giving group of young people, but such quantitative growth does carry with it new challenges and important opportunities for our ministry and leadership to also grow in quality. More than ever, I am coming to understand my role as a coordinator of efforts so great and varied that I can’t possibly attend to all of them personally. To be truly effective in cultivating the personal and spiritual growth of young people, my role and the role of other adults who work with teens must be a collaborative partnership with parents and guardians. In other words: we’re growing up and realizing that we can’t do this alone!
All too often, the relationships between youth, their parents, and the SHYM leadership have failed to thrive (or even begin) because no protocol was in place to establish common ground. I feel that a major step toward achieving this has been taken in composing a list of “Realistic Expectations” we might have of one another. From July 4, 2010 onward, all young people involved in our parish youth ministry programs will be required to evaluate these expectations with their parents and return the signed contract to the next gathering they attend. Each school year, youth and their parents will be asked to revisit the “Realistic Expectations” document and recommit to the protocol it proposes.
A copy of the Realistic Expectations Document can be downloaded by clicking this link: Realistic Expectations Document
Topics: Sacred Heart Youth Ministry | No Comments »
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
