Salesian Youth Ministry

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Salesian Youth Ministry
Salesian Youth Ministry Office, composed by Kenny
Wodzanowski
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Keeping it REAL

• Relational
• Experiential
• Applicable
• Learner based

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Approaches to SYM

• A unique View of the Young person
• A Community based Approach
• A Process Approach to the Mission
• Praxis and Planning ( 4 areas)
• Group Experience and Relational Commitment
• Evangelization and Catechesis
• Education and Culture
• Vocational Choices

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Salesian Youth Spirituality

• Spirituality of Ordinary Life
• Spirituality of Joy and Optimism
• Spirituality of Friendship with the Lord Jesus
• Spirituality of Communion in the church
• Spirituality of Responsible Service
• Spirituality of Remembering death

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Preventive System

• Assistance versus Supervision
• Presence
• Corrective but not repressive
• Building relationships
• Journeying with the young
• Reason, Religion and Kindness

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Simple Beginnings

• Create opportunities for youth and youth
  ministers to share, to know and to get to know
  each other, where individual differences may
  arise along with commonalities.
• Don Boscos first meeting with Bartholomew
  Garelli. Can you whistle?
• Commonalities hold things and people together, at
  the same time honor and celebrate uniqueness.

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How do you do this?

• A Home that Welcomes

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A Home that Welcomes

• One must create a home-like atmosphere, where
  security, acceptance and comfortability are
  prevalent.
• Give them the Hand of Hospitality!

Young People do not care how much you know,
until they know how much you care!
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The Hand of Hospitality!

• 1) Fun! Both for the kids and the adults with,
  games, music, things youth like! Everyone likes
  some FUNK!
• 2) Food! Feed them and they will come!
• 3) Friendship! A sense of belonging, where they
  get attention, feel listened to and a chance to
  share their stories.
• 4) Family! Building relationships, discovering
  what you have in common, and celebrating our
  differences, all under one father, one church!
• 5) Faith! Faith is brought into everything, it is
  what gives everything deeper meaning. Faith is
  apposition to Fun, Food, Friendship and Family!

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Hospitality

• First absolute necessity for people to believe
  they belong to the group in order for them to
  open up and begin a relationship with others.
• What is Hospitality?
• Doing all you can to make the gathering place
  warm and inviting so that the youth and adults
  become warm and inviting!
• An attitude of little things that help people
  feel more welcome, affirmed and important.
• What can we do to be more hospitable?

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The Playground Where Friends come to Meet each
other

• Youth needs
• Youth Interests
• Youth need to belong
• On the Fringe
• Teaching opportunities
• Building relationship, building church

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Go where the youth are?

• Physically
• Socially
• Emotionally
• Relationally
• Spiritually
• Listen, Appreciate and Respect their needs.

Deeper relationships are formed where the
helping and healing of hearts takes place.
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Youth Needs

• Maslows hierarchy of human needs starts with
  Physical, to Security, to Belonging and then to
  Meaning? We never lose one, but place greater
  importance on one! How are we meeting the youths
  needs?
• Who is competing to meet these same needs?

• Every human being uses whatever they have at
  their disposal to make sense out of life? So what
  do we give as Youth Ministers to the youth?
• In almost all we do, we use to make sense out of
  life.

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Empowering Leaders

• Pushing People Up, so that you are on the bottom,
  instead of passing down power.
• Need to encourage and call forth the image and
  likeness of God which is within each person.

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A School That Prepares for Life

• Balance of knowledge, experiences, and faith
  development.
• Values and morals
• To become Honest Citizens and Good Christians.
• Preparing and equipping youth to take a proactive
  and responsible approach to the world.
• Jesus is the Master Teacher.
• Living My life to the full

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Self Esteem Spirituality

• Bringing life to a deeper dimension, bringing out
  the radiant light that is at the core of every
  soul!
• The Law of the Mind What you think and believe
  about yourself, about others and about life
  becomes your experience. (Self-Fulfilling
  Prophesy.)
• Law of the Heart What is your level of desire
  and what are your values? Where you heart lies
  that is what you will receive! (Reap what you
  sow.)
• Law of Action Moving forward using and
  acknowledging the I am of Gods name in your
  affirmations and actions will bring you at the
  results you seek.

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The parish That Evangelizes

• Meeting Jesus (Encounters)
• Educate by Evangelizing and Evangelize by
  Educating
• Eucharist and Reconciliation ( 2 pillars)
• Trust in Mary

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Baptismal Commitment

• To share in being prophet, priest and king with
  Jesus Christ, to be church for others.
• Struggling and answering 3 spiritual needs!

• The need to believe that life is meaningful and
  has a purpose.
• The need for community and deeper relationships
  in which we are listened to, appreciated, and
  respected.
• The need for practical help in developing the
  awareness of Gods presence in our lives.

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Meeting Jesus

• Our faith grows as well as those we minister to.
  (As Salesians we believe we encounter Jesus in
  the youth.)
• Mutual respect can grow out of affirming and
  serving the goodness we find in those we
  encounter, which can transform individuals and
  the world.

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Living the Eucharist

• To become transformed ourselves into the body and
  blood of Jesus.
• To nurture, feed and care for one another.
• To take special interest in helping someone with
  a problem or question.

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5 Key Components Based on the Salesian Province
Pastoral Plan

• Education and Culture
• Evangelization and Catechesis
• Group Experiences and Relational Growth
• Vocational Orientation
• Formation and Animation of the EPC

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Education and Culture

• Intending to help the local young people achieve
  greater human maturity.
• In the Salesian Journey of Faith, we call this
  Living My Life to the Fullest.
• In the Oratory Criteria this is the dimension of
  A School that Prepares for Life.

Providing Constant opportunities and experiences
that lead to growth, and discovery.
Don Bosco called us to make Honest Citizens and
Good Christians.
Preparing and equipping youth to take a proactive
and responsible approach to the real world.
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Evangelization and Catechesis

• Intending to help move the youth from wherever
  they are in relationship with God.
• In the Salesian Journey of Faith this is the
  stage in Meeting Jesus.
• In the Oratory Criteria this is the Parish that
  Evangelizes.

Opportunities of different forms of prayer and
reflection, Eucharist, Scripture, retreats and
reconciliation are some ways to meet Jesus
In all that we do, try to integrate faith,that
Jesus is present in all we do!
Educate by Evangelizing and Evangelize by
Educating.
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Group Experience and Relational Growth

• Leading youth to form healthy relationships, to
  manage group interactions, and to develop
  Communion.
• In the Salesian Journey of Faith, this is
  committing to building relationships and
  belonging to the church.
• In the Oratory Criteria this is the Playground
  Where Friends Come to Meet each Other.

Leading youth to grow in commitment to
relationships, which also makes the basis of the
church.
Basis of SYM is relationships, the kids want to
meet people, make friends, and when they are
doing what they like, they tend to commit more.
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Vocational Orientation

• Guiding youth to own the values of the Gospel,
  and to act in ways to bring upon a social
  transformation.
• In the Salesian Journey of Faith this is
  Transforming the World.

Seeing each person as being Co-Creators with God,
using ones gifts and looking for opportunities to
share your divine calling in whatever life role
one feels called to.
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We are called

• It is our obligation and opportunity as Youth
  Ministers to uncover the deepest mysteries,
  meanings and purpose with and for them by
  celebrating rituals of timeless value and making
  myth of truth and life.
• We strive to empower and build a healthy self
  esteem, leading youth to discover and experience
  the deeper meaning to their life.

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To do it requires

• A Change in Thinking
• Believing Beyond Appearances
• Dedicated action
• Patience and Prayer

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Need to be on same page

• Sense of Purpose!
• Why do we do what we do?
• A Clear focus!
• What is our vision?
• Confidence of being prepared for the task at
  hand.
• Formation!
• Affirmation and Animation

It all comes down to becoming aware of our
attitudes and planning an approach. (It is a
mentality and a spirituality!)
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Create a Story

• Collectively we make a book.
• Individually we are all authors.
• The Story becomes ours!
• The story gives life.
• A memory of love.
• Hopefully the story continues and expands into
  the youths college, married and occupational
  futures.

All are questioning, searching and being
challenged by life!