Yale University

Youth Ministry Institute

Engaging Youth with Hurts in the World and their own Callings to Serve and Advocate

This lesson focuses on helping youth to develop a sense of agency and desire to encourages them to discern a call to serve.

Enhancer of Joy Wisdom
Practice Duration 60 minutes
Lesson developed byMary Elizabeth Moore and Yara Gonzalez-Justiniano
Materials Checklist
  • A piece of paper for each group members
  • Pens

Gather

Gather (5 minutes)

  • Ask members of the group to name, not only their personal struggles, but the struggles of society that they are bringing into the space with them.
  • Acknowledge that these huge struggles stand in tension with youth’s awareness of their own limitations and the strength of their passions and commitments.
  • Ask youth to name the times that they have invested in something larger than themselves and how it made them feel.
  • Describe to youth how a sense of agency can empower youth to finding their calls to serve. Talk about the organizations that you have invited to speak with the group.
  • Once all youth have spoken, ask a group member to open in prayer, setting hearts and minds for what you are about to hear.

 

Engage

Engage (45 minutes)

Have the organizations present one by one and encourage the youth to ask as many questions of each as they have, supplementing their questions as appropriate.

 

Reflect

Reflect (8 minutes)

Reflect on and discuss the following:

  1. Can the youth name the mission of each organization?
  2. Did any of the presentations help them to discern their own individual call to service? Was it one of the organizations they met? If so, do they want to become involved? If not, is there something else they may feel called to?
  3. Can you think of ways for your youth group to support these organizations?

 

Send Forth

Send Forth (2 minutes)

Close in prayer

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