Youth Engagement in Creation Care
There was palpable creative energy in the room when a group from nine congregations gathered at the April 15, 2023 ICCT Steering Committee meeting and generated some great ideas on how to engage youth in Creation care. Out of that discussion has risen a new direction for ICCT that holds so much promise and hope for the Earth’s future!
It all begins with a youth listening session and food on Sunday June 11th, 5:00 – 6:00 PM at Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham. Triangle youth and their youth ministers or coordinators are invited to join a listening session with four high school friends from 3 different Durham faith communities, an energetic new ICCT leader, and the NC Council of Churches Ecojustice Coordinator, all eager to hear from each youth. Ren Martin from NCCoC and Liz Becker from ICCT will facilitate the listening session. Please contact Liz at ICCTliaisons@gmail.com, if you’re planning to attend.
A listening session in Raleigh is planned for later in the summer. And sessions at different faith communities can be arranged if requested. If you want your congregation’s youth group to be invited to a session, please contact Liz.
After the listening sessions, possible next steps are to:
- convene a gathering of youth ministers and adult youth leaders in early 2024 to discuss youth engagement in Creation care and the partnership and
- begin to engage youth in Creation care and invite them to participate and take major leadership roles in both the youth program and in ICCT.
If you would like to get involved on the ground floor in some way – small or large – please contact Liz Becker. You can:
- contact your youth pastor or coordinator to share information about this start-up and let Liz know the result,
- contact Liz if your youth minister or coordinator would be willing to have a conversation with a youth minister collecting input for this initiative,
- nominate yourself or someone else to help Liz with youth engagement,
- share information you may have on fellowships and internships for youth engagement coordination, information on youth program resources, and other organizations to work with.
