Youth Creation Care Leaders had its origins in 2023 following listening sessions with interfaith youth held at several Triangle congregations. Soon after attending a listening session, some Durham youth decided to form a group and gave it the name Youth Creation Care Leaders.
Getting to work, they created an interactive presentation on Creation care and began sharing it with youth at other area faith communities. According to Liz Becker, Youth Engagement Leader on ICCT’s Board, these youth-to-youth events continue to be well received by the participants.
Meanwhile, after hearing a presentation by the Durham group, a youth group called the Climate Bears at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church in Raleigh, stepped up to start leading presentations at other congregations in the Raleigh area. Already active in Creation care activities at their own church, the Climate Bears are taking their youth-to-youth show on the road starting in the fall of 2024.
Both groups welcome new youth to join the two core groups of youth leaders. And they welcome additional faith communities to become involved. If you know of any youth interested in joining the Durham or the Raleigh group, or if you know of faith communities that would like these groups to present to their youth, please contact Liz Becker at icctliaisons@gmail.com.
For an informative article in EdNC about this exciting initiative please visit:
Interfaith Student Leaders Promote Climate Change in NC Churches.
The original idea of Youth Creation Care Leaders took form at the January 2023 ICCT Imagination Convention when youth engagement was determined to be an important new area of focus. Liz Becker, ICCT Board member from Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, agreed to serve as ICCT’s Youth Engagement Leader.
Liz, with input from Ren Martin from NC Interfaith & Light, organized the original listening sessions with youth. According to ICCT’s president Lynn Lyle, Liz’s background in education and her beautiful and tireless outreach work have been key to starting and supporting the momentum of youth engagement at ICCT. But the most critical source of its success lies with the talented youth themselves.
