Where are the Young People?
2. Asking the Questions
The number of young people regularly present and part of our church and Quaker meetings has been declining for many years. The Covid pandemic experience has sharpened this sense that young people are ‘missing’ from our faith communities.
Through this Conversation Starter, we aim to enable conversations about young people and the potential to initiate contact or rebuild relationships with them. And then to consider how each of us is mindful of young people, their and our needs for intergenerational relationships, and our role in offering and sustaining this.
How many young people do you know? How do you know them – what is your point of connection?
You might like to start by using the Question Cards which you can find here to print out or use online
(a printed pack of these cards is available from children.youth@urc.org.uk or cypadmin@quaker.org.uk - just drop us an email and we'll get some out to you)
Use these cards to help you start a conversation about young people; their lives; why and how we might seek to be a more inclusive faith community.
Use these cards to:
- invite people into the conversation
- create a safe space for open sharing
- listen to the thoughts, feelings and concerns that arise, including those unspoken
- order the cards in importance
- group the cards into categories
- list possible answers
- add further questions
- identify next steps
(The questions could be adapted to be used about any other under-represented group.)