PROGRAM HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 PROGRAM HANDBOOK Julie Boccabella Pastoral Associate for Youth Ministry ext. 819 Maureen Murphy Administrative Assistant ext. 844 Catzel L. Bumpus Director of Lifelong Learning ext. 828 Church of the Presentation 271 W. Saddle River Rd. Upper Saddle River NJ Ministry

2 Welcome! Welcome to Church of the Presentation s Youth Ministry Program for the year! This booklet is a brief overview of our many wonderful programs held throughout the year. We are so excited to begin this year! We have many great things planned weekend retreats, Youth Ministry Community Gatherings, Service Saturdays, parish community events, leadership training, amazing in depth service experiences, and much more! We have many ways to get involved here, and many fun opportunities to learn and grow, no matter how much time you have to give. Here at Presentation, you will find a dynamic community in which you can discover more about yourself, God, and those around you. There are so many different young people involved here, and you are bound to build friendships that will last a lifetime. If you are new to Youth Ministry, no matter what grade you are in, we hope you will consider joining us for some of our programs this year! And if you are a Youth Ministry veteran, we hope you continue to join us, and that you bring some new friends with you for some of our great programs. Please watch the bulletin for updates and added programs or outings. And check out our Facebook page for the latest updates and messages! Also, please let us know your address! We look forward to seeing you soon! All are welcome! God bless you, and see you soon! In Him, Julie Boccabella Catzel Bumpus 2

3 Church of the Presentation Overview of Youth Ministry Events Sunday Community Gatherings The high school youth of the parish gather on a regular basis together to socialize, talk about current issues, and support each other in prayer. Some come to meet new people or see old friends, and others come for a spiritual boost at the beginning of their week. Most come for both! We discuss many different topics, and spend me ge ng to know one another. All are welcome to these upli ing gatherings! Leadership Team/Peer Leaders Our Leadership Team of Juniors and Seniors are the voice of the young people of the Parish. They have been trained as Peer Leaders and help us stay true to our Vision and Mission. They help us run the most effec ve and relevant program possible! Applica ons for this Team ( ) will be available soon! Confirma on Prepara on for Teens Confirma on Prepara on is an engaging and dynamic two year program, and most teenagers begin the process in their Freshmen Year. Teens can begin in their Sophomore or Junior Year as well. The majority of the prepara on happens in Year 2 of the program. For more informa on, please contact us or see the parish website. YouthREACH: Hope for the Homeless* This is one of our most popular service experiences! Come and see what you can do to help raise awareness of hunger, homelessness, and poverty as you serve the homeless and experience a li le bit of homelessness yourself. This is a very moving and life changing overnight service retreat experience. Date: October 15 16, 2016 (Overnight 2pm Saturday noon on Sunday) Freshmen/Sophomore Retreat* Join us for a wonderful weekend away at the Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center. This peer led retreat is usually a ended by over 200 teens and young adults chaperones and is full of inspiring witness talks, great discussions, games, music, prayer and much more! We hope you can come to this memorable weekend retreat experience! Date: Nov. 4 6,

4 ANTIOCH Retreat* This weekend retreat is a high energy and spiritually rewarding experience that is led by our Young Adult Ministry. It is an extremely popular retreat weekend held right here at Presenta on. Par cipants stay in Host homes at night, and share meals together here at Church. Join us as we spend a weekend celebra ng our rela onships with God and each other! Date: Feb , Living Sta ons of the Cross Relive the final hours of Jesus life as the Youth Ministry re enacts the Sta ons of the Cross with ac ng, singing, and contemporary, personal prayers. Each year the Church is packed with hundreds of people to experience this Presenta on tradi on led by our high school youth. No ac ng or singing experience necessary. Come and be a part of this life giving and rewarding experience! Date: Friday, April 14, Plant Sales A few mes a year, our Youth Ministry hosts plant and flower sales in order to raise money for our Youth Ministry Outreach programs such as our summer mission trip. We need as many volunteers as we can get (a er all of the Masses) for set up, selling, and clean up. Sale dates are: Sept , Dec. 3 4, 2016 and April Newark Diocese Youth Conference* Every other year Catholic Parish Youth Ministries gather and meet at the Youth Center for a day of fun! The day includes an opening session, lunch, workshops, talks, music, and a closing Mass. Come meet new friends! Date: Saturday, November 19, 2016 Senior Get Away* is our gradua on gi from the parish to Seniors gradua ng High School. It is an overnight retreat me of fun and reflec on as our graduates are encouraged to examine how they feel about their accomplishments as well as the changes occurring in their lives. It provides the perfect opportunity to examine values before going to college and the work place. Tenta ve Date: May 20 21,

5 Service Saturdays* This year we will be going to the Community Food Bank of NJ in Hillside to do some service. Some of us went last summer and had a great me sor ng and packaging food for the less fortunate. The Food Bank is the largest in New Jersey, and is larger than 3 football fields! This is a great way to serve and to learn something new about hunger and poverty in our state. Dates: Saturdays Oct 29, December 10, February 4, March 25. Summer Local Work Week* This local service trip is held at the Youth Retreat Center in Kearny. We join many other young people from around the Archdiocese to serve the poor and needy in our area, focusing on Newark, Paterson, and Jersey City. We work in Soup Kitchens, Food Banks, Shelters, and churches in need of our help. It is a week of hard work, but also great fellowship, prayer and lots of fun evening social ac vi es! Watch for details! Date: July 16 21, 2017 Summer Service Mission* Those young people entering Sophomore year through Freshman year of college as of the Fall of 2016 are invited to apply for this week long summer immersion experience. Par cipants will greatly benefit from the mul faceted service experience! Join us as we learn how our faith calls us to service, to par cipa on in ecumenism and to the joys and challenges of living in solidarity with others. Details and applica ons will be available for those who are eligible by October Date: July 22 29, 2017 *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THESE EVENTS. Check with the Youth Ministry Office or at on.org six weeks prior to the event for informa on and the registra on form. Please note: More informa on about our late winter/spring programs will be available in early January. Watch the bulle n and website for new/added programs! 5

6 Sunday Community Gatherings 7:30 9:15pm on Sunday evenings (right a er 6:30pm Mass) 2016 Dates October 2, 2016 October 9, 2016 October 23, 2016 October 30, 2016 November 13, 2016 November 20, 2016 (Freshmen/Sophomore Retreat Reunion) December 4, 2016 December 11, 2016 December 18, Dates January 8, 2017 January 15, 2017 January 22, 2017 February 12, 2017 February 19, 2017 March 5, 2017 March 12, 2017 (Antioch Retreat Reunion) March 19, 2017 March 26, 2017 April 2, 2017 April 9, 2017 April 23, 2017 May 7, 2017 (Senior Farewell) 6

7 PROTECTING OUR YOUTH In order to keep our youth as safe as possible, In accordance with requirements mandated by the Archdiocese of Newark, all adults, staff and volunteers alike, involved with the children and teenagers of our parish must comply with the Protecting God s Children Program requirements. These requirements are outlined in detail on the parish website, and include: 1. Completing a Volunteer Application 2. Reading Archdiocesan Policies with respect to Conduct with Minors and certain Reporting Obligations 3. Signing an Acknowledgement Form for the policies 4. Attending a Protecting God s Children Workshop, which provides sexual abuse awareness training. 5. Volunteers must order a background check online for themselves, (at no cost to them). This protects the privacy of their personal information. The results of the background check will be sent to the Office of Youth Protection at the Archdiocese of Newark and to Melanie Cheplic at the parish. This means that ANY Youth Ministry volunteer - whether you come for one event, you are a host home for Antioch, or you come on a service trip with us, or have any involvement at all with our youth - MUST COMPLETE the above steps to be able to work with our teens in any of our programs. Please review the requirements on the parish website and contact the Youth Ministry office if you have any questions. Also, if you take the Protecting God s Workshop at a location other than Presentation, please let us know. We take our work with young people very seriously, and strive for to keep them as safe as possible while we learn and have fun. So we thank you for cooperating with these very necessary procedures. And we thank you for volunteering and partnering with us in their very exciting and wonderful ministry! 7

8 High School Code of Conduct I understand I will use language, gestures, and behaviors appropriate to Church of the Presentation events. I agree to respect the other individuals who attend Church of the Presentation s events. This includes my peers, the adult volunteers, and the staff. I agree to participate fully in both small and large group activities. I understand that I am welcome to bring a guest to any Church of the Presentation activity and that I am responsible for any guests that I bring. I understand that I am responsible for the cleanliness of all facilities and will clean up my own mess. I agree to not have my cell phone out at any event unless asked to do so. It is a distraction to you and to those in charge of the event. I understand that I may be asked to pay for damages to the facility caused by my inappropriate behavior. I understand that at any time, at any event, the staff and volunteer chaperones have the right to search my personal belongings if necessary. 8 I understand that I am responsible for reporting any of the above situations caused by others or myself to the adults in charge. I understand that I must arrange a ride to and from all Church of the Presentation activities and will be picked up at designated end times. I understand that once I have my driver s license, I am permitted to drive to Church of the Presentation. I agree that I will drive in a responsible and safe manner. I understand that there may be specific rules and regulations based on the individual activity and I agree to abide by those rules. These may be in written form or may be verbalized by the adults in charge. I understand that if I do not follow the Code of Conduct, my parents will be contacted. I may be asked to sit out of an event, or be removed from an event. The consequences will be at the discretion of the parish and those running a particular event.