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Session 2:

First Things in Understanding Young People, Culture, and Your Local Context

Session Overview: This session assists the local leader in gaining a better understanding of their local parish and communal culture and its historical narrative involving young people. The session will focus the leader on understanding this current generation of young people (“Gen Z”), what concerns and uplifts them as well as what drives and engages them. The session involves a lot of listening, observing, and questioning by the local leader in order to seek first to understand, prior to being understood.

Session Outcomes:

You will come to understand the importance of knowing who you have been called to serve and accompany through this ministry.

You will investigate the historical context and culture of the parish community and assess its past and present ministry to and with young people.

You will review the larger cultural and generational realities impacting young people today and how this reflects in their spiritual and religious lives and practices.

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PREPARE: Session Preparation (3.5 hours plus weekend masses)

Read and Review Review the following assignments, in the order in which they are listed, prior to your cohort gathering. Make notes of any application points and questions on your First Things Reflections page (3-A) so you will be prepared to discuss these during your session.

1. WATCH: How Generation Z Will Change the World According to Experts (5 minutes)

2. READ: Ten Defining Terms for Generation Z (5 minutes)

3. READ: The Key to Gen Z is Video Content (5 minutes)

4. READ or LISTEN: Christus Vivit, Chapter 3: The Now of God by Pope Francis (30 minutes)

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5. READ: 7 Things You Need to Know About Generation Z (5 Minutes)

6. WATCH: Engaging the World of Generation Z with Dr Charlotte McCorquodale and Ela Milewska (55 minutes – start at 4:55 and end at 1:00:22 NFCYM Member log-in required)

7. WATCH: 4.1 Called to Accompany: Evangelization and Youth (5 minutes)

8. WATCH: 4.2 Evangelization in Community (5 minutes)

9. WATCH: 5:1: Adolescent Development and Pastoral Care (5 minutes)

10. WATCH: Faith in an Anxious World - Presented by Dr. Kara Powell (40 minutes: start at 5:15 and end at 44:30 - NFCYM Member log-in required)

Observe, Assess, and Reflect Complete the Parish Narrative and Assessment Form (Worksheet 2-B) which requires you to:

1. Attend all parish liturgies one weekend (time determined by number of weekend masses) 2. Interview 1-2 long-serving pastoral or ministry leaders at the parish (30 minutes each)

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GATHER: Cohort Meeting (90 minutes)

Welcome and Check-In (10 minutes) Members share highlights/insights from the past week(s) since the last gathering.

Opening Prayer (5 minutes) Alternate the paragraphs below among cohort members: Prayer for the Other (Catholic Relief Services)

Loving god, Turn my eyes to the other, that I may see each as you see me — with an innate dignity that transcends appearances, circumstances, class, and all earthly status, which are temporary. Help me to see the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my ears to the other, that I may hear their cries as you hear mine with a compassion and tenderness that draws me closer in the midst of suffering.

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Help me to hear the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my mind to the other, that I may come to understand them as you understand me — struggling to find meaning and wholeness in a world that’s fragmented, and your light in a world that’s dimmed. Help me to understand the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my feet to the other, that I may approach them across the gaps that divide us — gaps too often widened by illusions of family, tribe, creed, race... even otherness itself Help me to approach the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my hands to the other, that I may serve them as You serve me — with a touch that cleanses, that heals, that feeds, and that reassures. Help me to serve the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Turn my heart to the other, that I may love them as you love me — steadfast, forgiving, ever-merciful, with patience, seeing my joy in theirs. Help me to love the other as Your beloved child, eternally. Loving God, Turn my life to the other, that I may live in solidarity with them, and thus with You, forever. Amen

Discussion Questions (60 minutes) Most of the session time will be spent processing the preparation material together and allowing time for participant questions that arose during their preparation phase. Be prepared to share responses to the following questions:

1. What major insight(s) did you gain from the readings about Gen Z and how best to minister to and with them?

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2. Describe three main insights you uncovered about your community culture and context? 

3. What does diversity look like in your community? 

4. What challenges you have uncovered? 

5. What opportunities/strengths have you discovered? 

Reflections (10 minutes) Before concluding your cohort session, take a few quiet moments to think through what your best next steps are to practically apply your learnings to your unique setting and situation. Be prepared to share these out loud.

1. Based on todays’ gathering, I’m feeling called to...

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2. To better understand and accompany young people in my community, I need to... 

3. To better serve the youth of this community, the people I need to invite and engage into leadership roles are...

Next Steps Gather 8-10 young people and one other adult (either virtually or in-person) for a listening session. Use the questions in using Worksheet 2-C to listen deeply to who the young people are, what outcomes they seek and what gifts they have to offer. This process can be repeated with additional small groups of youth. Review of Next Session and Closing Prayer Time (5 minutes)

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GOING FURTHER: Additional Resources We recommend reviewing the following resources for your continued growth and knowledge on the topic of culture, local context and Gen Z. We recommend participants review a small section at a time rather than trying to consume all the material at once.

Read:

• 3 simple questions to help young people learn cultural discernment by Al James • Christus Vivit Study Guide: Theme 4: The Now: Reality and Response • Christus Vivit Study Guide: Theme 10: Our Pathway to Mission

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• Marathon Youth Ministry - Christopher Wesley’s Blog • Springtide Research Institute (excellent resources on the state of religion and young people) • 10 Findings About the Religious Lives of Teens and Their Parents (Pew Research) • Millennials & Gen Z Are Leaving Church. What Can We Do? by Mary Jahnke • 2020: The Year That Changed Video Consumption

Watch:

• Understanding Middle Schoolers with Marko Oesteicher • Accompaniment Project Resources (click on Implementing Accompaniment webinar) • Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics (NFCYM Webinar) • Momentum 3 Series on Gen Z: THE POWER OF GEN Z: WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU ENGAGE

AND EMPOWER YOUTH TO MINISTER (NFCYM Member Log-in Required) • Momentum 3 Series on Gen Z: Understanding Digital Natives (NFCYM Member Log-in Required) • Momentum 3 Series on Gen Z: Unpacking the Gift of Diversity in Gen Z (NFCYM Member Log-in

Required) • Momentum 3 Series on Gen Z: What’s Trending in the Mental Health of Gen Z and Why It

Matters for Ministry (NFCYM Member Log-in Required) • Momentum 3 Series on Gen Z: HELPING THE “PANDEMIC POPULATION” FIND HOPE (NFCYM

Member Log-in Required) • Restoring Hope Video Series – Type “Restoring Hope” into the search engine to bring up the

four-video links in how to respond to the pastoral needs/concerns of young people (NFCYM Member Log-in Required)

• The Fourth Man ($5 fee to view)

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Worksheet 2-A: Prep and Reflect for Session 2 Use this page to note key insights, helpful application points and questions that come to mind during your

preparation time so that you can discuss these during your session.

1. WATCH: How Generation Z Will Change the World According to Experts (5 minutes)

2. READ: Ten Defining Terms for Generation Z (5 minutes)

3. READ: The Key to Gen Z is Video Content (5 minutes)

4. READ or LISTEN: Christus Vivit, Chapter 3: The Now of God by Pope Francis (30 minutes)

5. READ: 7 Things You Need to Know About Generation Z (5 Minutes)

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6. WATCH: Engaging the World of Generation Z with Dr Charlotte McCorquodale and Ela Milewska (55minutes – start at 4:55 and end at 1:00:22 NFCYM Member log-in required)

7. WATCH: 4.1 Called to Accompany: Evangelization and Youth (5 Minutes)

8. WATCH: 4.2 Evangelization in Community (5 Minutes)

9. WATCH: 5:1: Adolescent Development and Pastoral Care (5 minutes)

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10. WATCH: Faith in an Anxious World - Presented by Dr. Kara Powell (40 minutes: start at 5:15 and end at 44:30 - NFCYM Member log-in required)

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Worksheet 2-B: Parish Narrative and Assessment Form

A. Observe Weekend Masses: Attend all the weekend masses at your parish community and use the following questions to note your observations concerning the current culture and tradition of your parish as well as how young people live and worship within this reality. Mass Date: Time: Liturgical/Scriptural Theme:

• Describe the overall worship and community culture of each of the liturgies you attended. How did they differ? How were they similar?

• What role are young people playing in the parish currently? What impact did each service have upon their presence and participation? B. Pastoral leader Interview(s): Interview 1 or 2 long-serving pastoral or ministry leaders at the parish using the questions below (30 minutes each).

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1. Tell me about the history of ministering to young people and families at this parish? What has

worked well? What’s not worked well?

2. What trends have you noticed among this age group over the past five years? What do you think is impacting those trends?

3. What factors and issues are impacting the parish community the most at the moment? What changes might be expected in the next few years?

4. What is your hope/expectation for the role young people play in this parish?

5. Who are the key leaders/influencers within the parish (outside of staff)?

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Worksheet 2-C: Listening Session with Young People Listing Session(s) with Young People: Gather 5-8 young people and one other adult (either virtually or in-

person) for a listening session. Use the questions below (some or all) to listen deeply to who they are, what outcomes they seek and what gifts they have to offer. This process can be repeated with additional

small groups of youth.

Note: These questions are adapted from the National Dialogue process. Additional questions and resources can be found here.

• Begin the session with introductions of who they are, where they go to school, and how they would

define their schools’ “culture”.

• What brings joy to you/your friends lives right now?

• What challenges are you/your friends facing in your lives right now?

• What two words would you use to describe your experience of the Catholic Church?

• What do you enjoy about being Catholic? What don’t you like about being Catholic?

• Why do you think some people decide to stop being Catholic?

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• What hope or dream do you have for the young people of this parish (what would you like to see happen in the next 3 years)?

• What gifts do you see among the young people here at this parish that can help us achieve these dreams?

• Conclude the session with a prayer.