| Frequently Asked
Questions
Does it work?
Yes.
Hear from leaders,
hear from young
people.
There will always be parts of the DVD episodes which
will appeal to some and not to others, but overall Young People respond
very positively to the course, and for some it has been life changing.
Can
I use ‘Plugged In Youth CaFE' for Confirmation preparation?
Yes. See:
how to use.
What
age is ‘Plugged In Youth CaFE' for?
Plugged In Youth CaFE has been created for teenagers. However, it has been used
successfully with 10 -12 year olds.
Different ages will engage
with the content matter at different levels and will require leaders to
work in different gears. For example, in the final session a substantial
part of the first DVD clip is about the issue of sex outside of
marriage, which will no doubt impact your pre-teens and late teens
differently, although both desperately need to hear a Christian
perspective on the topic.
Can I run ‘Plugged In
Youth CaFE' for 12 – 18 year olds together?
Not an ideal
situation. Because there’s a vast difference between these ages, it
could result in neither end of the spectrum being led as they would need to
be.
If it’s a group that’s
already in existence and there’s good relationship between the oldest
and the youngest, it could work, although even in that circumstance it
would be advisable to have different table groups for different age
groups, so that they have the space to discuss at the level appropriate
for them.
If you have only a few
young people to work with, a way of reaching them all could be to run it
for the older ones first (even if it’s only a couple), then enable them
to run it for the younger ones.
How
many people should I run ‘Plugged In Youth CaFE' for?
Plugged In Youth CaFE
can be run with 2 or 3 young people, or 70!
With a small group there’s
an opportunity for an informal atmosphere and quality investment
in the young people involved. You could have some really strong
relationships by the end of the course, and you may find your young
people are in a great place to move into peer leadership.
With a huge group there’s
going to be a sense of being part of something that’s big and exciting.
Your leaders will probably find it harder to get along side individual
young people, but that could be factored in as part of your ongoing work with them.
A
key thing to bear in mind is that a recommended table group would
have no more than eight young people and one or two leaders. Also
remember, outside of a school situation, one adult per ten young people is
legally required.
How
would I get young people to come?
There are
ideas for publicity in the Leaders manual, which is part of the
Plugged In Youth CaFE pack.
Personal invitation
is generally the most effective way of advertising, but young people are astute
when it comes to advertising, so it’s always good to ask their advise!
Sample publicity material
also comes with the Plugged In Youth CaFE pack, as does the
trailer. You can be creative with these resources, for example, in a school
you could project the trailer above your canteen hatch during break or
lunchtime.
Who
should lead?
Each team will
need those gifted in organisation, those gifted in hospitality and so
forth,
but key attributes of leaders
are: the ability to listen; a willingness to enter into the world of
young people – their culture and their issues (whilst being themselves –
no baseball caps backwards if it’s not what you normally do!; and a
desire to see Young people grow in faith.
Peer leadership is also a
fantastic way of working with young people – both for the peer leaders
and those being ministered to.
Hear from a peer leader.
If your young people have not been in leadership before, it’s worth
pairing them a with an adult supporter to lead table group discussion.
If you identify young leaders its worth thinking seriously about how to
invest in them long-term. See:
how to follow up.
How much time will leaders
need to commit?
It’s important that
there’s continuity in the leadership, especially with the table groups,
so leaders would need to attend every session.
In addition leaders need
to meet to prepare each session, by watching the DVDs,
preparing their own answers to discussion questions, and taking some time
to pray for the young people.
There are also two
leadership preparation sessions, based around DVD episodes, covering
youth culture and spirituality, and practicalities. Leaders
should therefore meet together at least twice before beginning the
course.
Is
‘Plugged In Youth CaFE' only for Catholics?
Not
necessarily. Plugged In Youth CaFE's target audience is Catholic
teenagers. The sacraments of reconciliation, the Eucharist and
confirmation are talked about explicitly. However, in the context of a
Catholic School where there are students of other faiths or
denominations, or in a Parish situation where young people wanted to
bring non-Catholic friends, this can still work.
There’s an opportunity
here for other young people to learn something of the traditions of
the Catholic faith, in an informal and welcoming setting. Leaders
would
need to be ready to answer different questions, rather than assume any
level of familiarity with the subject matter.
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