IT has been an action-packed, fun-filled year since the formation of the youth group at Our Lady of Graces parish, Carina.
The group is going from strength to strength and is now running weekly activities to keep up with the strong demand.
A member of the youth ministry team, Grant Sparks, said activities through the year included sports, art and craft, cooking, videos, games, discussions, workshops and special holiday excursions to ten-pin bowling, the movies, indoor rock climbing and swimming.
‘The youth group is divided into two streams, the under 14 group and the 14+ group,’ said Grant.
‘Parents and members of the parish have volunteered their time to help set up and supervise activities each week.’
Grant said over the next 12 months, the group was planning to build on the success of the first year.
‘Beginning with our upcoming end-of-year celebration, youth group members will join the 96Five FM Mega Night Out at Dreamworld and then both streams will begin working on music and drama performances for the Christmas Masses,’ he said.
‘Next year a weekend retreat is being planned for the 14+ youth group stream, a Lenten program is being put together for both the younger and the older stream, and older members of the group will be encouraged to take on more leadership responsibilities by attending events such as the annual Movers and Shakers conference.’
The group was formed when a few committed young adults gathered and expressed their concerns that there was no youth group in the parish.
‘Although there was a vibrant and popular children’s liturgy program, which ensured that each year 120-130 children completed their First Communion, there was no ongoing community building activities – either social or spiritual – associated with the parish itself,’ Grant said.
‘Pre-teens, teenagers and young adults were all missing out in a parish that was otherwise very strong and supportive towards its members.’
Other concerns voiced included a decline in the number of young people attending Mass.
‘One of the best ways to begin addressing this problem was to start a youth group, so children and young adults in the parish grew up as part of a peer group in which being Catholic was not something out of the ordinary, but rather a common factor that they all shared,’ Grant said.
Parish Youth Ministry Services (PYMS) lent a hand in setting up the group and the newly-formed Youth Ministry Team met monthly and several different ideas were put into practice.
‘Without the help and support from our parish community we could never have come this far,’ Grant said.
‘The parents and volunteers who run the activities form the backbone of our youth group and we have found that many people have proved themselves to be invaluable to the organisation of the group.
‘In particular, our parish priest, (Dominican) Father Peter-Toan Nguyen, and the principal of St Martin’s School, Rhonda Thornton, have been a tremendous help and support to the Youth Ministry Team.’
