We had this in our forum and just wanted to make sure everything still had access to the idea.   Last summer (2009) we started a new idea of making youth group trading cards.  Very simple concept.  We bought a cheap laminating machine (about $60) and lots of sheets.  We made our own photo which you just replace the picture of the person and change the words.  On the front we have their name, picture, a logo, and the web site.  On the back we include info on them like their favorite prayer, saint, their family members, and more.

Every time someone new comes to youth group we take their picture, have them fill out the info, and have their card thrown into the mix the next week.  Every week who ever is on time to youth group and stays until the end gets a random card.  If they have the card they can trade to others for one they do not have.

Every once in awhile we remind the kids that these can be used as prayer cards.  Bring them wherever you go, pray for their family members, through the favorite saints intercession, and say their favorite prayer for them.

The kids still love it and we have enough kids in the the group that no one has all of them yet.  Each week we add more to the mix.  Youth come back a second week just to see their card.  It is also good for the volunteers to be able to take them home and learn and remember names.

It does take some work, we are looking for ways to make the cards a bit easier to make, but it is well worth the investment.  There is always a volunteer to help with the crafty projects.

If anyone would like the editable file that we use, I can email it to you.  Please do two things:

1. Make sure you are our fan on Facebook.

2. Let me know you are in the comments of this post.

I will send you a .png file of a card along with some other things we have done to make the cards a bit fancier.  You will need software that can edit the file, but that is not too  hard to find.

God Bless!

As I was focusing on our last post about safety in networking through sites likes facebook, I decided to write another post focused on developing a web site for your youth group.  I actually do web design and networking for small businesses and parishes on the side, so I have built up some experience and knowledge and have learned many things that may be helpful.

I created a web site specifically for our youth group at www.sacredheartym.com.  I have had this site for about seven years and have made tons of changes to get it to where it is today.  I have it set up now to be very low maintenance, but also offer tons of information that is always current and easy to access.   I will use this post to have you focus on a few aspects of it.   Here are some things that I think have been key in the success of our web site.  There should be more to your web site than links to PDF’s.

Current Pictures – The first thing youth notice about the site is the header images.  I changes these at least quarterly and always use current pictures or memories from trips I want youth to remember.   When they visit the site they are immediately brought back to a great memory they have from being involved in youth group.

Way to Stay Updated – Having a spot for youth to sign up to become a fan on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, and receive updates are key to bringing them back to your web site.  Don’t think you have the time for these things?  I probably spend 10-15 a week on these updates.  It is well worth the investment.

Big Event Promos – For every big event I create a new 150×150 promo ad.  This same picture is used for Facebook events and any other promotion that I do.  For regular events like our monthly adoration, I use the same picture for every month and change it maybe each year.  Having a spot on the home page of your site just for your big upcoming events is a great way to constantly remind them.

Discussions – These have been great for youth who spend time just browsing the site.  I can post something funny, serious, educational, basically whatever I want.  The youth do not need to sign in or set up a user name and password.  They just put their name, email, and their comment.  I have my youth group site set up so I must approve every comment (takes about 3 seconds) before it is posted online.  Which great for when the kids are discussing duct tape and one kids says “why do have to be so abusive with duct tape?,” even though they are joking, you may not want parents reading that.

Also when I know a comment has been sent I can have the quick response time to answer questions or shoot back a quick response to them. I put a discussion on another church’s web site asking youth to talk about their favorite saint.  It was a great way to get them discussing.

Upcoming Events – This section is automated and clears out as events are done.  No maintenance after a simple form is filled out with the event info.

Behind The Scenes – I have a page for the volunteers that has all of the upcoming lessons, pictures of our youth group trading cards (so they can remember names), and also pages for the team for our Diocesan Retreat Program.  All of these files are password protected.  It is a great way to make sure people have the current information they need.

Stewardship – Although it is not up to date when I am posting this, it usually is.  I have a spot for volunteers to sign up to help.  It shoots me an email and I follow up with them.

Online Registrations – Since this is time sensitive, I can’t give you an example that will last forever, but I have found the perfect online registration system for just about any event.  You can embed the registration form in to the site, or you can do what we use for our retreat program and just have it go to the registration site.  The site we use is EventBrite.  The thing I love about it is that you can both manually enter info and it is free or people can sign up online and they pay the site fee (you still pay the typical credit card processing fee).  The reports are great and can be used for mail merging and just about anything you are creative enough to think of.

These are things that have been most helpful for me and really make is that much easier for youth to be involved and to stay informed.

A quick tutorial on how to easily maintain your Facebook and Twitter profiles.  Set up the page on your website and link to it from Facebook.  Link your Twitter and Facebook accounts together and you only have to do it in one spot.  You can actually connect the web site also so each time you make a new post on your site, it updates on Facebook and Twitter also, but I like to add little comments on the Facebook page anyway.  To link your Facebook page to your Twitter account go here.

Now how do you get this set-up?  Well I recommend Parish Web Assistant. You can get all of these feature for your entire parish for about $500.  You can also have them do your maintenance for you.  You simply fill out a form, attach any files you want uploaded, and they do it for you.    You can see all of their features here.

You can have them set up your whole parish site also and your staff will be very happy!  Once you get a site set up, if you do everything yourself and you do it the right way, it shouldn’t cost any more than $75/year.

The biggest mistake I see are sites that are not current and only provide links to PDF’s.  Set up a site now that will remind your youth of the great times they have had, keeps them coming back looking for more, and gets them involved.

Please comment below if you have other ideas or questions!

Our Diocese has a Safe Environment program that is used to help train volunteers throughout the Diocese. The training is typically done online. This last years training was on Professional Boundaries and was very good for the times we are in right now. Keep in mind this training is for all volunteers and not just those in youth ministry, but does focus on protecting our youth.

One thing that shook up many of our volunteers is that the training suggests ‘NOT’ having a facebook page and, if you do, ‘NOT’ connecting with the youth in the parish that are under 18. They had some very good points, but anyone who is involved in youth ministry, probably understands the effect Facebook has had on networking and connecting with youth. This article will be on how to make sure you are protecting yourself while still connecting with the youth.

To be blunt, some of the best connections I have made with the youth in our program has been through Facebook chat. The you are sitting on their computer, thinking and bored, and have a lot on their mind. It’s as convenient as can be to chat once they see their youth minister or volunteer online. There is a sense of relief when they are looking for someone they can trust and they find them.

But is this safe? I have heard many horror stories of simple allegations that have led to a volunteer or paid youth leader getting fired by something a youth ’said’ happened. Here is my quick ‘play it safe’ guide for those who truly want to protect themselves.

1. Don’t Set Yourself Up
If you are worried about protecting yourself, than just do not put yourself in that situation. Facebook is great, but you do not need it be a great volunteer. Learn more ways to connect with the youth and use your time you have with them wisely. A volunteer that goes to school or parish events to support the youth is doing much more than one could ever do on Facebook.

2. Use Other Means
If your youth director does not have other ways for you to connect online with the youth, it is time that they do. There are tons of other ways to connect with the youth. If your youth group has a web page, work on getting a section where there are discussions and anyone can post. Make sure your youth leader is also emailing anything that is being passed around and talked about online. Sign up for other networking sites that do not offer private chat or messaging like Twitter.

3. Use Facebook Safely
Since you are reading this, you probably already have a facebook account. You can still have one and just network in ways that are safe. Have the youth minister set up a Fan Page. These are pages where everything is public, people can chat, there is a spot for discussions, and more. It is also a great way to create events and invite people to those events.

It is not rude to let youth know that you have a policy about being friends with them on Facebook. It would not even hurt to ask the youth minister to take the heat of it and set the rule for all of the volunteers. Encourage the youth to make a phone call if needed to or to pull you aside during your weekly meeting. Best thing you can do is to remind them that you care and show them your support.

If you are not too worried about protecting yourself from false allegations or rumors using facebook, at least do your best to keep things public. Be cautious of youth that you do not know too well yet and just be smart.

Please discuss any other concerns or ideas you have below!

This is our first discussion topic/article and I am hoping that we will receive some great feedback from all of you. As promised, anyone who leaves a comment below and tells about their best fundraiser ever, will receive a free copy of our ‘Signs Pointing’ lesson from the store straight to your inbox.

Oh by the way, I am using this post to help me find ideas to raise money for our volunteers to make it to Chicago in February for the Simply Youth Ministry conference. PLEASE HELP!!!!

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