The Community

Google+ is currently only open to adults.  Many professionals and bussinesses are currently using it to network, communicate, and share with each other.  The new ‘Circles’ method of connecting is making it extremely easy to connect and share with those in a niche field (youth ministry!).  It’s kind of neat where when we find the right youth ministers in the right circles, they can connect you with people in all of their different circles.  I know it sounds very ‘clickish’ but it is in an extremely good way.

The Ease & Speed

Once you get the hang of things, it is extremely easy and quick to have a well organized group of colleagues who are fighting in the trenches of youth ministry.  When you come across something cool, have a question, or simply think others might enjoy something that happened to you today, throw it into your “fun youth ministers” circle and let them experience it with you.  I am exaggerating a little, but truly this is the type of benefit that is offered through Google+.  If keep looking and find yourself some great circles, you will be surprised at the amount of knowledge you can gain by what others share.

Especially now that Google+ is in the beginning stages.  Things are very bare, it is easy to figure out, and you do not have many options but to set a good foundation for how your circles are set up.

The Potential

The potential behind Google+ is insane.  I have seen priests use google hangouts to pray the rosary with others and to pray the liturgy of the hours with others.  Wouldn’t it be great to meet with other youth ministers from your Diocese regularly to discuss ministry, plan events together, etc.  I know is South Dakota, where parishes are often a good drive away from each other, this feature is something I will be looking to use very soon (one I convince others how cool it is!).

Last, but not least…the games

If you do try it out and you find it’s a complete waste of time.  At least you have Angry Birds to fall back on.

Get on Google+, add me to your Youth Ministry Guru circle and let’s hangout!  Here is my profile! 

Enjoy!

Our focus on this post is to talk about starting out with networking and communication, it’s importance, and how effective it can be for your ministry.

Why Is It Important?

I assume I will write several more posts in the coming days about networking because it is so important.  Networking and communicating with others is ministry.  You can type up all of the lessons you want, come up with your own crazy games, and put in all of the bulletin announcements possible.  Without a greater sense of networking, you will end up dry.  Networking brings people together, keeps them informed, and makes them a part of a group.  There are four ways of networking that I will talk about.  Networking with the youth, parents, other youth ministers, and parish staff.

Networking With Parish Staff

I will start with the easiest one.  You must also be working towards good communication and networking with your parish staff.  They are the ones who are paid to back to you up.   Find ways to get them involved in your ministry and how they can help, share resources with them, and keep them informed.  Our parish went from being in offices that were not in the same building, priests that could not get along, and staff that were absolutely clueless about the other ministries to the complete opposite.  We now have our new parish office building and everyone is just down the hall from each other, our priests are great spiritual leaders, and we meet weekly to discuss our ministries and upcoming events.  It has made a huge difference in our ministry.

Networking With Other Youth Ministers

I would like to be able to say everything you need is here at Prepared Catholic, but it is a good start.  Please bleed us dry of anything you can to get what you need.  There are so many other helpful ways to network though. Here are a few.

• Connect with youth minister in your Diocese - I have two youth ministers from my Diocese that I through ideas at all of the time and get feedback.  Most of the stuff on our site is looked over by them first.  They also send me stuff to look over.  Call the Diocese and get names and numbers and just make a few calls
• Connect with local youth ministers - If you have other Catholic Youth Ministers in your town/city great! You can also connect with non-Catholic youth ministers and get great ideas.  Check www.nnym.com to get signed up as part of a network of youth ministers in your area.  Find out if there are meetings for youth ministers and get involved.
• Connect Online – There are tons of great resources out there.  Sign up for automatic updates through blogs and resource sites.  Chances are you do not have much of a budget just starting off, so get as much free stuff as you can and save it to your computer.  Find groups on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.  You just have look a minute or two and you will find so much more than you can take in.

Networking With Parents

If you are able to be involved in programs in the parish that are for adults, please do.  We need our spiritual nourishment too.  Volunteer to help with breakfasts and concessions at games.  This varies by community, but just find some program for adults that is young and vibrant.

Keep parents and other parishioners informed by putting out monthly calendars or keeping everything updated online.  Do not just announce events in the bulletin but thank people and praise things that have happened.  Have youth group nights where parents are specifically invited.  Thank parents for allowing their child to be involved.

Send out emails once a month just to parents with all of the upcoming dates, times, costs, etc.

Start a Youth Group Booster Club for parents to organize and be involved in it.

Networking With Youth

This will probably be outdated in no time, but here is how I have networked for the past couple of years with the youth. With this generation of kids, there is one thing to know.  Give them short bursts of information with the option of clicking to learn more.

• Weekly Emails – Each week I send out an email with a teaser for youth group, upcoming dates, and any other random info I can think of.  I try to keep them very short with lots of links to more information.  If they are too long, kids will stop reading them.  Have links to your website if you have one.
• Website – We have a discussion forum and online sign-ups on our web site.  Also kids can sign up for automatic emails when we have updates or news.  We have another post dedicated to this called Youth Group Web Site – Not Just PDF’s.
• Facebook – Set up a FAN page immediately for your group.  Suggest the page to all of the kids that you can.  Put random stuff on there all of the time.  Again, short bursts of info that lead them to a place full of information.  I also think it is great if you can set aside time to be available on Facebook, like after school and some Friday or Saturday afternoons.  Those times when kids are home and are ‘thinking.’  Facebook is a great place to meet the kids where they are at.  We have another article written on Protecting Yourself – Facebook In Youth Ministry.
• Twitter – Youth are not using twitter yet, but for those that are, you can easily connect a twitter account to Facebook, so each time you post something in Facebook, it is automatically posts in to your twitter account.

Again, I am sure I will write plenty more on social networking with youth in other posts.  But these are the main that I use.  Networking will help you connect with those youth that are lonely and struggling.  It also makes you much more available.  Although these things can be very time consuming, it is well worth it.  Check out the next post in this series to learn how to stay sane and organized within your ministry.

View Part 5 of 10!

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 youth 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!