There are a few young people in my parish but no youth group. I would like to create something but don’t know where to begin!

Visit the Resource section and download a copy of How to Start a Youth Group. It’s a simple 10-step program that you can follow when starting something for young people in your parish community. It might also help if you contact other established youth groups (visit the Get Involved page for a list of youth groups in your surrounding area) to get tips on how they started. Remember, be patient. It’s not easy to start a youth group! Be open to the suggestions of others and try to involve your parish priest too. You can also speak to someone directly from our office on (03) 9412 3300.

It seems much easier to ‘market’ a youth group as a ‘social brand’ rather than marketing Jesus. Any ideas how to get by this without making the youth group too 'secular'?

A youth group is, by nature, a highly social encounter. The Church is a community of people –and it is from Jesus and our experiences with one another that we grow in faith. There’s nothing wrong with using the ‘social’ aspect as a first step to inviting young people – e.g. “Come and meet new people.” But an effective youth group is a balanced youth group – where young people can deepen their faith with friends. Be mindful that a parish youth group is part of the bigger Church community – and therefore your overall objective is to help young people know Jesus Christ. It’s inevitable that the social element will come into play in a youth group and they will be tempted to make all its activities too social-oriented in hopes of gaining more members. That’s why it’s important to clearly identify your mission-vision as a faith group from the onset. And make sure the leaders, especially, are mindful of this when planning activities. Good marketing is honest marketing, so be honest and upfront about what your youth group’s purpose is. It’s better to have young people come to your activities knowing what they’re getting into than to have them leave disappointed because they were only expecting to eat and drink together. Remember, a truly effective youth group is one of quality – not quantity.

What are some good websites, books, etc. for formation and activities for young adults?

In the Resource section, you will find a list of programs and prayers that you are welcome to download and try in your youth group. If you still can’t find what you’re after, please call the AOY team (03) 9412 3300 and speak to someone directly about what you can do.

We have started with marketing but we are finding it difficult to find funds even from our parish. Please suggest ideas for fundraising activities.

This is a challenge that many youth groups face! Try to look at the general “make-up” of your community. Is it mostly made up of families? Older folk? Businesses? This will help determine what kind of fundraiser/activity will work best. For instance, some communities are made up of young families, so hosting a “family games day” would be appealing to them. Listed below are some ideas to help you get started. Whatever your group decides to do, remember that it's important to communicate your plans (i.e. objectives for the fundraiser and where the raised funds will go) with your parish priest/parish office too.     

Movie Night  Borrow the parish LCD projector, book the parish hall, and make some popcorn for a local movie night, priced at $5-10/ticket (including a small bag of popcorn or a drink). Some cinemas charge up to $20 to watch new releases, but people love themed nights with funny yet classic movies - e.g. an Aussies night with movies like Crocodile Dundee or The Castle. Make it fun!

Trivia Night This is a top-seller amongst all ages in the community! All you need to do is organise the venue (e.g. parish hall), come up with the questions, promote it to the community and charge an entry fee. Ask the participants to bring their own snacks or you might want to sell some nibbles on the night. Ask your local businesses if they can donate some prizes in exchange for placing their logo/business address on your promotional material. Just don't overdo the concept by having a trivia night every month -- space yourselves out and promote it well!

Food Night  Organise your event around a specific theme like “French night”, where people pay a small fee to enjoy homemade French food (made by the youth group), French music, a musical performance and even a French movie (with subtitles, of course!).

Video Games Night  This is especially appealing for the youth in the community. Book the parish hall and hold a games’ night “showdown” and set an entry fee of $5-10. For the prize, you can invest in a gift voucher from the local video games/DVD store.

Board Games Night  Do not underestimate the power of the good old board game! Everyone has an old board game at home – put it to good use! Try hosting a Scrabble Night (this would be extra appealing to the older members of the parish) and ask members of the community to loan their scrabble boards. You can set up the parish hall with tables, and have teams play off to see who can get the highest score in 15 minutes until there are only two teams left in the competition. You can sell snacks and drinks, and even have a raffle for the night.

Bingo Night  Bingo is always a fun game to play with family and friends. Invite the whole community and host a bingo night at the parish hall! You can usually find some inexpensive bingo card sets at the Reject Shop or other $2 stores. Ask for a reasonable entrance fee and get people to bring their own snacks or you can sell some on the night. 

Raffle competition  You can ask the local business to contribute some prizes and in exchange, place their company logo/business address on the promotional flyer.

Bake sale  Ask the members in your group to bake some goodies (or ask their parents to bake them for you!) and sell it before and after Mass (preferably the busiest Mass, e.g. the 10am or 5pm Mass). You can even ask the local mothers group or other parish committees to help out and provide some baked goods for sale.

Traditional BBQ and Drinks/Sports Day  Ask your parish if you can hold a sausage sizzle after Mass (again, preferably the busiest Mass). You can even organise a mini-sports competition (e.g. longest footy kicks) for only $2 a participant.

Is there a place where different youth groups can share ideas with each other?

The AOY is currently hosting a Blueprint workshop series. This is an opportunity for youth group leaders to come together, learn and share ideas. You can also visit our Get Involved section to find a youth a group near you for a list of parish and community youth groups located around the Archdiocese. Take the first step and make contact with a group that is close to your area and see if they are interested in sharing ideas and/or working together!

We want to do a praise/worship concert but don’t have any good musicians in our group. Where can we find a band that may be willing to play Christian music in our parish?

There are a few great Catholic musicians in Melbourne who would be more than happy to perform at a worship concert – such as Robert Galea, Blair McWhinney and Cornerstone music. For more information on how to get in touch with them, please contact the AOY office on (03) 9412 3300.

Is it possible to provide a list of key contacts for counseling services for youth leaders?

CatholicCare is an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne that provides professional counseling and care for families and persons in need. While you and your fellow leaders can offer support to the person concerned, it is best to refer that person to someone with a professional background in counseling young people. In some cases, there may be a cost associated with the service, depending on the nature of the event and duration of the counseling. Check out their website for more information.

How would you handle a situation where a romantic relationship is involved or where two youths attend as boyfriend and girlfriend.

This is a fairly normal scenario for many youth groups – where two young people begin a romantic relationship through the youth group (or attend as a couple). While it is certainly not the purpose of the group – it is often an inevitable offshoot of many youth groups. The relationship itself is not necessarily a problem as long as it is age-appropriate and healthy for both people involved. It becomes problematic when the relationship becomes too exclusive or they create an environment that is uncomfortable for the other young people. In this situation we think it is helpful to have a Code of Conduct for the group to address this type of situation. Here's a sample clause: “There are not to be any noticeably exclusive relationships in our parish youth group. While there may be couples or very close friends in the group – your actions should mean that others in the group wouldn’t even know.”