Youth

Virtual Safeguarding Children/Youth Guidelines and Training

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My Dear Kindred in Christ,

Many of our faith communities are responding to the need for continued physical distancing by converting their programs for children and youth into an online format. While many of these will be one-way video presentations, others will involve online interaction among children and adults. Please remember that many of our Safeguarding policies governing face-to-face interactions will still be relevant in this online context. These include but are not limited to:

  • 2-Deep Ministry—The presence of at least 2 unrelated adults, who have undergone Safeguarding training, is required during all Program activities.

  • Screening—No person will be allowed to volunteer to regularly work with children or youth until the person has been known to the clergy and congregation for at least 6 months.

  • Appropriateness of Content—Reference to individuals’ personal sexual conduct or drug use, and the use of sexually explicit materials is prohibited. 

  • Sobriety—using, possessing, distributing, or otherwise being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while participating in or assisting with programs or activities specifically for children or youth is prohibited.

  • Protecting Dignity—using harsh or degrading language or participating in or allowing others to conduct any hazing activities is prohibited.

  • Appropriate Boundaries—Adults are required to maintain appropriate boundaries among participants with regard to signs of affection and gift giving. 

Those who have undergone requires Safeguarding training should already be aware of such policies. 

Other challenges also arise in the online context. If your ministry is planning an online gathering of children or youth, please review with your leaders the Social Media Safety module on the Safeguarding Online website. The site requires login, and you should have received account information shortly after you completed the required face-to-face Safeguarding training. If you have not completed the face-to-face training, please contact Missioner Terri Bays at missioner.bays@ednin.org to participate in such training over Zoom.

If you or others are new to your ministries or more than 3 years away from your last Safeguarding training, please be aware that we are offering the 2 following Zoom training opportunities:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We give thanks to God for your participation in tending to the welfare of the children and youth God has entrusted to our care!

Blessings,

Terri

The Rev. Canon Terri L. Bays, PhD.
Missioner for Transitions and Governance

Diocesan Winter Youth Retreat 2019

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Twenty youth from around the diocese gathered at Lake Wawasee at the end of January for the annual Diocesan Winter Youth Retreat. The Winter Youth Retreat had teen speakers that shared how God is working in their lives, as well as activities and time for fellowship.

The Circus Came to Town - Diocesan Youth Summer Camp

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Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages: Did you hear that the circus came to town?  From around the diocese and beyond, we gathered in Milford, Indiana for a week-long residential camp of circus  adventures.  Our very talented staff entertained campers under the big top every morning with stunts and tricks like high jumps, handstands, juggling, bubble gum blowing contests and more.  (Behind-the-scenes talents also included handling any and all camper needs, whether it was through music, quiet conversations, or boisterous games - all while sharing the love of God.)

2018 June Camp 1.jpg
2018 June Camp 2 Professor Steve.jpg

Over 100 youth participated in typical camp activities throughout the week like swimming, boating, field games, and art, along with campfires and cabin activities.  You would be amazed at how these were all geared to the circus theme.  Some of the daily bible stories talked about Queen Esther, Daniel and the Lion's Den, and Jesus' Healing of the Blind Man.  They taught us to trust God, that prayer helps us hold fast to God, and that God calls us through our imperfections and unusual gifts.  Inviting God to be our ringmaster and putting our "whole selves in" was really what it was all about.

2018 June Camp 3 Staff Stunt - Nicole Lambelet.jpg

There were many highlights of the week.  We had a visit from Professor Steve (http://waldotheclown.com), who taught us about the science of the circus, how to make cotton candy, walk a tight rope, and even the unsavory origins of pink lemonade!  We held a carnival night - complete with a dunk tank, a strong man sledge hammer, frog fling, face painting, ring toss, and bobbling for apples.  We even had a custom-made escape room experience that blended historical fact, pop culture, and our imaginations to solve the mystery of Barnum and Bailey's in an hour-long team building activity.

For more photos and video, please visit the Youth Summer Camp website at https://episcopalcamp.wordpress.com/multimedia/

Dates for next year are still in the works, but check back at the website listed above periodically for how you can be a part of next year's youth summer camp!

Submitted by Kim Gray

Saint Alban’s Fort Wayne Completes London Pilgrimage

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2018 July St Albans London trip.jpg

During the last week of July, Saint Alban's of Fort Wayne youth group went on a pilgrimage to London and the original Saint Alban's in England. The trip was helped by a grant from the Center for Congregations.  Matt Burke, the director of the Center for Northeast Indiana, helped kickoff our pilgrimage on the Sunday before we left with a special pilgrimage commissioning.  The group also appreciated the prayer support of many in the church.

The group had been preparing for the pilgrimage for over a year. Pilgrimage classes were held every third Sunday of the month in the evening, and anyone could attend.  The classes focused on learning the Church History of England and British culture. The two main pilgrimage sites were Westminster Abbey and the original Saint Alban’s. 

We visited Westminster Abbey the Thursday we were there. After a beautiful Holy Communion service held in the nave, the on-call priest, Reverend Giles, took us to the Shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor for a special prayer service. This is generally not something most people get to do. However, the people at the Abbey were wonderful. After this we received a special tour of the Abbey.

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Our time at Saint Alban's was equally  blessed. David Skidmore of “The Friends of Saint Alban” set-up a blessed day for us. We came to worship on the Sunday we were there.  Dean Jeffrey John was very gracious and invited Fr. Dan to preach. The Dean celebrated at the High Altar in a beautiful service. We also received a great tour giving us a tremendous look at the history, ending at the Shrine of Saint Alban.

Our pilgrimage had other foci as well. We visited The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, a bus tour of the city, a river boat cruise, Platform 9 3⁄4 (of Harry Potter fame), and a visit to the British Museum. In addition many in our group went to Stonehenge, Kensington Palace, Abbey Road, and a tour of the M&M factory. We also had fun in the evenings riding the London Eye, Going to the Hard Rock Cafe, seeing a hilarious play called “The Play that Goes Wrong,” and a funny ghost bus tour on Saturday evening.

The people of London and Saint Alban's were absolutely wonderful and extremely helpful. We ran into many London “angels” who helped our experience be a special one not soon forgotten. Pilgrimage is about seeing how God transforms us on a very special journey. God certainly touched the lives of many on our London Pilgrimage.

To see photos of the experience visit the Saint Albans youth group  Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/Saint-Albans-Youth-Group-123906497747/

2018 July St Albans London trip 2.jpg

Written by the Rev. Dan Laydon, Rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Fort Wayne

Circus Escape Room - Coming to your Faith Community!

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Are you looking for a small group team-building experience for your vestry, youth group, or other ministry at church?  We have something for YOU!  An escape room is a physical and mental adventure game where participants solve a series of puzzles using clues to complete an objective in a certain amount of time.  (You are not physically locked in a room - think of it more as a room full of puzzles.)  Escape room experiences have popped up all over Northern Indiana, and this year's Youth Summer Camp provided an original circus-themed escape room experience for all staff and campers in 5th-9th grade.  It was so well received, we'd like to take it on the road! 

The adventure, designed and led by Kim Gray, lasts about an hour and a half and can be set up in a spare room at your church with a few extra furniture items.  Typical escape rooms can be costly for a group - around $20 a person.  We recommend a free will offering to the diocesan youth camp scholarship fund for $5-10 a person for a 4-10 person group.  Accommodations can be made for smaller and larger groups - so please make inquiries if you have questions.  

If you are interested in reserving this activity for your church, please contact Kim Gray at episcopalcamp@gmail.com and write Escape Room Request in the subject line.  Times will be scheduled for fall and winter.  (*Remember, as always, if you participated in this adventure already, be sure to keep the details to yourself so others can experience this fun firsthand!)

This traveling circus adventure is one you won't want to miss! 

Submitted by Kim Gray