Salesian Youth Ministry
Salesian Youth Ministry Office,
composed by Kenny Wodzanowski
Keeping it REAL
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Relational
Experiential
Applicable
Learner based
Approaches to SYM
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A unique View of the Young person
A Community based Approach
A Process Approach to the Mission
Praxis and Planning ( 4 areas)
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Group Experience and Relational Commitment
Evangelization and Catechesis
Education and Culture
Vocational Choices
Salesian Youth Spirituality
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Spirituality of
Spirituality of
Spirituality of
Spirituality of
Spirituality of
Spirituality of
Ordinary Life
Joy and Optimism
Friendship with the Lord Jesus
Communion in the church
Responsible Service
Remembering death
Preventive System
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Assistance versus Supervision
Presence
Corrective but not repressive
Building relationships
Journeying with the young
Reason, Religion and Kindness
Simple Beginnings
• Create opportunities for youth and youth
ministers to share, to know and to get to know
each other, where individual differences may
arise along with commonalities.
– Don Bosco’s first meeting with Bartholomew
Garelli. Can you whistle?
– Commonalities hold things and people together, at
the same time honor and celebrate uniqueness.
How do you do this?
A Home that Welcomes
A Home that Welcomes
• One must create a homelike atmosphere, where
security, acceptance and
comfortability are
prevalent.
• Give them the Hand of
Hospitality!
“Young People do not care how much you
know, until they know how much you care!”
The Hand of Hospitality!
1) Fun! Both for the kids and the adults with, games, music, things
youth like! Everyone likes some FUNK!
2) Food! Feed them and they will come!
3) Friendship! A sense of belonging, where they get attention, feel
listened to and a chance to share their stories.
4) Family! Building relationships, discovering what you have in
common, and celebrating our differences, all under one father,
one church!
5) Faith! Faith is brought into everything, it is what gives everything
deeper meaning. Faith is apposition to Fun, Food, Friendship
and Family!
Hospitality
• First absolute necessity for people to believe they
belong to the group in order for them to open up and
begin a relationship with others.
• What is Hospitality?
– Doing all you can to make the gathering place warm and
inviting so that the youth and adults become warm and
inviting!
– An attitude of little things that help people feel more
welcome, affirmed and important.
– What can we do to be more hospitable?
The Playground Where Friends
come to Meet each other
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Youth needs
Youth Interests
Youth need to belong
On the Fringe
Teaching opportunities
Building relationship, building church
Go where the youth are?
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Physically
Socially
Emotionally
Relationally
Spiritually
– Listen, Appreciate and
Respect their needs.
“Deeper relationships are formed where the
helping and healing of hearts takes place.”
Youth Needs
• Every human being uses
whatever they have at
their disposal to make
sense out of life? So
what do we give as
Youth Ministers to the
youth?
• In almost all we do, we
use to make sense out of
life.
• Maslow’s hierarchy of
human needs starts with
Physical, to Security, to
Belonging and then to
Meaning? We never lose
one, but place greater
importance on one! How
are we meeting the
youth’s needs?
• Who is competing to
meet these same needs?
Empowering Leaders
• Pushing People Up, so
that you are on the
bottom, instead of
passing down power.
• Need to encourage and
call forth “the image and
likeness of God” which
is within each person.
A School That Prepares for Life
• Balance of knowledge, experiences, and faith
development.
• Values and morals
• “To become Honest Citizens and Good Christians.
• Preparing and equipping youth to take a proactive and
responsible approach to the world.
• Jesus is the Master Teacher.
• Living My life to the full
Self Esteem Spirituality
• Bringing life to a deeper dimension, bringing out the
radiant light that is at the core of every soul!
• The Law of the Mind: What you think and believe
about yourself, about others and about life becomes
your experience. (Self-Fulfilling Prophesy.)
• Law of the Heart: What is your level of desire and
what are your values? Where you heart lies that is what
you will receive! (Reap what you sow.)
• Law of Action: Moving forward using and
acknowledging the “I am” of God’s name in your
affirmations and actions will bring you at the results
you seek.
The parish That Evangelizes
• Meeting Jesus (Encounters)
• “Educate by Evangelizing and Evangelize by
Educating”
• Eucharist and Reconciliation ( 2 pillars)
• Trust in Mary
Baptismal Commitment
• To share in being prophet,
priest and king with Jesus
Christ, to be church for
others.
• Struggling and answering 3
spiritual needs!
1) The need to believe that life
is meaningful and has a
purpose.
2) The need for community
and deeper relationships in
which we are listened to,
appreciated, and respected.
3) The need for practical help
in developing the awareness
of God’s presence in our
lives.
Meeting Jesus
• Our faith grows as well as
those we minister to. (As
Salesians we believe we
encounter Jesus in the youth.)
• Mutual respect can grow out
of affirming and serving the
goodness we find in those we
encounter, which can
transform individuals and the
world.
Living the Eucharist
• To become transformed
ourselves into the body
and blood of Jesus.
• To nurture, feed and care
for one another.
• To take special interest in
helping someone with a
problem or question.
5 Key Components – Based on the Salesian
Province Pastoral Plan
• Education and Culture
• Evangelization and
Catechesis
• Group Experiences and
Relational Growth
• Vocational Orientation
• Formation and
Animation of the EPC
Education and Culture
• Intending to help the local
young people achieve greater
human maturity.
• In the Salesian Journey of
Faith, we call this Living My
Life to the Fullest.
• In the Oratory Criteria this is
the dimension of A School
that Prepares for Life.
Providing Constant opportunities and
experiences that lead to growth, and
discovery.
Don Bosco called us to make
“Honest Citizens and Good
Christians.”
Preparing and equipping youth
to take a proactive and
responsible approach to the
real world.
Evangelization and Catechesis
• Intending to help move
the youth from wherever
they are in relationship
with God.
• In the Salesian Journey
of Faith this is the stage
in Meeting Jesus.
• In the Oratory Criteria
this is the Parish that
Evangelizes.
Opportunities of different forms
of prayer and reflection,
Eucharist, Scripture, retreats
and reconciliation are some
ways to meet Jesus
In all that we do, try to
integrate faith,that Jesus is
present in all we do!
“Educate by Evangelizing and
Evangelize by Educating.”
Group Experience and Relational
Growth
• Leading youth to form
healthy relationships, to
manage group interactions,
and to develop
“Communion”.
• In the Salesian Journey of
Faith, this is committing to
building relationships and
belonging to the church.
• In the Oratory Criteria this is
the Playground Where
Friends Come to Meet each
Other.
Leading youth to grow in
commitment to
relationships, which also
makes the basis of the
church.
Basis of SYM is relationships, the
kids want to meet people, make
friends, and when they are doing
what they like, they tend to commit
more.
Vocational Orientation
• Guiding youth to own
the values of the Gospel,
and to act in ways to
bring upon a social
transformation.
• In the Salesian Journey
of Faith this is
Transforming the World.
Seeing each person as
being Co-Creators with God,
using ones gifts and looking
for opportunities to share
your divine calling in
whatever life role one feels
called to.
We are called
• It is our obligation and opportunity
as Youth Ministers to uncover the
deepest mysteries, meanings and
purpose with and for them by
celebrating rituals of timeless value
and making myth of truth and life.
• We strive to empower and build a
healthy self esteem, leading youth
to discover and experience the
deeper meaning to their life.
To do it requires:
• A Change in Thinking
• Believing Beyond
Appearances
• Dedicated action
• Patience and Prayer
Need to be on same page
• Sense of Purpose!
– Why do we do what we
do?
• A Clear focus!
– What is our vision?
• Confidence of being
prepared for the task at
hand.
– Formation!
– Affirmation and
Animation
It all comes down to
becoming aware of our
attitudes and planning an
approach. (It is a mentality
and a spirituality!)
Create a Story
• Collectively we make a book.
• Individually we are all
authors.
• The Story becomes ours!
– The story gives life.
– A memory of love.
– Hopefully the story
continues and expands into
the youth’s college, married
and occupational futures.
All are questioning,
searching and being
challenged by life!