At the Northampton Youth Ministry Office, we have, off and on, assembled some general good-practice tips into our Parish Youth Group Ideas and Guidance Pack, gathering lots of different approaches to youth ministry in one accessible manual.

Our aim is that each parish within the diocese should have a copy of the Ideas and Guidance Pack - indeed, many already do. If you wish to check whether your parish already has one, please contact Pam.

Contained in the pack are ideas about:

• good practice - examples taken from round the diocese
• praying with your young people - how to encourage them to focus
• cells and small groups for young people - an effective way to encourage peer ministry
• setting up a Youth SVP group - a practical way to encourage service
• games and activities - for those wet winter evenings
• tips for the music group - a practical guide

as well as the process of how to use the Y Church Report in parishes.

Below, you will find some of these topics to download.

We aim to have the most up-to-date versions on the website, so that you can be sure that you are making the most of the Ideas and Guidance pack. As such, please keep checking back for new guides to resources that are available to help you in your youth group sessions and planning.

Keep an eye on the version number, so that you can spot updates easily down the line!

Praying with young people was written by Sr Mary Stella from St Bernard's Convent, and contains some very practical advice about stilling and focussing a group so they can encounter Christ.

Establishing Youth SVP has been compiled as an easy and encouraging guide to setting up service projects with your young people, with examples of how this has worked in some parishes.

Running Cell Groups is a practical guide for establishing the concept of peer-led ministry into your youth ministry.

Guide for the Youth Music Group is based on a talk given by Brin and Philip Allsop, demonstrating some problems and solutions for your youth music ministry.

Health & Safety Guidelines - You can download below a copy of our health and safety guidelines so that you can provide the best for young people in your parish.  It also contains a Child Protection policy with good practice for working with young people and encourages safety for young people and youth leaders as well.  Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns that you might have to Pam.

Any suggestions to improve the packs can be directed to Avril or Pam.

Downloads
Praying with young people - 2.0 (Sr Mary Stella)
Establishing Youth SVP - 2.0
Running Cell Groups - 2.0
Guide for the Youth Music Group - 2.0
Health and Safety Guidelines

Links
For more information about downloading files, click here