Catholic Evangelization Outreach / Kay Scoville
NCYC is not
just for kids
The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) and hosted by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Office of Youth Ministry, is a biennial event of 23,000 participants.
If 18,000 of that number are high school youths then who makes up the rest of the 5,000 participants? Adults in various roles, mainly as chaperones and group leaders.
Most people are not aware, but NFCYM hosts an adult-only conference, the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) the year opposite NCYC.
This conference hosts 2,500 adult youth leaders from across the country. However, NCYC still surpasses that conference in the number of adults gathered.
Knowing that adults are present at NCYC, the federation has begun offering workshops for them, many of whom are chaperones and parents of attendees.
In youth ministry, it has become apparent that not only do we minister to the young people in middle school and high school, we also serve as a resource and support for parents. Part of our focus is to help parents to get through the unpredictable years of adolescence.
With that focus in mind, the conference began to offer workshops to assist parents as partners in the faith development of their adolescents.
This year at NCYC, some examples of workshops that parents can attend include, “The Gift of Parenthood,” “Family Matters,” “Stories of Faith and Family” and “Parent to Parent: Practical Ways of Sharing Faith as Parents of Youth” by such well-known speakers as Doug Brummel, Steve Angrisano and many others.
Several workshops will also be offered for youth leaders. They include “Ministry with Millennial Generation Teens,” “Engaging Parents in Youth Ministry” and “Unchaining Confirmation” by experts in youth ministry.
The best news is that an adult does not have to attend the entire conference—or be there at all—to take advantage of these workshops. A parent/adult one-day pass for $75, in which an adult can choose to attend either Nov. 18 or Nov. 19, is available.
The sessions will also be offered by live feed via the Internet this year. Workshop times are on Friday, Nov. 18, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information on the one-day pass or to access the website for the live feed, log on to http://ncyc.nfcym.org or www.archindy.org.
One other adult group that is invited to join NCYC is college-age adults. A collegiate event will be held in conjunction with NCYC called the National Catholic Collegiate Conference (NCCC).
Through the years, many youths experience NCYC then they go to college and there is no conference experience like NCYC available for them—until now.
Young adults ages 18-25—who do not have to be college students—are welcome to register to attend this new, faith-filled experience. Log on to www.ntlccc.org for more information.
It is amazing to realize that NCYC has become much more than an awesome Catholic faith experience for young people. It has become a truly universal experience in our Church that brings thousands of people of all ages together to celebrate our faith and enrich our lives together.
Think about joining us for NCYC next month no matter what your age—either in person or via live stream.
(Kay Scoville is archdiocesan director of Youth Ministry. For more information about NCYC, log on to the Youth Ministry website at www.archindy.org/youth, contact her at kscoville@archindy.org, or call 317-236-1430 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1430.) †