Getting Started

Lasallian Youth has some elements that all groups will have in common, but the origin of a Lasallian Youth group in a particular school and the "hook" that draws both adults and students to participation are unique to each individual.

• Some schools have service programs already in place; students and moderators look for ways to focus the experience.
• Moderators and students are invited to participate in a summer conference where they listen to the stories of leaders and students from schools that have Lasallian Youth programs.
• Sometimes students interested in working on service projects request assistance from faculty members or administrators to serve as their supervisors or mentors.
• An administrator, teacher, or student reads about Lasallian Youth in a newsletter or school paper or, after hearing about it, seeks information to clarify what this organization really is.

Adults who work with young people in Lasallian Youth programs tell various stories of how they became involved:

• A teacher is invited by a fellow faculty member to assist her in one of the service programs in the school.
• A campus minister finds that Lasallian Youth is one of many responsibilities listed on the job descriptions.
• The principal of a school asks a teacher to serve as moderator of a youth group that will focus on service.
• An unsuspecting teacher is asked to drive students to a Lasallian Youth meeting or summer gathering and becomes convinced that she wants to be part of the experience.
• A volunteer is asked to coordinate Lasallian Youth activities for one or more schools.
• A teacher receives information about a summer youth gathering and invites a group of students to attend.
• The district vocation counselor organizes service opportunities for the schools and asks staff members to help with supervising or driving students.
• The school coordinator of service responds to students who have experienced a summer Lasallian Youth gathering and expands the program to include reflection and community development.

Very seldom do the experiences of moderators fit a pattern or evolve in the same ways. While some are asked by students to get involved, others respond to the request of their principal. Others move ahead because a personal interest in young people draws them to the opportunities that Lasallian Youth offer. There is no "profile" that describes Lasallian Youth moderators; there is no blueprint to developing the way of life of a Lasallian Youth.

And no school has exactly the same structure as another school. Needs of the student, the community, or the curriculum require unique features, even though Lasallian Youth is rooted in faith, service, and community. How those elements are played out within a local setting are as varied as the schools themselves.

This section of the manual is intended to give general guidelines and helpful hints on how to proceed once you agree to become involved.

"You are engaged in a ministry wherein you have to touch hearts; you cannot possibly do this without the assistance of the Holy Spirit." (MSF 43.3)

What Do You Do Now?

Here are two ways to begin a Lasallian Youth program. What is key, is that it should be designed so as to maximize the leadership of students and enable them to take responsibility for their Lasallian Youth program.

1. School Model

Personal invitation is an effective means of recruitment.

Some suggestions:

• Identify students who have demonstrated generosity in other activities.
• Invite students to participate in a service project. The orientation for the project can incorporate experiences of faith and community as well as a specific service the students will be engaged in. After the service project has been completed, give students the opportunity to reflect and pray about their experience.
• Encourage teachers and guidance counselors to suggest students who have some of the following qualities:
  • Students who are committed to living Gospel values
  • Students who are seen as leaders by their peers
  • Students who have exhibited through their behavior a concern for the needy and less fortunate
  • Students who have organizational skills
• Have students who have attended a Lasallian Youth gathering extend an invitation to other students to begin a Lasallian Youth group at their school. This could be done through an assembly, a school Mass, during religion classes, or by other means. Students who have attended a conference could describe their experiences of the Lasallian Youth gathering and give reasons for joining. Once you have identified students who may be interested, invite them to an informational meeting.

Information Meeting Agenda:

A. Prayer
B. Welcome
C. What is Lasallian Youth? Give a brief orientation on the components of Lasallian Youth: faith, service, community.
D. Explain what a commitment to Lasallian Youth membership entails.
E. Invite interested students to join Lasallian Youth.

When possible, have students who have attended a Lasallian Youth Gathering run this meeting.

2. Summer Gathering Model

If you or your students have little experience or understanding of Lasallian Youth and you want to begin a group in your school, go to the summer Lasallian Youth gathering. It is an ideal way to start! You will be filled with the spirit of Lasallian Youth. If you have a nucleus of interested students with you at the summer conference, the group can then decide how to "do" Lasallian Youth in your school. This will be your starting point. When classes resume, invite other interested students to a recruitment meeting.

Information About the Summer Gathering:

Summer gatherings have occurred for the past several years in the United States and Canada. Usually, schools and cities that have attended conferences choose to act as host. Once a school or city has decided to host a summer conference, it is imperative that each participating school take an active role in the conference.

The success of the conference comes from all the groups collaborating to create the best experience. Participating groups could be asked to plan a prayer service or faith-sharing experience, direct an activity based on a particular theme, or even coordinate an entire day within the conference schedule. The host city depends heavily on others to take ownership of some phase of the conference. In the past, host cities have asked schools to create banners, prepare prayer and community activities and talent shows, or bring something that represents their own group, school, or city.

Adults and students alike who attend the conference are asked to participate fully in all aspects of the event. When the adults interact with the students and are present to them, both groups benefit. Adults are asked to take part in all large and small group gatherings not as observers, but as an active participants. The summer conferences give everyone involved the chance to serve and pray and play together as a community.

All students who attend the summer gathering are given the incredible opportunity to meet others who, in many ways, live similar lives and hold similar values as they do. They may come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, but throughout the conference they begin to see how faith, service, community, and justice connect them all as Lasallians. Summer conferences celebrate unity in diversity by showing that something that might be unique to a particular culture can be shared with and appreciated by all.

The success of a summer conference depends on the initiative, commitment, and willingness of everyone to take an active and enthusiastic role in all aspects of the conference.

At present, global conferences are taking place as each country develops a plan of action. International Lasallian Youth conferences have taken place in the past.

Moderator and School Administration

Understanding the role of the moderator and the need for support by school administrators, the following may be considered.

Moderator

• A person who likes young people
• A person who believes that youth can be empowered to design their own destiny
• A person of faith
• A person dedicated to (or willing to learn) the teachings and principles of John Baptist de La Salle

The role of the moderator is:

• To have a vision of Lasallian Youth. This is at times a difficult task. You must hold up a vision of Lasallian Youth to your students but be willing to allow them to reshape that vision for themselves.
• To work with students in establishing an operational model of Lasallian Youth that is appropriate for your school. Students must take ownership for the day-to-day running of their programs; moderators must be willing to be the safety net of the organizational structure. In other words, the buck does stop here. Empowerment is a process; not all students are able or capable to plan, implement, and evaluate programs. But they are able to work side-by-side with their moderator in this work.
• To minister to students with understanding and compassion. The ministry of presence and listening is as valid as good organizational skills.
• To supervise the planning and organizing of service projects.

The School Administration

For a successful program the following are desirable:

• Administration support (They want it!)
• Lasallian Youth budget (They will provide the money to make it work!)
• A place to call home (Where can we meet?)

A word about budget. In the best of situations, we all have our needs met. That includes budgets. Sometimes, however, we operate in situations in which all our needs may not be met through a generous budget. This is often the real world. Money ought not to be a stumbling block. Where there is a will there is a way. Oftentimes, we must make our own way through fundraising. (A good resource is Ideas hr. Social Action, by Anthony Campolo, pp. 101-131, "Raising Funds for Social Action.")

It is also important to note that some type of administrative budget does reflect the institutional commitment to Lasallian Youth.