Youth Program

Kari Enns

Youth and Peace Coordinator

403-275-6935

toll-free 1-888-622-6337

 

Youth  Programs:

 

 

1000 Acts of Peace. Growing out of the challenge presented on www.onethousandactsofpeace.org, we have been developing a program that gives youth an opportunity to engage in three different acts of peace per day, every day, for a year. By the end of the year, one person will have participated in over 1000 Acts of Peace! Peace work then becomes a habit.  As we speak about our progress (and challenges) in committing peace acts with family, friends, and strangers, others will join us, and the Kingdom of God grows. We have been working with one school, Menno Simons Christian School,  this year, and we are developing a kit for more schools and youth groups that include journals to record acts of peace, posters that have suggestions for peace acts, and activity ideas that grow and engage community.

 

Planting Peace is a brand new peace builder training initiative in Alberta.  We are inviting Gopar Tapkida and Sane Suleiman (who work for an MCC partner organization promoting peace between the Christian and Muslim populations in Nigeria, Africa) to Alberta.  They, along with eight international young adults (from Uganda, Columbia, Israel & Palestine), will be leading our peace builder training from August 22- September 2.   The training will include a week at Camp Valaqua from August 22- 27, where Gopar and Sane will be the chaplains (register at www.campvalaqua.com), followed by a four days of workshops in Calgary at the FCJ Christian Life Centre.  

 

Anyone interested in signing up for workshops can do so by contacting Kari Enns (contact information is at the tope of this page).  More information will be available at the end of February.

 

 CASA: Community Awareness through Service and Action is a program that is offered all year round through MCC Alberta. Its aim is to provide local learning and serving opportunities in Calgary by providing groups with a first hand look at poverty and homelessness. We have partnered with several local agencies who will offer presentations and service opportunities for youth. Each CASA program is created around the needs of the group; it may last between 1-5 days and costs are adjusted according to food and lodging needs. Contact Kari for more information. 

 

Summerbridge is a program for participants aged 17 years and older who are from ethnically diverse congregations. The goals of the Summerbridge program are to strengthen the participant’s relationship with the home congregation and community, experience the fulfillment of Christian service, develop leadership skills and build new friendships.

 

We hope that Summerbridge assignments will benefit both the workers and the communities in which they serve. We want to help participants develop their gifts and share them with their home church. Opportunities may include: providing organized activities for youth and children; working with the elderly in the community; organizing a summer Bible camp for local children; assisting newcomers to Canada with resettlement; church building maintenance and many other possibilities. MCC is looking to foster leadership in participants while providing a service to the congregation they serve.

 

Summerbridge participants serve for 12 or 17 weeks over the summer in an assignment that will be decided upon with their pastor and the MCC Alberta Youth Worker. Affiliation with Anabaptist churches is preferred although like-minded applicants and churches are also encouraged to apply.