#EYE14 – Already Healing a Hurting World
Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12
Tuesday, August 12th is International Youth Day. In celebration of all the youth worldwide here is a blog on the recent Episcopal Youth Event 2014 that demonstrates the impact young people can make on this hurting world.
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Two teens approached the Episcopal Relief & Development booth together. “Do you have opportunities for volunteers?” the girl of about 17 asked.
My colleague Chad started telling them about opportunities that still exist with the response to Superstorm Sandy. The boy was also interested. “I have 60 hours of volunteer service to do next year, but I want to do 100,” he said.
These were two of many attendees at the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) this past July, on the campus of Villanova University just outside of Philadelphia, who wanted to know how they could get involved with our work. One brilliant young woman, about to head to college, asked me what courses she would need to take to get into program work with Episcopal Relief & Development. I was a bit worried that my response might turn her off. “Well, our program officers tend to have advanced degrees in international development or related fields, and they already have two to five years of foreign service experience when they come to work with us.”
She did not seem deterred. She had just graduated high school and was college-bound. She told me that she was interested in studying economics and wanted to specialize in micro-finance so she could do development work to help build economic opportunities for communities in need. “I’m hoping to spend at least one of my college years in Kenya,” she said.
One after another, these amazing young people came to talk to us about how they wanted to get involved with the work of ‘healing a hurting world.’ One thing struck me in particular: almost all of them think of service as a necessary part of what they do. They have gone to schools that have service learning built into their curriculum. This is very different from when I went to school in ancient times! Service was a part of church youth groups and Boy Scouts for me, but it wasn’t built into my school life like it is for young people today. And I almost get the sense that this commitment to service is an expectation that they have for themselves.
A recent article states that the youth of today are “smarter than Boomers, and way more ambitious than the Millennials.” It goes on to look at how they are driven to seek work that will have a positive social impact. The reality is that it truly is a broken world, and this generation knows they have no choice but to contribute to its healing.
I, for one, am extremely excited to see what the young people we met ate EYE are taking on and planning for their future – they are becoming faithful leaders in reimagining and revitalizing our church.
Watch this video and be inspired by these young people who are already taking steps to heal a hurting world.
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Sean McConnell is Director of Engagement for Episcopal Relief & Development.
Images: Top, Quilt used as backdrop of EYE stage. Middle and Last, Photos of Episcopal Youth Event 2014.
Healing the world starts with your story!
During the 75th Anniversary Celebration, we are sharing 75 stories over 75 weeks – illustrating how lives are transformed through the shared abundance of our partners and friends like you! We invite you to join us in inspiring our vibrant community by sharing your own story!
