Advocacy has three dimensions:
1. Advocacy for the place and importance of young people within the Church
2. Advocacy for young people who are marginalised within society.
3. Providing opportunities for young people to be involved in advocacy themselves. Anointed and Sent

1. Advocacy for the place and importance of young people
We have been gifted some unique and amazing opportunities in 2018. The Year of Youth has allowed young people to be at the forefront of people’s minds and as we enter the final three months, it is the perfect opportunity to refocus on youth. We can do that in a number of ways but we also have the upcoming 2020 Plenary. Why not run a youth gathering to listen, dialogue and record how young people feel in the church today. Create a submission to the council that is tailored to the needs of young people in your parish.

Another opportunity for Advocacy within the Church is the upcoming Synod on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment commencing on 3 October in Rome. If you are wondering what a Synod actually is, check out our fact sheet HERE or if you would like to know how it has come about and what happens when, check out our handy timeline HERE. We’ve also put together a little video interview with Angela Markas HERE. You may remember hearing or seeing Angela when she was the representative for Oceania to the Pre-Synod Gathering in Rome in March. We also hope to have some reporting for you from the ground in Rome so stay tuned to our website!

2. Advocacy for young people who are marginalised
This is about a two-pronged approach. The first stage is often to make sure that we are informed  with the right and true information rather than generalisations and heresay. By gathering a better understanding of young people in wider Society, we can become a voice of reason. Jesuit Social Services has a range of quality research documents that can be read online ranging from youth homelessness and youth justice system to mental health topics.

The second approach can be action. There a many people who volunteer to assist in a wide range of organizations that help the marginalized in society. You can volunteer for a variety of programs such as Jesuit Social Services, Don Bosco Youth Camps, the St Vincent de Paul Society or Rosie’s Oblate Youth and many more. Next month we will explore our final Anointed and Sent goal, Justice and Service when we cover even more aspects of volunteering.

3. Opportunities for being an advocate
So the challenge to you if you are employed in a parish is: do you have young people on your parish councils? Are they there for their opinion and experience to be heard or are they tokenistic? Have you invited young people to be involved in other areas of parish life? 

And the challenge to young people who are involved in your parish… can you be more involved? Can you be a part of the wider parish community not just a youth group? What are ways that members of a youth group can contribute and be seen?