2. “He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town
“He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.’”
-Luke 19:1-10

3. Types of Youth Gatherings
Social – events that are mainly social in nature and are focused on the pre-evanglization stage through fun and community
Catechetical – events that focus on a topic on faith through presenting the topic in am interactive and dynamic way
Issue – events that focus on current issues that teens may be experiencing or questioning
Service – events that provide opportunities for service. These can be incorporated into catechetical or issue nights

4. Sample Calendar Theme: “Rooted”
September: Kickoff Night! – BBQ with backyard games tournament and prizes
October: Catechetical – Rooted in Identity - Who am I? What is my purpose?
Capture the Flag
November: Catechetical Night – Building the Kingdom/Rooted in the Church
Building contest
December: Social Night – Trip to LaSalette
January: Issue Night – Dignity of the Human Person
February: Catechetical/Service – Rooted in Service/Valentine’s Day service project
March: Social Night – Joint social with neighboring parish
April: Catechetical – Rooted in Truth/Q&A Night
Dodgeball
May: Catechetical – Rooted in Prayer
Adoration/Confession
June: Social Night – End of Year bonfire!

5. HOW TO PLAN A YOUTH NIGHT

6. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUTH NIGHTS
Engaging Environment
Non-spiritual draw
Evangelization Plan
FOOD!!!

7. PLANNING OUT THE NIGHT Pick a topic Come up with a catchy name
Promote the night
flocknote
social media
bulletin
etc.
Meet with the Core Team to create a basic outline
Assign roles for each night

8. The Ecclesial Method

9. 5 Parts to the Ecclesial Method
PREPARATION
PROCLAMATION
EXPLANATION
APPLICATION
CELEBRATION

10. Preparation Intentional beginning to the gathering
Social and community time
Relational Ministry
Transition into the night through calculated disengagement

11. Proclamation Word or short phrase to introduce and sum up the topic
Should be repeated throughout the night

12. Explanation Main teaching portion of the night
should only last minutes depending on the topic and method
Examples include:
Brief talk
Witness/testimony
Interactive teachings
Meditations

13. Application
Intentional way to discuss or show teens how the topic can be applied in life
small groups
prayer activities (Stations of the Cross, Adoration, etc.)
Service projects

14. Celebration Intentional ending to the night brief wrap-up
present a challenge or a goal
bried fun or prayer-based activity to close

15. Sample Calendar Theme: “Rooted”
September: Kickoff Night! – BBQ with backyard games tournament and prizes
October: Catechetical – Rooted in Identity - Who am I? What is my purpose?
Capture the Flag
November: Catechetical Night – Building the Kingdom/Rooted in the Church
Building contest
December: Social Night – Trip to LaSalette
January: Issue Night – Dignity of the Human Person
February: Catechetical/Service – Rooted in Service/Valentine’s Day service project
March: Social Night – Joint social with neighboring parish
April: Catechetical – Rooted in Truth/Q&A Night
Dodgeball
May: Catechetical – Rooted in Prayer
Adoration/Confession
June: Social Night – End of Year bonfire!

16. Youth Night on Identity as children of God
Sample Youth Night
Rooted in Identity
Youth Night on Identity as children of God
Preparation (1 hour)
Dinner (30 minutes)
- Dinner as teens arrive
- Recognize any new people or birthdays for the month and give them prizes
Game - Capture the Flag (30 minutes)
- Split the teens up into 2 teams to play Capture the Flag
- Before the game begins, invite each team to create a name and identity through coming up with a team name, painting their faces, and coming up with a team chant
- Play Capture the Flag
Proclamation (5 minutes)
- Regather in the main space
- introduce the topic
- opening prayer
Proclamation verse - "God created mankind in his image" - Genesis 1:27

17. Explanation (15 minutes)
Brief Talk about Identity (10 minutes)
talking points
- What are things that we identify with in life?
- How the world tells us to live
- Our identity is complete in God as His children
- purpose of baptism
Witness/Testimony (5 minutes)
from Core leader or other adult about searching for Identity and finding it in God 
Application (20 minutes)
Small Groups
Introductions
Ice-breaker - "Two Truths and a Lie"
Small Group Discussion
- What are things that we identify with in life? What interests do you have? (sports, school, activities, friends, etc.)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- What sort of expectations exist in our culture for you? What do you ultimately want out of life?
- Do you see your faith as something that can help you get there? 

18. Celebration (20 minutes)
Renewal of Baptismal Promises (5 minutes)
- Gather in church
- 2 minute wrap up talk
- brief renewal of baptismal promises
Intentional Invitation (5 minutes)
- Place a bowl of water and a crucifix at the front
- Invite teens to take a few minutes in quiet prayer to reflect on their own lives right now
- Invite them (when/if they want) to come forward and dip their finger in the water and make a sign of the cross and a sign of placing our identity in Christ
- Play soft music and spend the next 5 minutes in this activity
Closing Social/Announcements
- Invite everyone back to the main space for ice cream
- Announce any upcoming events
- Promote the next gathering

19. Bulletin Announcements
Communication Tips
Flocknote
Use parish database of families to create an initial list to promote activities
At Kickoff, gather numbers and for and text lists
Social Media
Create a Facebook and Instagram page to promote events and document past events
Snail Mail
Create a summer mailing to teens and families promoting kickoff and calendar of events
Bulletin Announcements