The Youth Summit is a unique day for young people (ages 14-18 currently in high school) from across the diocese to explore and provide input on the stated pastoral priorities of Bishop W. Shawn McKnight.  Unlike a youth rally or conference focused on keynotes, praise/worship, and entertainment, the Summit will create a space for young people to learn, pray, and dialogue about their hopes and dreams for our local church with one another and with their Bishop.  The overarching goal of this event is to listen intently to the perspectives of young Catholics related to the Bishop’s pastoral priorities, and for young people to form a deeper connection to their parish and diocesan Church.

Each parish will form a delegation of young people to represent their community at the summit.  Throughout the day, delegates will explore the stated priorities of the Bishop in a fun, dynamic way, and reflect more deeply on the spiritual needs of their generation.  The summit will include catechetical sessions on the Bishop’s priorities wherein young delegates will learn about, discuss, and provide input on said priorities.  This input will be gathered and used to inform the forthcoming pastoral plan.  The day will culminate with an audience with the Bishop McKnight giving delegates a privileged opportunity to engage in a personal dialogue with their Bishop.  The day will conclude with Mass at St. Peter’s Church.

The parish delegation is a key component of the summit.  Delegations will be comprised of an adult delegation leader, a co-chaperone, and a small group of young people.  Priests will appoint an adult delegation leader for their parish such as a DRE, catechist, youth ministry leader, or another volunteer.  Young people will be personally invited to serve as a delegate by the priest or appointed delegation leader.  Teen delegates should be representative of the diverse community of young people that comprise the parish (younger/older, involved/uninvolved, urban/rural, racial/ethnic representation).  In other words, delegations should not be homogenous and solely comprised of your most involved teens who show up for everything!  They should represent a snapshot of the kinds of teens at your parish. 

The size of the delegation can vary.   Delegations should include 4-8 teens and no more than 2 adults (the adult delegation leader and a co-chaperone).  Thus, the total size of the delegation (including adults and teens) can range from 6 (4 teens + 2 adults) to 10 (8 teens and two adults).  Delegations should not exceed 10 total people.  Delegation leaders can use the cover page and the customizable teen letter to personally invite teens to serve as delegates.

Because the summit will ask teen delegates to do some deep work, preparing your delegation will be essential to the summit’s success.  We want delegates to know what this event is, what it is not, and what their role will be.  We also want them to start reflecting on some of the themes and questions prior to the summit, and form some group cohesion so they can hit the ground running upon arrival.  To ensure enough time, planning, and preparation we are asking the following:

• Form your delegation and register your parish with the Office of Youth Ministry and Religious Ed by February 28, 2020.
• Meet 2 times with your delegation prior to the start of the summer: once in March and once in April. Meetings will be 60mn in length.  Materials will be provided to registered parishes to guide the preparatory meetings.  The materials will help build group cohesion, orient the delegation to the summit, and provide catechetical content focused on the 3 pastoral priorities of Bishop McKnight.

To register your delegation, you can scroll down and fill out the registration form on this page. The deadline to register is February 28^th. In addition to the online registration, the following materials must be completed:

1. Youth and adult chaperones need to fill out the required permission form. Please keep all permission forms for your records. You do not have to turn those in to the diocese.
2. Adult chaperones need to complete the Safe Environment Compliance Form. This form must be submitted to Mrs. Kris Hartman, Events Coordinator by March 31^st. 

Please direct any questions about the event or registration to Kris Hartman or John DeLaporte, Director of Youth Ministry and Religious Ed.

Youth Summit
Capital Plaza Hotel and Convention Center
415 W. McCarty St. Jefferson City

Closing Mass
St. Peter's Catholic Church
216 Broadway St. Jefferson City