What is a Core Member?
A Core Member is an adult volunteer who is involved in our youth programs, either Life Teen (high school) or EDGE (middle school). Core Members help our programs in a variety of different ways such as leading activities, facilitating small groups, giving talks, and much more. However, their most important role is journeying with the young people of our parish to help them grow closer to Christ, through action and example.
Who can be a Core Member?
There are two primary “requirements” for someone to become a Core Member. First, you must be an adult who practices the faith in your own day-to-day life. Second, you must have a desire to help young people grow in their faith. After that, we can help you learn anything else that you need to be successful in this role.
How much of a time commitment is being a Core Member?
Our Life Teen group meets approximately three times a month, while the EDGE group meets every other week, on average. Additionally, there are planning meetings scattered throughout the semester, where the Core Members and Youth Ministers discuss the upcoming curriculums. Depending on which program you wish to work with, the commitment averages around six to eight hours a month. The exception to that rule being twice a year the Life Teen group goes on weekend retreat, one in Fall and one in Spring.
Do I need to have a deep understanding of the faith to be a Core Member?
This may come as a shocking answer, but no. Obviously, we expect Core Members to help facilitate the growth of these young people within the Catholic Faith, but many of our Core Members site getting involved with the youth group as the place where they came to know more about the faith themselves. The previously mentioned planning meeting are a great place for us, the Core Team and Youth Ministers to get on the same page and insure that we are all properly informed and prepared for the given discussions. We have plenty of resources to help our Core feel like they properly understand a topic before any given youth group meeting.
I’m interested in becoming a Core Member. What’s next?
If you are interested in becoming a Core Member, I would love to sit down with you (usually over a meal or coffee) and discuss what that looks like in more detail. You aren’t signing yourself away or anything of that sort, just having a discussion with a little more information. If Core Team sounds like something you are interested in, please email me at JesseB@allsaintsdunwoody.org.