Youth leaders prepare for northern youth rally

IC Photo by Christine Young

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Youth leaders teach 7th and 8th graders a blind tag game which helped them build team trust and communication and listening skills.

OGDEN - "This was an awesome experience. I met some cool people," said Rachel Damron, a 9th grader at Centerville Junior High School and a member of Saint Olaf Parish, who attended the Youth Leadership Retreat at Holy Family Parish Feb. 26.

Damron and 24 other high school youth were trained as peer leaders in preparation for the Youth Rally "A Leap of Faith," held at Holy Family Parish Feb. 27 for students in grades 5th through 8th in the northern region of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It included the parishes of St. Olaf in Bountiful, St. Rose of Lima in Layton, Christ Prince of Peace on Hill Air Force Base, Holy Family, St. Mary, St. Joseph, and St. James in Ogden; St. Florence in Huntsville and St. Thomas Aquinas in Logan.

Mika Newberry and her husband Tony Newberry serve as youth ministers at Holy Family Parish. "The youth are the future of our Church, and I have a passion to work with them," said Mika. "Our parish was large enough to host the rally, and Fr. Patrick Elliott, pastor, is very generous when it comes to the youth."

"This was the first youth rally we have held in the north, and it gave the kids a chance to interact with other Catholics in this area," said Matthew Boerke, director of the Diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. "It is a way for the kids to grow in their faith and have fun at the same time. The peer leaders worked hard on the volunteer team, but they were rewarded with success, satisfaction and fun."

Boerke said the peer leaders as well as the youth coming for the youth rally didn't know each other well beforehand, but by the end of the weekend they had a whole group of new friends from parishes throughout the northern part of the dioceses.

"I am always quite proud in watching the growth that happens," said Boerke. "When the volunteer team of peer leaders are first shown a game or activity they are not comfortable with, they are hesitant to participate. But then they lighten up and by the next day they are ready to lead the activities; they are the ones who are trying to get the younger kids involved. With their growth and newly found confidence, they realize they are leaders and it's OK to be silly."

The God Squad is a group of young adults who plan the games and train the youth leaders. The God Squad included Marissa Siegrist, a University of Utah psychology major; Mandy Silva, a senior at Northridge High School in Layton and Alex Leonardi, a sophomore at Fremont High School in the Ogden area. Siegrist said she loves volunteering, meeting new people and serving others rather than focusing on herself. Silva goes to a public high school with friends who are Latter-day Saints. "Being involved with the God Squad gives me an opportunity to interact with active Catholics, and it lets me know it's OK to be Catholic in Utah."

Leonardi likes being on the God squad so he can help younger kids deal with Latter-day Saints trying to convert them. He can help them deal with this issue peacefully from his own experience.

The rally consisted of games and activities that required trust within each other, team building skills, communication skills and listening skills that could be used in everyday life.

Boerke said a smaller regional rally was held in southern Utah last fall, and all of the youth will be invited to the diocesan youth rally in April.