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 Y O U T H 

Opportunities & Resources

Supporting Youth

LOCAL RESOURCES
 

  • Hawai‘i Department of Health Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division
    The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division (CAMHD) provides mental health services free of charge for eligible children and youth in Hawaii who have severe emotional and/or behavioral challenges.

     

  • HelpYourKeiki.com
    Parents and caregivers can use this website at every stage of addressing their child’s difficulties. The Help Your Keiki website is for parents, by parents in collaboration with the State of Hawai‘i’s Evidence-Based Services (EBS) Committee which promotes best practices to serve children and adolescents with mental health needs.

  • TeenLink Hawai‘i
    TeenLink Hawaii (TLH) is a youth empowerment, outreach, and education program that provides information and referral services for teens in Hawaii. The TLH website serves as the home base for the TLH program and provides credible, evidence-based information regarding teen issues and interests (i.e. school & college, sexuality, violence, substance abuse, suicide & depression, mental health, relationships).
     
  • Education on Underage Substance Use – MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Hawai‘i offers free educational resources to prevent impaired driving. They can be available to do in-person or virtual presentations for youth and/or parents. Contact the Underage Drinking Prevention Program Specialist for more information.
     
  • Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation
    The Hawai’i LGBT Legacy Foundation is committed to supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families.

GENERAL RESOURCES

  • The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people.

  • Seize the Awkward| Having a conversation about mental health might be uncomfortable, but it can make all the difference. Check out these tools – from conversation guides to tips –that can help you help those in need.

  • Blessed Youth Survival Guide
    "Today's youth need to hear the message "It’s okay to not be okay." They need to know hope and help are always available. Blessed Youth Survival Guide offers the tools youth need to survive when they are feeling disconnected, confused, and alone." Created by the Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice for the United Church of Christ, after her niece died by suicide. Order a copy for your youth!

Young Voices

Hear the hopes and prayers of HCUCC youth and young adults shared at the 198th ‘Aha Pae‘āina in October 2020.

Opportunities

Hawaii Conference youth at UCC National Youth Event, Orlando, FL
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UCC National Youth Event (NYE)


United Church of Christ's National Youth Event is held every four years. This 4-day event is celebrated as the largest denominational gathering. Often bringing in thousands of youth, this time together is centered on faith, reflection, encounter, justice, community building, and leadership.

When available, the Conference office will announce plans for coordinated group participation of Hawai‘i youth in the NYE.

UCC Summer Communities of Service

 

Summer Communities of Service (SCOS) is a leadership program for young adults aged 19 and above. SCOS focuses on intersecting faith communities, service, and justice advocacy. For the first time, the program will include a Hawai‘i site (Mohala Farms on O‘ahu) which will focus on caring for the earth while fostering healthy local communities through sustainable agriculture.

LEARN MORE  +  
APPLY

 

Download printable PDF of application

YZ Literature
YZ (pronounced “wise") Literature is wisdom from the young, Generations Y and Z to be more specific. This isn’t your basic news. Starting in 2020, Page 9 in every issue of The Friend will be dedicated to the art, songs, poems, prayers, letters, stories, thoughts, and more, of young people shining, witnessing, and reflecting light. This isn’t necessarily just for young people, rather it’s by young people who are not only the future but also bearers of Good News today. See what other youth are thinking and feeling, learn more about how you can share HERE.

E.C.O. 4 Youth
The Hawai‘i Conference offered "Earth Care Opportunities" for youth in the Fall of 2019. View information, photos, and reflections about the camp. Host an E.C.O. camp with support from the Conference.

If you would like to share about an opportunity for youth, invite other youth to your youth events, would like support from the Hawai‘i Conference for a youth-related activity, contact Kristen Young kyoung@hcucc.org.

Resources for Youth Workers

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Find training materials, curriculum, videos, and other resources that you need for ministry. Find everything you need to enrich your development, and train and equip your team at Yale Youth Ministry Institute.
 

MISSION

The mission of the Yale Youth Ministry Institute at Yale Divinity School is to promote adolescent faith and flourishing in a diverse and changing world by conducting scholarship, equipping leaders, and resourcing collaborative communities in and beyond Christian churches.

Shifting Focus: Youth Ministry in 2020 and Beyond

UCC pastors from a variety of settings discuss how this year in particular has greatly shifted the needs and expectations of those engaged in youth ministry.

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Practical Ideas for Youth Ministry

A collaborative google document by youth workers within the UCC.

Appropriately Vetting Volunteers Who Work with Children and Youth
"Part of our responsibility as people who engage in ministry with children is keeping those children safe, and there are important steps we can take to increase the chances that the people we recruit to model for them the love and care of the Divine are qualified to do so."

Youth Ministry Today: Programmatic Suggestions

Local UCC youth ministers share practical steps for you to engage your youth as we live through the current health pandemic, but also grapple with the uprise of racial injustice and intolerance of groups who have traditionally been deemed “other."

Network

Connect with people involved in youth ministry

Complete this form if you want to be connected with someone else doing youth ministry. Rev. Trayce Potter, UCC Minister for Youth and Young Adults, will follow up and make the connections.

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