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By Christina Crook
 NEARLY one thousand youth workers from across Canada gathered for the
first ever Canadian Youth Workers
Conference (CYWC) last weekend.
The event, hosted at the Wall Centre hotel, was set against the backdrop
of two Vancouver landmarks: First Baptist and St. Andrew's Wesley United
Church, and it was kicked off with an enthusiastic rendition of 'O
Canada,' led by award-winning Canadian band Starfield.
The conference's over-sold crowd of mostly 20- to 30-year-olds spilled
through hallways, around conference booths, and into seminars and social
events for 16 hours of conferencing each day. A combination of caffeine
and adrenaline kept everyone going from the packed morning session with
Bruxy Cavey to the dance ministry lessons in the evening. There was also
some late night frolicking in Vancouver's first haul of snow.
Storyline was the theme, woven throughout the conference with movie clips,
performance art, music, images, dance and words each helping to
communicate the theme of narrative -- specifically the intersections God
creates to impact the lives of youth.
"We are involved in changing a generation for eternity and inviting them
to play a part in God's story," said Tic Long, conference emcee with Youth
Specialties.
From the outset of the conference, participants were invited to make the
weekend their own and, if need be, throw the schedule out the window.
Speakers continually drew a link between the depth of freedom in youth
workers' lives and the lives of Canada's youth.
In his welcoming remarks, one of the organizers encouraged youth workers
to: "Figure out what would rejuvenate your soul and refresh your spirit --
and if that's sleeping, or hanging out with friends, then go for it. We
hope you are deeply refreshed, graciously challenged and we look forward
to many years ahead sharing stories, ideas and resources to better serve
the next generation in Canada."
Conference hosts Youth
Specialties and canadafire
created a unique environment where controversial topics such as
'Ministering to Same Gender Attracted Youth,' 'Understanding Cutting' and
'Making Affluence History' were set beside more mainstream topics like
'Developing Students who Share the Mission of God' and 'Developing and
Building Young Leaders.' The tension was palpable as youth workers
wrestled with the value of evangelism in the face of mass consumerism and
mounting environmental concerns.
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"This was intentional," said organizer Darian Kovacs, who spent the
conference recovering from an emergency appendicitis surgery the day
before the conference. "We worked hard to make this conference the best
experience for us as Canadians and that comes with a diversity of
expressions and convictions."
In an age of global concern and escalating disillusionment in and outside
of the church, youth ministry is not for the faint of heart.
Sandy Rosen, author and founder of Raw Motion Dance Company, has been in
youth ministry for 24 years. "Our youth are living in a Babylonian-esque
culture. They are a generation that does not know commitment because they
have grown up surrounded by church splits and divorce. We need to share
meals with them and pray with them and be community with them. We have to
be absolutely committed to these kids and not let go," she admonished the
conference.
Erin Webb, an assistant youth director in Winnipeg, said she was
encouraged by Jon Imbeaus' seminar on 'Spirit-Filled Youth Ministry.' "We
learned about the importance of finding our identity in Christ and knowing
this first before ministering to the youth. It enables us to better pray,
sense the nudge of the Holy Spirit and be empowered to act," she said.
Some attendees said they found the sessions to be "hit and miss," while
others found the seminars immensely insightful. The overall sentiment was
one of hope, renewed challenge and gratefulness for the conference's
inclusivity.
The conference was nearly ten years in the making. US-based Youth
Specialties, one of North America's largest youth worker training
organizations wanted to ensure that any Canadian conference they helped
present was Canadian and not American-led. It wasn't until they found a
partner in canadafire and its cross-Canadian partner ministries that the
vision for a national all-Canadian youth worker conference finally became
a reality.
This first conference sold out well in advance, and plans for another
conference next year -- this time, in Toronto -- are already taking shape.
In the meantime, youth workers continue to play a part in the stories God
is telling through the lives of youth in Canada.
December 6/2007
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Lord willing, we will attend next year's conference in Toronto with our band Myztery (www.myztery.net). We have an international ministry to youth, reaching hundreds of thousands per year via our various websites and weekly ezine. Please pray for us: Pete and Cyndie Mason (We're newlyweds too!)
Keep trusting in Jesus!
~Check out www.cywc.com