Tapestry of Faith: Families: A Jr. High School Youth Program that Explores the Diversity, Commonality, and Meaning of Families

Faith In Action: Family Reporters

Part of Families

Materials for Activity

  • Paper and pens or a computer

Preparation for Activity

  • Let your newsletter editor know that program participants will be submitting information to share with the congregation. Find out when the deadline is for publication. If your congregation does not have a newsletter, disseminate the information by whatever means your congregation employs to communicate and stay informed (e-mail, Order of Service, and the like).

Description of Activity

One way to help support families is to share their joys and struggles. Does your congregation have a place to announce important happenings that are taking place in its families? Does its newsletter announce birthdays, anniversaries, hospitalizations, deaths, births, award recipients, and other milestones? If not, ask participants to start such a column. Taking turns as reporters, youth could scout out such announcements and write short blurbs for the newsletter.

Forming teams is the best way to share the work. Teams can decide who will ask families if they have any joys or struggles to report, who will write the pieces, and who will be responsible for sending the writing to the newsletter editor. Remember to get permission from families before making any announcements about their lives.

If your congregation already has a feature like this in its newsletter, ask the writer of that feature if the youth can write it for the next few issues.

Including All Participants

When forming teams, be sensitive to youths who are not as comfortable talking to members of the congregation as others. If youths work in teams, those who might be quiet or shy can team up with more gregarious youth. The quieter youth might volunteer to do the writing while other youths interview families.