Lock-In

lock-in (lahk'in) n, v: An event where the youth group spends an overnight in the church. The program can include recreation, music discussion, Bible study, worship, entertainment, food, and very little sleep.

Where: Usually at church
When: Usually an evening to a morning
Why: To spend concentrated time together to build community. The group should develop any other specific goals in the planning.

Step One: Plan the Event

Logistical details

1. Find a time. Take into consideration other activities in young people's lives such as sports, music organizations, school trips, school fund raisers, dances, and other miscellaneous events. Look at the church calendar. A Saturday night lock-in will not be the most ideal time because of Sunday morning use of the building.

2. Get approval. Check with the appropriate committee or with the diocese for accountability and building use.

Program

Assemble both young people and adult advisors who are interested in planning the program. The group should decide which of the following eight areas to include.

1. Theme, discussions, and goals: What kinds of goals, purposes, or objectives does the group want to accomplish? Will you use a curriculum? Will you talk about certain issues? Will you have someone outside the group come to speak?

2. Recreation and music: What kinds of music do you want? Do you have musicians you could use? What kinds of recreational activities do you want to have?

3. Schedule: Is there enough time in the schedule for sleep, preparing meals, and free time?

4. Worship or devotions: What kinds of worship experiences do you want to have? Do you want to have daily devotions?

5. Food: Who will cook, clean up, and shop for supplies?

6. Entertainment or special activities: Does the group want to do any special activities (such as hiking, skiing, or sightseeing)? What kinds of entertainment would you like (movies, dance)?

7. Cost: How much will the weekend activities cost each individual?

8. Publicity and registration: Who will send out some kind of communication (whether through a newsletter, flyer, or personal letter) indicating cost, time, possible schedule, and registration form?

Community Life

The group should decide how it will live together as a Christian community, with a covenant, discipline, and rules. The decisions should be clear, with consequences discussed and understood.

Step Two: Do It!

Have fun. Be flexible. Enjoy the community.

Step Three: Evaluate the Event

This can be done quickly by the participants during the evening at the end of the scheduled activities or by sending out a letter. Have the planning committee also evaluate and make notes on what worked and what didn't.

Retreat

retreat (rih-treet') n, v: An event in which a youth group goes to a place away from home, usually scheduled on a weekend. Includes recreation, Bible study, discussion, worship, food, entertainment, and good community living. Can be an exciting, fun, challenging, and life changing experience.

Where: A camp, conference center, retreat center, vacation cabin, or beach house
When: Usually a weekend (one night and two days or two nights and three days)
Why: To get away as a group, spend concentrated time together, and build community. The group should develop specific goals in the planning.

Step One: Plan the Event

Logistical details

1. Find a time. Check school calendars for events that may not allow certain members of the group to attend. Check the church calendar for scheduled activities.

2. Find a place. Important things to look for in a location are cost, nearness, and adequate facilities. Make sure to get a written record or contract indicating the dates needed, the cost, and the anticipated number of people.

3. Cost. Figure out cost per person for food, transportation, and housing.

4. Congregational approval. Make sure the proper committees to which the youth group is accountable are aware that a retreat is being planned.

5. Publicity and registration. Communicate the dates with the members of the youth group and their parents by letter, newsletter, or flyer. Have registration sign-up sheets that include necessary information about the participant (address, phone, parental consent, health questions, etc.).

6. Recruitment of advisors, drivers, and cooks. Try to find people who have had contact with the group in the past. If you bring on new people who have an interest in working with the group, make sure they are involved in the planning and follow-through.

7. Insurance. Check with your congregation to make the necessary insurance arrangements for coverage.

8. Transportation. Make arrangements for necessary vehicles, whether you use a bus, van, rental or charter vehicles, or cars.

Program

Get a committee together of young people and adult advisors to plan for the different areas of the retreat. Not all of them need to be present. The group should decide what to include.

Community Life

The group should decide how it will live together as a Christian community. The decisions should be clear, with consequences discussed and understood. If you are bringing someone to cook and clean up, this will not be an issue. However, if the group is cooking and cleaning up after itself, you will need to decide how to divide the responsibilities.

Step Two: Do It!

Have fun. Be flexible. Enjoy the community.

Step Three: Evaluate the Event

Have the participants evaluate the retreat at the end of the weekend. The planning committee should also evaluate and make notes for future use about what were good planning decisions and what were not good planning decisions.

Conference

conference (kahn' fah-rents) n: An event that includes discussions among representatives of more than one group or region. Can be on a diocesan, province, or national level. Usually the programming has already been planned, and the group chooses what to participate in from a variety of options. Can be an exciting time for meeting new people from different places; a challenging time to deal with issues of faith, justice, identity, or peace; a life changing experience; or any combination of the three.

Where: Usually at a conference center or camp
When: From two days to two weeks, usually during school vacations
Why: To get away as a group, spend concentrated time together, build community, meet new people, learn new things. The group or conference may have other specific goals.

Step One: Plan the Event

Even though you will not need to plan the actual programming for the conference, a lot of arrangements need to be made.

1. Check the dates of the conference.

2. Get information from the conference center about the conference itself and about arrangements for housing and registration.

3. Publicize and contact parents.

4. Get approval on the dates and financial arrangements.

5. Plan fund raisers if needed.

6. Figure up cost per person based upon housing, transportation, food, registration, and insurance costs.

7. Make registration and housing arrangements.

8. Arrange transportation (such as a charter bus, van rental, cars).

9. Arrange for insurance.

10. Recruit adult advisors and drivers.

11. Recruit cooks if the conference is not providing cafeteria facilities.

12. Get materials that are needed for study before the conference, if any.

13. Plan orientation for those going, to discuss responsibilities, conference purposes, and covenant, discipline, and conflict resolution.

14. Make an informational sheet for parents with important phone numbers.

Step Two: Go to the Conference

Enjoy it. Be flexible. Participate fully. Be a community.

Step Three: Evaluate and Debrief

Make sure you have some time as a community going home to discuss the events of the conference. Evaluate the arrangements made as well as the conference itself. Make notes for future events. Maybe the group could make a presentation to the congregation after the conference.