Church of Ireland youth department in search for more volunteers
A major survey from the Church of Ireland youth department (CIYD) has highlighted the need for more volunteers to give their skills and energy to help young people grow in the Christian faith and have fresh opportunities through the wide variety of youth work in the Church.
In late-2023, as youth work activities began to recover from the effects of Covid, CIYD commissioned an audit of youth work occurring under the auspices of the Church of Ireland, in the 11 dioceses across the entire island of Ireland.
This was the first survey of its kind since 2008, and had the aims of enabling CIYD to: have an accurate picture (post-Covid) of the number of young people in activities in parishes within dioceses; utilise this information to report to funders; and utilise this information to provide support to youth work happening in parishes around the country.
The survey was undertaken between March and July 2024 with parishes invited to complete an online survey, which was accompanied by an additional short survey with diocesan youth officers and youth councils.
The main results confirmed:
A total of 6,058 young people aged 11 to 18 involved in parish-based youth activities.
A total of 2,825 young people involved in diocesan youth events and activities.
Parish-based youth work is led by 1,860 adult volunteers and 42 paid youth workers.
Diocesan youth work involves 538 adult volunteers and seven paid members of staff.
The survey received responses from 288 of the Church’s 450 parish units. If the same trends are extrapolated to cover all parishes, it is estimated that over 15,000 young people are served by youth ministry across the Church of Ireland as a whole, increasing to 25,000 when the work of uniformed youth organisations within our parishes is included.
However, the number of parishes which are offering youth work has decreased since 2008, which can be attributed to a 44 per cent reduction in the number of volunteers (down from 3,347 in the previous survey). The need for help with recruiting volunteers and supporting and encouraging volunteers who are already serving is appearing as a new training need.
Belfast-born Bishop Pat Storey, of Meath and Kildare, remarked: “As President of CIYD, I am grateful for this youth ministry audit. It tells us what we need to know and challenges us to continue to invest in our young people. If young people are to grow up in the household of faith, and continue to serve God all of their lives, it takes vision, commitment and resources.
“Every organisation is struggling to attract volunteers, but youth ministry is the perfect avenue for our energy and investment, and actually is a joy! We are passing on the baton of vibrant faith in a God who loves us and who will always pursue us. What could be more fulfilling than that?”
* The Survey of Youth Work in the Church of Ireland is available on the CIYD website at www.ciyd.org and the Church of Ireland website at www.churchofireland.org/resources