Youth Mission Team Member

Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) engages with young people in schools and parishes across the Diocese. It comprises full-time employees and lay and clergy volunteers. The full-time employees are the stable members of the team led by a director.

SYMT is tasked by the Bishop to give witness in the parishes and schools of the Shrewsbury Diocese and to invite young people post-confirmation (Year 9 and above) to youth retreats, formation days and events which the team will organise, facilitate and lead.

SYMT will be available to support the Diocesan preparation and follow-up programmes for young people following Confirmation and to support Diocesan gatherings of school students.

SYMT will take an active role with the Diocesan youth pilgrimages to Lourdes; take a lead in developing engagement with national events such as the Youth 2000 Prayer Festival, flame and take a leading role in facilitating Diocesan engagement with World Youth Day. S

SYMT will also seek to explore and develop new ways of undertaking mission in the New Evangelisation including developing our social networking sites and website as well as other media resources in order to effectively communicate the Gospel and the Catholic faith for the young.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be a faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and to serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury. The successful candidate will:

• Support the Director and programme co-ordinators in their work to ensure delivery of the strategy for Youth Mission;
• with the Director, plan lead and facilitate, as required, visits to the parishes and schools of the diocese in order to offer the witness of the youth mission team in the context of Sunday Masses and parish events; school assemblies; classes and other educational activities including diocesan gatherings of school students as per the job requires;
• as required by the Director deliver high quality Diocesan retreats, days of formation and celebration to which the team will seek to actively invite young people through their witness in parishes and schools;
• be available to lead on support for Diocesan preparation and follow-up programmes for Confirmation candidates;
• be available when required to support the Director for Diocesan youth pilgrimages, which will be a condition of employment. This may include the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes and World Youth Day;
• to work with the Director in developing engagement with national youth events such as FLAME;
• work with the Director to explore and develop new ways of undertaking youth mission in the New Evangelisation including developing social media and website as well as other media resources with the aim of more effectively communicating the Gospel and the Catholic faith.
• actively co-operate with the Bishop in carrying out the mission of the Diocese for the New Evangelisation of the young including attending meetings and reporting to Diocesan bodies as required.
• engage in training and development and spiritual formation as appropriate.

Competencies required:

Essential

Commitment to give witness to your Catholic faith

Qualified or experienced in Catholic youth ministry and engaging young people in their faith

Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communications skills Strong work ethic and a willingness to be flexible

Solid organisational skills and time management

Be able to work effectively within a team, within Diocesan structures and with Diocesan officers, and able to organise effectively the work of others such as volunteers

IT skills, including use of the internet and social media

Full clean UK Driving License and a willingness to travel around the Diocese.

Desirable

Formal qualification in either theology, catechesis, youth work, ministry or evangelisation

Knowledge of youth culture and workings of a diocese

Design, marketing or media skills

Musical skills and ability to lead others in music ministry

Personal Qualities

A practising Catholic happily living their faith

A commitment to prayer and reliance on the grace of God

A sense of humour and willingness to work flexibility

A Sense of initiative and generosity in persevering in a task

Creative and forward thinking

CV's should be sent to Pauline McCulloch

Closing date Friday 21 February 2025

Disclosure and Barring Checks In the event of a successful application an offer of employment may be made to you which is conditional upon receipt of satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Checks ("DBS Checks") (formerly CRB Check and ISA Check) in relation to criminal and child protection matters. Please note that a conviction will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment.

November 2024