Best Practices: Community Life

Program Model: Connecting Communication

Overview of the Program

Communication is a critical element in developing any form of community life. It's all well and good to provide programming, but if the community is not aware of the programming, the effort is wasted. In a society where we are bombarded with information from every side, it's crucial that the Church reach out in the technological age with a variety of communication strategies.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco borders the famed "silicon valley" which boasts the most technologically literate people in the world. This also is one of the most diverse areas of the country with a broad spectrum of ethnic, socio-economic, and educated citizens. Of these a great number (over 40 percent) are young adults. Communication among and with these young adults must be varied, diverse and mutual.

We have developed three avenues of communication, which allow us to connect young adults to Jesus Christ, the Catholic faith community, the mission of the Church, and their peers. Our three-fold effort includes a monthly email, a developing website, and a quarterly newsletter. We also use email to offer opportunities for young adults to connect and collaborate with us, with their local parishes, and with one another. These avenues also allow us to more fully collaborate and share information with other departments and offices within the archdiocese.

How does the program work in your archdiocese?

Our website offers information on where and how to connect with the faith community and other young adults in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Though we are continually updating and improving the website, its very existence is a witness to the archdiocesan commitment to this population.

Our Young Adult Connections, a monthly email to young adults and those who minister with them, allows us to "get the word out" on events and activities that meet the needs of young adults in a variety of ways. Each email contains:

1. A connection to a dynamic calendar with social, spiritual, volunteer and service activities throughout the Bay Area
2. Information about Bay Area young adult communities (including those in surrounding dioceses) and young adult responsive parishes with whom we've had contact
3. Volunteer and spiritual opportunities which are ongoing and/or sponsored by retreat centers and social service organizations
4. Information on where to find spiritual direction or companionship

The quarterly newsletter put out by the Office of Young Adult Ministry includes all the information listed above as well as regular and occasional articles of the following types:

1. A spotlight article on a successful or growing young adult community
2. An article pertaining to a timely social justice issue
3. A column about sexuality, relationship, or marriage and family life issues
4. A recap of recent archdiocesan young adult events
5. Timely announcements of upcoming opportunities for young adults
6. Tips and tools for creating and growing successful young adult outreach in your own parish or community
7. Spiritual wisdom or guidance

Why does the program work?

Young adults are the most diverse group of Americans ever to have lived. They cover a broad range of ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds and education levels. Using a variety of means of communication allows us to more fully address each of these. Young adults, additionally, make up the most technologically literate generation. Using technology to connect with them not only makes sense but also is imperative for developing successful relationships with them.

Their lives are fast-paced and full and they are looking for ways of connecting meaningfully with one another and their spirituality. Using a variety of means to connect with them, allows us to reach a greater number in order to connect them with the Catholic faith community. But they are also looking for readily available information. Using the email and website allows us to get a great deal of information out with minimal expense and greater coverage. The newsletter allows us to offer more in-depth information as well.

Email accounts for a large percentage of our communication with this community. The two staff members of our office communicate daily with an average of ten to fifteen young adults via email. Often the number is much higher, especially during times when a program is in a critical stage of development. Not only does email and Internet communication allow us to respond fairly immediately, it allows us to use our resources, finances and time, more effectively and efficiently.

What needs does it address for young adults?

In an information age, communication is critical. This comes as no surprise, I'm sure. Each avenue used in this program allows us to address a variety of needs in the young adult community. Through the dissemination of information of events and activities, we encourage young adults to connect to their peer community, their faith community, the mission of the church in the world, and through these avenues their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In a real sense, this program assists us in addressing all the critical needs of this hungering population.

What elements are crucial?

1. Access to email and internet capabilities
2. Adequate time to plan and prepare each forum well
3. Adequate training on computer, newsletter development and database management
4. Access to diocesan contact information for sharing emails and newsletters with parishes, seminarians, religious communities and other diocesan organizations
5. Website development assistance (young adults often have the skills to do this for you)
6. Ongoing database development. Our database of young adults (and those who work and minister with them) is continually being updated as young adults move into and out of the area.
   1. Currently we have a combined database of over 2500 people, we are always updating this. This is only a fraction of the young adult population, however, each contact has the potential to reach far more than the one person. Young adults will typically forward information of interest to one another.
   2. At every event we host, we solicit contact information from the participants. Each time we visit young adult communities in the area, we ask for a list of their young adults as well. Recognizing the privacy of all, we always offer to remove someone from our listing at their request.
7. Timely planning of newsletter and requests for outside articles with adequate time given for those submitting articles
8. Up-to-date calendars in each forum
9. Mutual web links on diocesan websites and young adult websites

Who to contact for more information

Mary Jansen, Director of Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of San Francisco.
415-614-5596
jansenm@sfarchdiocese.org
http://www.sfyam.org/

Resources to help start this elsewhere

Email and website hosting are offered through a variety of free or paid services if you don't already have this at hand. Young adults in your communities will have the expertise to help with this and are eager to offer assistance.

Final note

The Office of Young Adult Ministry in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is now five years old. To connect with the diversity and number of young adults with whom we've had contact would have been impossible without email and Internet connectivity. These two avenues alone account for approximately seventy-five percent of our outreach and information sharing capabilities. We have had the opportunity to connect young adults in our local diocese, as well as those from all over the country and world, with local parishes, vocation opportunities, service opportunities and spiritual growth and development. Each diocese is encouraged to make these avenues available for their young adults in an effort to more fully reach this technologically literate, diverse and mobile generation.

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