What's Happening with Youth in the Diocese, By Ian Holliday

First, by way of introduction, I'm Ian Holliday. I'm a member (and summer employee) of this diocese with a degree in journalism who currently lives in exile in Massachusetts. I'm going to be blogging here every Monday (or every other Monday, or on as many Mondays as possible) about a subject that's very important to me: youth in the diocese.

It wasn't long ago that I was a youth in the diocese, and I'm still involved with many of the ministries that cater to them. By giving the many wonderful youth programs of the diocese more coverage here on the blog, our hope is to raise their profile among Rhode Island Episcopalians, and get people excited about the potential that exists here.

When I was in high school, I had mixed feelings about church-related youth activities. I enjoyed being part of my parish's youth group, but I rarely participated in diocese-wide activities. And when I did, the experience wasn't always great (but that's a different story you can read about in the current RISEN). The one youth event I loved right away was Happening. I went to my first one when I was a senior in high school, and I've been back to every one since (except the one that happened while I was in Chile), including the most recent weekend, #65, which took place October 9-11 at LaSalette Retreat Center in Attleboro.

Happening is often difficult to describe. At its simplest, it's a weekend youth retreat led by and created for high-schoolers, with the goal of making God's love for all of us a more tangible reality. Further details are usually kept secret because one of the key elements of the weekend is surprise.

This doesn't always sit well with parents. How would you feel if your child said, "Mom, Dad, my friends want me to go to this thing called Happening, but they won't tell me anything about it. Also, I'll be gone for two nights and it costs over $100"? But this doesn't have to be a point of contention. Scholarships are available for those that can't afford the cost of the weekend, and coordinators Harold Guise and Mark Sidla are happy to answer any questions parents may have.

For those young people whose parents are trusting enough to allow them to go, Happening can be one of the best experiences of their lives. It was for me.

For more information about Happening, or to sign up for Happening #66 (April 30 - May 2, 2010) contact Harold Guise (hguise@mail.uri.edu, 481-9642) or Mark Sidla (mark.sidla@gmail.com, 636-1946)

P.S. Sorry about the pun in the title of this post. I couldn't resist.
-Ian