YDisciple

YDisciple is a high school youth program, which meets every Wednesday evening. The evening begins at 6:30pm with a light supper (optional), followed by group sessions at 7:00-8:00pm, led by the students and mentors. Different topics are discussed every week. Any high school student who has been Confirmed is welcome to join this program!

2023-2024 Mentors: Andrea Zody, Cindy Zerfas, Craig Seibel, Deb Kinderknecht and Fr. Dana Clark

What is YDisciple Video

What is YDisciple Summary

YDisciple is a high school youth program (or tool) designed by the Augustine Institute out of Denver, Colorado. It is designed to meet five fundamental needs of teens:

1. The need to be understood

2. The need to belong

3. The need to be transparent

4. The need to engage in critical thinking around faith and life

5. The need for guidance

YDisciple meets these needs by:

1. Creating an environment consisting of a small group of teenagers (5-8 teenagers), led by caring adult mentors, who trust one another and who meet regularly in host homes (or in a home-like environment). Groups are divided by age (or grade) and by gender (male and female).

2. Using thought-provoking videos and well-crafted discussion questions to engage the teens.

3. Empowering parents to take initiative in meeting the needs of their teenagers.

YDisciple is:

Relational. It involves forming relationships with friends and mentors.

Relevant. It introduces content and thought provoking discussion questions that apply to the life of teenagers.

Parent driven. It empowers parents to take initiative in building small groups.

What Does A YDisciple Group Look Like?

1 or 2 Adult Mentors, same gender as the teens, and not a parent of a teen in the group
5–8 teens of the same gender
Teenagers should be as close in age as possible and preferably friends from the same school
Meet 2–4 times a month for approximately 90 minute
Several times during the school year groups may meet together as a large group.

Parents welcome everyone, provide snacks, and socialize for 15–20 minutes before allowing the group to have privacy for their meeting in the home or other meeting place.

The conventional youth ministry approach is much different.

In this approach teenagers are invited to participate in large group events and/or a classroom model of catechesis.
It is aimed at winning students to embrace the faith by making church fun.
It is not strategically partnering with parents so that faith sharing takes place in the home.
It is not strategically mobilizing as many adults as possible to mentor teens.