Archdiocese of Cincinnati Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry
For years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati has been training youth ministers to use the Developmental Assets. In 1997, the assets were included in the United States Catholic Church’s vision for youth ministry, and “even prior to that…among youth ministry leaders in the U.S., there was and continues to be a clear understanding that the Developmental Assets provide an important tool and a special lens for understanding and, in fact, planning youth ministry,” said Sean Reynolds, Director of the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati offers a variety of levels of training, for both volunteers and professionals. While youth workers in the diocese are not required to complete the training, most do. The training that the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry provides for both youth and adult leaders has been the focus of its work for years. One interesting way the training is offered is as a college course in youth ministry, for which participants may earn one bachelor’s or master’s credit. The course is not solely based on the Developmental Assets, but the assets are used as a framework for understanding how youth workers contribute to the holistic development of young people, not just in their faith, but also their emotional, psychological, social, and, to some extent, physical development as well.
In general, the youth workers are trained in the Components of Youth Ministry to lead a comprehensive youth ministry that also involves community building, leadership, and service. Says Reynolds, “The Components dovetail with the assets because in each of the components, adult leaders are taking the approach of identifying the gifts and skills of young people, and assisting young people in developing those.”
The Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is also forming partnerships with other community sectors in part because of a shared understanding and use of the assets framework.
Catholic Education Collaborative, Dayton
In the Dayton Ohio area, the Catholic Education Collaborative (CEC) works with Catholic schools to enrich the education and faith formation of the students and connect to the community. The CEC is a part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati as well as Project 40, a Healthy Communities Healthy Youth initiative in the Dayton Area.
The Developmental Assets are an important part of the work of the Catholic Education Collaborative, which includes educating school principals about the assets, supporting and running programs such as Ready, Set, Soar, a kindergarten readiness program that uses the assets, and also through CEC’s involvement with Project 40.
Through Project 40, schools throughout Montgomery and Greene Counties have opportunities to apply for grants and mini-grants to fund Developmental Assets projects, and get involved with Project 40’s annual Greater Dayton Conference on Youth. At the upcoming conference, groups from 40 schools are each assigned an asset to show how their school promotes that asset. Six Catholic Schools will be participating with tables and displays, representing their schools’ involvement with the Developmental Assets.
The CEC and other offices, such as the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati work together to incorporate the Developmental Assets into various elements of catechesis and evangelization.
For more information on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, contact Sean Reynolds, Director, at sreynolds@catholiccincinnati.org or visit the website at www.catholiccincinnati.org.
For more information on the Catholic Education Collaborative, contact Sue Koverman, Director of Shared Student Services, at skoverman@catholiccincinnati.org, or visit the website at www.cecdayton.org.
back to June/July 2009 Asset Champion
back to initiative