From Rev. Nancy E. Brink, The Donna (Ford) and Fahmy Attallah Endowed Director of Church Relations, Office of Church Relations, Chapman University:

In previous decades, most Disciples Regions and UCC Conferences had a dynamic leadership mentoring program, choosing high school students from their geographic area to serve on a leadership team for camps, retreats and special events. In the past 10 years, we have seen some of these programs fall apart. Then COVID struck, doing away with even more.

Why is that important to Chapman? Youth leaders often chose church related schools for college. It offered us a pipeline of very promising students, many of whom have gone on to serve in the church and the world in very significant ways. And finally, serving on one of these teams earned you HALF TUITION at Chapman.

That is why Chapman’s Office of Church Relations, partnering with our beloved alum Lee Yates, is announcing a 6-month Youth Leadership Symposium to offer leadership education and mentoring that will build up the youth’s home congregation and, upon completion, make the student eligible for a half tuition scholarship at Chapman and TCU. We sincerely hope that other schools will join us in offering scholarships to those who finish this process.

Please refer to the press release below for more information.

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11/15/2022

From: Chapman University, Office of Church Relations

To: Related Partners in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

High School youth are invited to register for Chapman University’s Youth Leadership Symposium, which will prepare them to be leaders in their local congregation. This six-month long program is a new initiative designed to develop skills, provide a deeper understanding of congregational polity, and empower young leaders to make a difference in and through the church. This is not a leadership team, but rather a shared experience where youth will each design and lead their own personal project in their own home church.

The Youth Leadership Symposium will open in January, providing videos and recommended reading for participants. Three primary meetings will take place on February 4, April 29, and June 3, 2023. Participants may attend in person at the Fish Interfaith Center at Chapman University, or one of the many “Pod” locations where participants can zoom into the symposium as a group. Locations of pods can be found on the website at www.YouthLeadershipSymposium.org.

This is a free event, open to one high school age youth and one adult from every congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. If congregations wish, they can request a space for a second youth. Those youth who complete the symposium will be considered eligible for youth leadership scholarships at Chapman University, Texas Christian University and other church related institutions. Those completing the program will be provided more information on scholarship options and opportunities.

Part of the symposium’s training will involve interviewing local Church leaders, designing a project for a local congregation, and adapting that plan based on new information or research. The hope is to provide youth with a true practicum that will help them serve the church and become leaders in the world. Evaluating needs, project selection, building relationships across generations, and adaptive change are just a few of the topics that will help youth lead in and beyond the church.

Questions can be referred to YouthLeadershipSymposium@gmail.com, or the Chapman University Office of Church Relations at (714) 997-6760.