The youth come along to Church youth groups for fun, for meaning, and for identity. This reminds me of the four F's of Catholic youth ministry as told by Derek Boylen, one-time director of Catholic youth ministry in Perth: Friends, Fun, Food and Faith. I have tended to chant Derek's mantra, especially as an AA to the Kolbe YCS group. Those who are involved in Catholic youth ministry know the truth in their comments about the search for fun things to do with friends in a safe environment. There's a great image of two Year 9 boys from Kolbe at a recent youth event held in the St Bernadette's Hall in Port Kennedy. They are good mates. The youth ministry team in the parish did a great job structuring a night that was fun and challenging. The focus was on coming to understand and appreciate the Christian response to poverty. 
Professor Hunt's summation gives me food for thought (no pun intended). The search for meaning and identity is real and all the more urgent in a world stripped of the support structures that were once part of the fabric of western society. The youth minister works as a manager, a leader, as a secretary. But there is more to the role than that. Catholic youth ministry can and should be described socio-culturally, theologically and spiritually.
The socio-cultural dimensions of Catholic youth ministry
What are the major changes?
Secularisation
A Secular Age
The phenomena is much more complex. Consider gender identity, family changes. There are de-traditionalisation and pluralisation.
There has been a disruption of the transmission of culture
Tradition is no longer influenced heavily by the Church. The focus on the individual leads to confusion as people seek meaning and significance in their lives. Allegiance to Church is no longer a given. It is now an option. Recent research of Gen Y shows about 40% young adults regard themselves as Christian.
Young people are deciding about their religious identity. They have to choose because there is no longer a strong tradition forming them. This is an outcome of the disruption of our traditions. The challenge is to acknowledge that the search for community, for the affirmation of them as persons is an expression of their intrinsic worth as created in the image of God. Other faiths present a similar view of the worth of the individual and the indiviual's search for community.
Reflect on the meaning of the word "crisis".
Inter-faith dialogue is an important aspect of pluralisation. It provides the opportunity to deepen one's understanding of personal faith. To hold with gratitude the faith we have been given will help us understand and appreciate others' faith.
Theological
The YM teaches theology. Consider the work of Bernard Lonergan and his work on the influence of the past on our present. He places YM in the area of Communications. YM has the task of communicating the past as it informs the present. The YM presents the Christian vision.
This amounts to a move from a literal faith to a non-literal faith. This means communicating the deeper meaning of our faith. This involves opening up people's images of God in creative and prayerful ways, through music, art, through the lives of the saints and through people's personal experiences of God.
How do we operate with non-literal faith? What sounds true and resonates with other areas of knowledge belongs to a non-literal faith. Expand on this. Focus on Prof. Anne Hunt's story about dinosaurs.
The YM can only give that they have, so their own faith development is vital. What we have to give is ourselves.
Spiritually
Prayer life reveals the YM's relationship with God. A prayerful YM will be able to lead youth to friendship with God through prayer. See my research and the comments by Luke about the influence of YM on his relationship with God.
The task of youth ministry is to help youth develop their relationship with God so that they will see the significance of their life and how to remain true to God in the decisions they make about living with integrity.
Focus on God's love. There is more than enough to go around.
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Location:ACYMC, Melbourne
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