Young people, ages 13-18 in the greater Brattleboro area are invited to attend the first meeting in 2024 of an interfaith youth group. The gathering will take place on Sunday, January 14 from 5 to 7:30 pm at the First Congregational Church of West Brattleboro, supported by various local faith communities.
Attendees will get to know each other through icebreakers, sharing a spaghetti meal, performing a community service project and setting group and individual goals for the new year. There will be a discussion about Martin Luther King Junior's legacy with Rev. Jeremy Kirk.
According to organizers the purpose of this group is fellowship, fun and service-- making a difference in one's community-- with church affiliation and attendance not expected.
"We will benefit from the perspectives of young people who are newly arrived refugees," explained Brian Remer, group facilitator. "This is a good time to bring a friend, or attend for the first time. We will be assessing if there is interest for a winter trip to New York City," he stated.
Past groups have tackled community service projects, social justice issues, learned about different faith traditions, canoe and camped together, held overnight "Lock-Ins" locally, attended youth leadership conferences and explored New York City's diversity and rich traditions. The goal for this group is to build leadership skills and friendships among young people who care and want to make a difference in their communities.
In the past decade, youth performed community service in places as diverse as New Orleans, Kenya, St. Croix, El Salvador and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in S. Dakota. To ensure wide participation, the group did fundraisers leading up to each trip.
The First Congregational Church of West Brattleboro is located next to Academy School at 830 Western Ave./Rt. 9. Each month a different faith community hosts the group at their location.
For information or to reserve a spot, please contact Nanci at (802) 258-8348 or email nanci.leitch@gmail.com.
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