wfn.org | Youth make violence prevention a priority for the next two years

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Aug. 9, 1999	Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{412}

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- Recent shootings at high schools across the
country prompted United Methodist youth attending a national convocation to
adopt a two-year priority focusing on peace, reconciliation, education and
conflict mediation.
 
The 227 teens participating in CONVO' 99 supported a resolution from the
South Central Jurisdiction Council on Youth Ministries calling for the
creation of a national task force whose primary objective is to organize a
youth march on Washington supporting peace and justice. The youth attending
the Aug. 2-5 meeting want to confront teen violence and apply conflict
mediation to stop the causes of violence in homes, churches, communities and
the world. 

"A youth proposal on violence says hope for the world," said Beth Cottrill
of Charleston, W.Va. "Everyone suffers when a youth or a child is hurt,
killed or shot. It hits us all very personally, and I'm glad we have decided
to do something about it."

Held every two years, CONVO is a youth-led national event where United
Methodists ages 12-18 discuss concerns, set priorities, worship, study the
Bible, and enjoy fellowship. Business is conducted in legislative
assemblies. Participants included representatives from Liberia, Denmark and
the denomination's Pacific Islander caucus.

The delegates envision the march as a catalyst for government legislation
against teen violence.  

A youth march on violence will allow lawmakers and other authority figures
the opportunity to see that youth want to make a difference, that young
people care about the future of the nation and want to see a change, said
Allison Shannon of Burleson, Texas.  

"There needs to be a stand taken on issues of youth violence, by youth, to
make an impact," she said. "Not only does there need to be a change in the
amount of youth violence, but teens need to show that they are concerned
enough about their future to take a stand." 

The march would begin as a United Methodist initiative, she said. As support
grows, it would be expanded to include any faith tradition that wants to
participate, she said. 

"The idea and visualization of thousands upon thousands of
interdenominational youth of all ages, races, religion and classes joined
together to end violence speaks volumes about the strength we have when we
all join together," said Jeff Arbuckle of Austin, Texas. "The march would
open the door between youth leaders and lawmakers who are most influential
in influencing youth-related laws."

The legislative body also adopted a "Stopping All Violence Everywhere"
(SAVE) campaign, which highlights prevention through education and has
spiritual components. The teens called on the United Methodist National
Youth Ministry Organization (NYMO) to design a curriculum and program
handbook for use internationally to educate youth about violence and
prevention. The curriculum would include anti-violence resources already
used in the church. The youth also plan to use Web sites and adapt various
Sunday School curriculums to focus on the issue.  

NYMO is a network of teens and adult workers responsible for empowerment and
advocacy on behalf of youth in the United Methodist Church. 

The resource to be compiled will address physical violence, neglect, sexual
abuse and mental abuse. The handbook will focus on abuse and violence from
the standpoints of: adults toward children and youth; youth against youth;
gangs; majority groups against minority groups; first world powers against
third world powers; media; cultural groups; and within families.

Participants also recommended that NYMO train international youth leaders in
the denomination in the SAVE program. NYMO will present the curriculum and
program to United Methodist youth and other constituencies through workshops
and training sessions. The goal is to train all United Methodist youth in
the program to make a difference in their communities through violence
prevention education, mentoring and introducing the "Peace of God" to other
youth.

In an impassioned plea for an anti-violence program, Shawn Fraser of Detroit
said violence and related issues should be a priority for United Methodist
youth "because it is a worldwide problem and we need to fix it. Violence is
tearing youth up all around the world."

He explained to his fellow teens how his participation in a gang and its
lifestyle took him away from God and religion. "We did things I regret," he
said. "But through a church camp, I realized that I did not have to bully
people to get respect." 

Muriel Smith of Monrovia, Liberia, said, "Peace is a priority in Africa."
She noted how teens are engaged in fighting and civil strife in her country.
"In the USA at 18, you are thinking about a car, (but) in my country,
18-year-olds are in the fourth or fifth grade because of war."

She talked of Liberia's Pray Project, which assists young people ages 12 to
25 who have been displaced during the war. Its spiritual and educational
components give participants opportunities to reclaim their lives, she said.
The initiative is funded in partnership with the Youth Service Fund, the
denomination's Shared Mission Focus on Young People, the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist offices in Africa.
 
During the legislative assembly, the teens approved a resolution calling on
the United Methodist Church to increase the amount of funding available to
those seeking a higher education. 

Submitted by Nebraska Conference Youth, the resolution notes that while
higher education should be available to all, the increasing cost makes it
prohibitive. The resolution calls for scholarships for United Methodist
students to come from endowments established in each conference. It also
encourages local churches to establish scholarships to assist their youth.

In a related matter, the teens passed a petition to the 2000 General
Conference requesting that the United Methodist Student Day Offering be
retained. The teens encourage the denomination's top lawmaking body to
request both the churchwide councils on ministries and finance and
administration to review how money from all six special Sunday offerings are
distributed.

NYMO also passed resolutions calling for:
*	youth from the Central Conferences to be members of the steering
committee to represent the global, inclusive and connectional nature of the
United Methodist Church;
*	Central Conference youth to have the right to participate and vote
as members of the NYMO legislative assembly and convocation;
*	an international youth and young adult ministry organization to be
created;
*	jurisdictional youth coordinators' expenses to be paid by the
jurisdictional council on ministries; and 
*	annual conferences that elect that five or more lay delegates to
General Conference to include a youth in the delegation.

Administratively related to the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, the
work of the 21-year- old NYMO organization is carried out by a 37-member
steering committee. During the recent meeting, 17 youth were elected to the
committee to replace those whose two- and four-year terms had ended. The
teens also elected five at-large members to ensure an inclusive balance of
racial/ethnic teens and adults and physically challenged youth on the
committee.  

Elected as at-large members were Milika Tuifua, a Pacific Islander from
Kearns, Utah; Tim Byington, a Native American from Dewey, Okla.; Sophia
Pieh, an African American from Memphis, Tenn.; Kofi Ampadu, an
African-American youth with disabilities from Buffalo, N.Y.; and Paul
Arismendez, a Hispanic from Austin, Texas, who will fill the racial/ ethnic
adult category. NYMO's personnel committee will fill the Asian-American and
Hispanic-American  at-large positions after receiving youth nominations from
caucuses, annual conferences, local churches and individuals.

# # #

______________
United Methodist News Service
http://www.umc.org/umns/
newsdesk@umcom.umc.org
(615)742-5472