After being selected by Lilly, we started our journey as the Young Adult Initiative...

PHASE 1 • Step 1 - Getting Started

January 2017 – August 2018

  • Staffing and preliminary work
  • Partner Parish selection process and orientation
  • Partner Parishes establish core teams

PHASE 1 • Step 2 – Dialogue and Parish Self-Study

September 2018 – April 2019

  • Examine demographic data from parish census, U.S. census, and other sources
  • Intentional dialogue with young adults, affiliated and disaffiliated
  • Intentional dialogue with parents of young adults and parish leaders
  • Examine parish culture and structure with respect to young adults
  • Educate parish leadership on young adults, their world, and their needs
  • Educate parish members on young adults, their world, and their needs

PHASE 1 • Step 3 – Turning Needs into Changes, Initiatives, and Programming

January 2019 - December 2020

Based on your parish findings, determine how your parish will respond to identified needs of your young adults by developing innovative ways to:

  • Engage/reengage/meet the needs of your young adults
  • Change the culture of your parish to be more welcoming to young adults. Innovate

PHASE 1 • Step 4 – Continue Innovation and Project Evaluation/Wrap-Up/Sustainability Plan Implementation

January 2021 - December 2021

  • Continue innovation process
  • Determine sustainability tasks to ensure YAI efforts continue after funding stops
  • Evaluate overall YAI efforts

PHASE 2 • Year 1

2022

  • Review the information learned in Phase 1 Research Report and disseminate among Catholics and non-Catholics
  • Continue efforts with returning Phase 1 parishes
  • Introduce five new sister parishes

Phase 1 Summary:

We believe the key to strengthening parishes lies in the renewal of Catholic identity among our young adults. We believe our efforts will enable parishes to identify ways in which they can build upon the strengths of their faith communities and reimagine opportunities that will meet the needs of young people. We believe we can strengthen parishes by guiding them through a process of self-discovery, educating them about the marks of young adulthood, and then enabling them to reach out through dynamic events, worship experiences, liturgies and fellowship opportunities aimed specifically at the young adult audience.