Youth Forum Planning Team

Description

General Council 46: Youth Forum Planning Team 

Key Points 

We are searching for people to form a team to support General Council 46 as it strives to be a space where high-school aged youth from across the country are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the General Council. 

Vacancies: 4–8 vacancies 

Key skills: event planning, leadership and team development, faith formation, compassionate mental health support, organization, community engagement, creative ideas and problem solving, understanding of diverse youth perspectives 

Meeting expectations: 1.5 to 2 hour meetings every other month more frequently closer to General Council; full attendance at General Council, including pre- and post-events, from July 29 to August 5, 2028 

Mandate 

The General Council 46 Youth Forum Planning Team is part of the General Council’s leadership, chaired by the appointed Youth Forum Coordinator. It visions, designs, operationalizes, and evaluates the events of Youth Forum that run concurrently and intersect with General Council 46 meetings. It aims to express The United Church's Call to Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, and Daring Justice. 

Membership 

The Youth Forum Planning Team will consist of up to 10 members who reflect the diversity of The United Church of Canada—for example, in Indigenous identity, ethnocultural identity, racial identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, francophone and linguistic diversity, age, ability, neurodiversity, and geographic diversity. Lay people and ministry personnel are sought, as well as young people (15–25 years old) with additional identities and life experiences.  

Note: Apart from the Planning Team, there will be additional shorter-term opportunities to provide leadership at Youth Forum, which will be posted at a later date. 

Member Skills and Experience 

Youth Forum Planning Team members demonstrate strong collaboration, communication, and organizational skills; value youth leadership and inclusion; bring creativity and flexibility to planning processes; and are committed to creating meaningful experiences that support connection, learning, faith formation, and leadership development among young people. 

Members will have: 

• interest in nurturing youth leadership and participation in the life of the church 
• an understanding of equity, diversity, and mental health, and how these play out in large group gatherings 
• experience as a member of a committee or working group  
• willingness to offer proactive strategies or make recommendations to create a welcoming, equitable, and formative experience for youth from across Canada 

This team would additionally be strengthened by someone who brings an intercultural lens to this work, based on:  

• lived experience as an Indigenous, racialized, or francophone person, or 
• leadership within Indigenous, racialized, or francophone communities, or those that include a diversity of cultures  

The Youth Forum Planning team members for General Council 46 will need to become familiar with the United Church’s equity commitments, the church’s Equity Aspirations, as well as United Church governance processes. Education and training will be provided to assist with learning more about these.  

United Church Relationship: Active participant  

Expectations and Term 

• Online meetings: 1.5 to 2 hour meetings once every two months; (frequency may increase closer to General Council); meeting times will be decided based on the group and time zones 
• In-person meetings: General Council 46, with pre- and post-events, from July 29 to August 5, 2028 (St. Catharine’s, Ontario) 
• Children and youth program options will be available, should that support your presence 
• Appointment term: December 2026 to December 2028 

For more information about this opportunity, please see the complete description, below.

To Express Interest

To apply for this vacancy, please express interest or nominate someone.

All submissions will be acknowledged by e-mail. If you do not receive acknowledgement, please contact Member Engagement. Incomplete or late submissions cannot be considered.

For further information or assistance in expressing interest or nominating someone, please contact:

Member Engagement
Toll-Free: 1-800-268-3781
E-mail: 

Downloads

• 45-41 Youth Forum Design Team.pdf (328.31 KB) (PDF)