Summit Youth Academy 2018

Yesterday awesome things happened here in SoCe. Eight different groups came together to welcome nearly fifty high school students to our neighborhood! 

The students are part of the Summit Youth Academy, a one week study and immersion that takes students in the United Methodist Church who are interested in ministry work on a variety of experiences to help them discern the next steps in their life. The students are paired with mentor college students from Southwestern College, who travel with them and offer encouragement. One of their experiences during their week long immersion, was to come to SoCe and learn about how all people are gifted, no matter who they are or where they come from. 

The students spent time with the Neighboring Movement staff at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, where they learned about all the things "we can" do together and took time to interview each other about what they were each good at. Afterwards, they were sent out into the neighborhood and went to three different workshops that were led by neighbors and organizations involved with the neighborhood. The workshops included: Legacy Ministries with Kristin, where the students learned about working with other youth in need and pottery; the Raise My Head Foundation with Kristi, carol, Jessica, and Amanda, where students learned about and met women who had experienced sex trafficking; and last learned about engaging their own creativity through the practice of photography with Ryan Klinck. 

After the workshops, the students returned to Emmanuel Lutheran, where dinner and desert were provided by Maytee's Catering and Brianna's Bakery. Students, neighbors, and new friends finished the evening eating a meal together, laughing, and singing some closing songs. That is to say, eight different groups ( Neighboring Movement, Summit Youth Academy, Southwestern College, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Legacy Ministries, Raise My Head Foundation, Maytee's Catering, and Brianna's Bakery ) all came together to share their gifts with each other, so that young students who are trying to find their place in the world could learn more about their gifts.

When we bring our gifts together, amazing and awesome things can happen!