Youth 2000
Youth 2000 is an autonomous international initiative of young people working in cooperation with clergy, religious and older lay people, founded above all on adoration of the Eucharist, active evangelisation, and the organisation of retreats and spiritual events throughout Europe and other parts of the world.
Open to any young person who wishes to take part in it's activities, it has no formal members.
Youth 2000 aims to help the young to grow spiritually and take their rightful place in the Church. This growth takes place through an experience of the love of God and prayer, and a sense of belonging, leading to a renewed faith in Christ and His Church. The greatest testimony to this are the young people who are at the heart of this initiative, and who offer what they have received to others of their generation.
Lifeteen
An upbeat youth oriented Catholic site. The Catholic teaching is presented in a chatty, informal manner but gives solid Catholic answers to the kinds of questions that teenagers ask. There is a lot of practical peer advice on moral teaching and the spiritual life with sections on drink, sexual activity and pornography. The vocations section is practical and genuinely inspirational. There is a good “downloads” section with icons, screensavers and wallpapers.
Disciples Now
Another “web-based ministry” for youth. Again, thoroughly Catholic. The top bar links to various sections of the site. “It’s Catholic” has a link to “Youth Update” with dozens of articles on topics of interest with good Catholic explanations of matters such as guilt, the Eucharist, magic, traumas, discipleship… “Celebrate” gives reflections on the Sunday readings, “Our Life” has movie reviews and there is a good page of classified links.
You! online
You! Magazine was founded by 25 year old Paul Lauer in southern California when he received the call from Jesus and put on his “holy blazin’ armor”. The online magazine looks at pop culture through the eyes of faith and has hard-hitting but attractive sections on pro-life issues, sexual ethics and lifestyle questions. The doctrinal section is similarly styled. The section on Mary begins “Mary is the surfboard that enables us to ride the wildest ride of our life…” and then goes on to provide solid explanations of Catholic teaching on Mary with prayers, together with a “sharing” from Louie Perez of the music group Los Lobos about the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on his bass drum.
OnerockOnline
The mission statement: “To supplement the already Catholic teenagers and “lukewarm” Catholics with enriching, orthodox and entertaining content and to form an online community of Catholic teenagers through bulletin boards and chat.” The Rock Shop” has “I love Vatican II” t-shirts and mugs among other things.
Another Catholic site for young people with various prayers, lives of the saints, a vocations section and a newsletter.
Taking England to Our Lady
The Catholic Association has led a pilgrimage to Lourdes for over a hundred years. It takes place in the last week in August, principally for the dioceses of Clifton, East Anglia, Northampton, Portsmouth, Southwark and Stonyhurst College. Matt Betts has produced a youth website with various essays, experiences and fundraising initiatives by young people
www.catholicassociation.co.uk
www.cayouth.org
World Youth Day 2005
This is the official website for the next World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany 16-21 August 2005. There is a brief history of these extraordinary events as well as basic information about the schedule, together with an explanation of the new logo. The idea, of course, is the brainchild of our Pope himself - and has resulted in the greatest gatherings of human beings in world history. The site responds to the frequently asked question Will the Pope be present? "He truly wishes to participate, if it is God's will."
Sandhurst Youth Ministry
Don't panic! It's not a military training approach. Sandhurst is a diocese in Australia that has some useful ideas for youth ministry including a small section of resources and downloads
Piercings
Take a look at this striking page from the Youth 2000 New York site!