Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Organizations working in youth ministry know that working with young people is a big and expensive investment. Yes, it is an investment in the future of the Church and of society, of tomorrow’s leaders and game-changers, but it is an investment that comes with a hefty price tag.

Investments in youth ministry come in three major forms: time, program design and facilities.

Young people will take a big chunk of your time. Even St. John Bosco encourages his Salesians to “waste time” with young people. Seemingly idle moments like talking with young people may seem wasteful use of time but in the Salesian tradition it’s where most of the magic happens.

The Church has moved from activities-based youth ministry to a more structured, organized, and well-thought-out youth ministry. This means youth ministers aren’t just organizing activities and camps for youth, but that these activities have a sense to them and is directed towards uplifting the whole human person (and in turn, human society), addresses human needs, and facilitates encounter with Jesus. Doing this is mentally taxing for youth ministers.

The last major bulk of investment come with facilities. I am talking of meeting rooms and offices, spaces for games and formation, sports facilities and many more. This is where many of the organizations balk at the expenses. Facilities are good investments because they make activities effective.

Facilities however are not just built to be functional. They must be functional so as to be effective, beautiful as to be culture-positive, ergonomic as to be safe, robust as to be resilient.

When administrators build only functional facilities and don’t care about aesthetics, a culture for beauty, cleanliness and order will find it hard to take root. Salesians know that safety is paramount in our spaces. However, do we build facilities that are youth-proof?

Let’s face it, young people are most of the time careless, thoughtless, explosive and impulsive. They are at a stage in life where they are still developing self-regulation and are learning by making mistakes. This means physical facilities will take the brunt of their immaturity. Youthful energy wears down the strongest of metals and cements.

This means that facilities must be built with quality and with longevity in mind. A broken facility will pose a safety hazard. The design of facilities must take into consideration the destruction that comes with being youthful and that things will eventually take a beating from youth despite our best controls.

With the preventive system in mind, the design of facilities comes with the questions, ‘what could go wrong here?’, ‘what’s the worst thing that young people will do with this place?’, ‘if in the event of a loss of discipline what’s the weakest chain here?’ By designing a space to minimize the worst, we make the preventive system practical and concrete, pun intended.

In my experience of holding activities in our different facilities I have learned that trying to save by sacrificing quality often leads to spending more and in some cases, inadvertently hurting more. I have learned that careful design makes ministry easier in the long run. Robust, beautiful and functional facilities receive ‘ownership’ from youth and are cared for.

Disclaimer: This section of the website is a personal creative writing of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official views, opinion, or policies of the Salesians of Don Bosco – Philippines South Province. For concerns on the content, style, and grammar of this piece, please contact us.