Christian associations and churches from a range of sects are putting aside their religious differences to try to provide Ottawa high school students with the answers they need to deal with the pressures of growing up.
At the end of February, schools in Ottawa will host “Engage Your World,” a series of events intended to steer youth away from suicide, self-injury, gang involvement, bullying and substance abuse.
The Ottawa Korean Community Church on Arlington Avenue is one of 40 Ottawa churches helping to promote the series and Pastor Greg Kopczyk says the idea behind it has been well received by the parish council and youth group.
“In many churches in general, people feel they don’t know how to make their beliefs known to others, but see the benefit in doing so,” says Kopczyk. “They want to realize what it means to love thy neighbour (and) getting involved in the community (in this way) can do that.”
Young people who attend the church are encouraged to promote the series in their high schools, help to fundraise and set up for the presentations and attend concerts that will follow each evening at a nearby community centre.
The purpose of the series to show young people alternative ways to deal with difficulties in their lives: alternatives that are not destructive to their wellbeing.
But to reach as many students as possible, the series will not include any call to worship God or recognize Jesus.
According to Engage Your World organizer Paul Racine, presenters have been instructed not to give any sort of Christian-focused or proselytizing presentation. Whether a public or separate school is hosting it, the series will be respectful of religious restrictions.
“But youth across faiths have shared experiences (and) Ottawa is no more unique than other cities when it comes to gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, bullying or self-injury,” says Racine. “These are issues the majority of students face in schools every day.”
The idea for Engage Your World has been circulating among the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Exousia Youth Network – an Ottawa-based group of full-time and volunteer youth workers – for the last few years, Racine says.
Anthony McLean, founder of the bullying prevention organization iEngage, says a series such as this could not have come at a better time. Mclean will be speaking as part of Engage Your World between Feb. 22 and Feb. 26 but says even he was shocked when a fellow motivational speaker gave him the statistics on other issues being addressed in the series.
“The numbers for some of (these issues) are crazy,” he says. “Something like one in 10 high school students self-injure? I don’t think a lot of people know that.”
McLean adds that the BGEA and Exousia should be commended for trying to help reconcile the “pertinent issues” youth are facing today.
“There are not enough ministries advancing the social gospel. Regardless of religion or whether you believe in Jesus, we can all agree that resolving the issue of bullying is social justice on a small scale,” he says