Overview

SI is a week of freedom for youths* from all walks of life. In the youth program, all people, ideas, and beliefs are accepted and valued. Through workshops, workshifts, worship, and more anyone can make new friends and/or reconnect with old ones.

Sunday

On their first day, the youth will generally arrive between 12:00 and 4:00pm. They will unpack their belongings into their dorms and then have free time until dinner at 5:00. When dinner ends at 6:30, there will be a community-wide opening ceremony in the church, followed by a mandatory youth opening. Here, new youth will be bridged in by other, current youth and the SI Youth Panel will go over the rules. Partway through the meeting, the youth will be assigned to Touch-Base Groups: smaller groups of about 10 youth that check in once a day throughout the week to discuss things, play games, and relax. They will also be assigned to help at an afternoon intergenerational workshop, such as body art or tie-dye throughout the week. The Touch-Base Groups will then leave to have their first meeting while the parents stay and have a Q&A with the panel. Afterwards, the first youth worship of the week will take place.

Monday-Thursday

Each morning every youth must attend morning programming. For the first half of morning programming, they will participate in whole-community discussion with the youth theme speaker for the week. Theme speakers are different every year and the topics presented on range from learning a culture’s traditional songs and dances, to learning how to gather support for an issue in your community. After morning programming, the youth will go to their choice of the offered morning workshops, which include such activities as outdoor games, arts and crafts, and planning worship. Attending a morning workshop is mandatory. Morning programming will officially end around noon, and the youth may then go to lunch. Once morning programming has ended, the youth are free for several hours. In that time, there will be two sets of community-wide workshops, one in the early afternoon and the other from the mid-afternoon till dinner. Youth typically have 2 work shifts at said workshops that they must attend throughout the week. Touch-Base Groups will meet in the afternoon (Touch-Base Group attendance is required). Each night after dinner there will be a community-wide activity, such as Peek, Monte Carnival night, a community vespers and a youth worship, as well as a youth specific late night activity at which youth may stay past curfew, including a rave, a talent show and ultimate frisbee. For more info on curfews, see the Safety Page.

Friday

As usual, the youth will come together for programming, but instead of workshops, the youth will elect new members for the youth panel. This is a group that plans the youth schedule and sets up additional things, such as this paper. If a youth would like to join, they will simply need to tell everyone why they think that they are qualified. All the youth will then vote, and the winners will be elected. After morning programming is finished the day proceeds as normal, but youth will be encouraged to start packing that night.

Saturday

Saturday morning youth will move out of their dorms. There will be a closing ceremony for the community, followed by the youth hug-a-pillar on the quad. That’s the week at SI for the youth!

*Senior High: Rising 11-12 Junior High: Rising 7-10