For the first time, the Regional Catholic Youth Conference will be held in Arkansas.
On Nov. 12-14 the diocesan Youth Ministry Office will welcome Catholics from 17 dioceses in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas to the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. About 1,800 teens and chaperones will listen to presentations and put their faith into action with hands-on service projects and interactive workshops on social justice. About 650 Arkansans will attend.
Liz Tingquist, diocesan youth ministry director, said she volunteered to host the conference in order for teenagers in the state to attend this biennial meeting for a reasonable price.
Typically, the diocese will take about 50 to 100 high school students and chaperones to the regional conference every other year for about $450 a person. With transportation costs lower, it made it possible for most Arkansas participants to only have to pay about $185 for lodging and the registration fee.
Two years ago, Little Rock was named the conference host, and Tingquist began to recruit about 75 diocesan staff and volunteers, including the Adult Advisory Council, to help her put the meeting together.
“The only motivation I had to bring it here is for the kids,” she said. “They will have the opportunity to see an incredible conference and to see the larger Church. Most of these kids are coming from rural areas of the state, and they are lucky if they have a few teenagers in their parish and they might be the only teenager in their school that is Catholic. It’s for them to have the experience of the bigger Church.”
This year’s theme is “Ignite Your Heart, Work for Justice, Transform the World.”
The meeting will begin Friday evening, Nov. 12 at the convention center. Speakers will be Kenya Masala, leader of educational percussion programs, and ValLimar Jansen, a singer, storyteller and recording artist.
On Saturday, the participants will spend the afternoon in the community living out the social justice theme. About 600 teens will visit Heifer Ranch in Perryville and Heifer Village in Little Rock to learn about poverty and hunger. Three hundred teens will visit Central High School and museum to learn about the 1957 crisis, racism and discrimination. Another 300 will visit Mount St. Mary Academy to erect 4,000 crosses on the school grounds and learn about abortion.
The remaining 600 people will stay at the convention center and participate in three interactive workshops — one from Catholic Relief Services on poverty, one called We Cry Justice, an MTV-style presentation of music and art about peace and justice, and another from the Catholic Pines Camp in Big Sandy, Texas, about the environment.
Beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday, all 1,800 participants will meet at Central High School and march 1.5 miles for justice to the State Capitol. On the Capitol steps, the teens will join in a prayer service lit by hundreds of glow sticks.
“This is the most unique conference that Region X has ever done,” Tingquist said. “We have never done off-site workshops…. When they leave here, they will know what the Catholic social justice teaching is. … We are all in solidarity together.”
About 20 Arkansas teens will play an integral part of the conference. These youth leaders and about 15 from other dioceses were chosen to be “animators.” They will present skits throughout the conference.
Elizabeth Reha, diocesan family life director and an experienced actress and director, wrote a script with various scenes performed over the three days. Some teens will portray wealthy families who have everything they want but are not happy. The poor families will act out their challenges but will not talk.
The scenes will take place around two tables. The wealthy families use an ornate table with nice plates and silverware. The poor families will have a simple table.
Reha said the family setting is the perfect atmosphere for learning about social justice.
“We learn it out in the world, but we learn it first in our families,” she said.
On Sunday, the two tables will be linked together to form the altar for the closing Mass, celebrated by Msgr. Scott Friend. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will be out of state attending meetings.