SE Portland Youth Collective
Creator ELCA, Moreland Prebyterian, Sellwood Faith Community/Trinity UMC, Milwaukie Presbyterian, St. Paul UMC, St. John the Evangelist Episcopal, Storyline Community, and St. Paul ELCA.
Our ecumenical, multi-church SE PDX Youth Collective welcomes Middle and High school community youth as well as church youth.
Our Purpose
As a community we build bonds with other youth and leaders through stories to understand and respect one another. We are equals who work together to serve our communities and make an impact on those around us which lives & changes as youth explore how spirituality informs our longings. We celebrate our joys and discuss our hardships with no pressure and judgment.
There are several ways for our youth at Creator and broader, community to connect through our weekly programming and our partnership with the SE PDX Youth Collective!
Weekly Gatherings
Our weekly gatherings run from September through June! Our structure for this coming Fall is still being decided upon, but will consist of separate gatherings for middle and high school students. In years past we have explored identity, how to build a better world, and what it means for everything to be sacred. We also have time to play fun games, including Sardines, Spoons, Apples to Apples, and more!
Subscribe to Youth Newsletter for more information about our Fall gathering structures!
Community Engagement
Through our partnerships as a church and with the SE PDX Youth Collective, we provide different opportunities to serve our community! This can take the form of more traditional service projects, such as serving food to our neighbors and doing land restoration projects, or impacting our communities in deeper ways through the process of community organizing.
This last spring, the youth of the SE Youth Collective launched into action after they learned that the Wichita Center in Milwaukie was for sale, with the NCPRD board of directors looking to make a profit rather than preserve the vital services housed within the center. Many of our students and their families had been personally impacted by Wichita and felt deeply connected to it. They worried about what the loss of such an important space would mean for their community. With help from leaders, school board members, community organizers, and other community members, they signed letters, wrote emails, and drafted op eds. They told their friends, and spoke up at board of county commissioner and NCPRD public meetings, giving testimony and sharing their personal stories with their elected leaders. They also raised awareness within our larger organizing cohort, speaking in front of over 400 people at the Mass Assembly about their stories and concern for Wichita.
On Wednesday, June 26th, the NCPRD Board of Directors and the NCSD officially came to an agreement and the Wichita Center was sold to the school district, preserving the services.
We are so incredibly proud of our youth for their hard work and vulnerability through this process!
Weekly Gatherings
Our weekly gatherings run from September through June! Our structure for this coming Fall is still being decided upon, but will consist of separate gatherings for middle and high school students. In years past we have explored identity, how to build a better world, and what it means for everything to be sacred. We also have time to play fun games, including Sardines, Spoons, Apples to Apples, and more!
Subscribe to Youth Newsletter for more information about our Fall gathering structures!
Community Engagement
Through our partnerships as a church and with the SE PDX Youth Collective, we provide different opportunities to serve our community! This can take the form of more traditional service projects, such as serving food to our neighbors and doing land restoration projects, or impacting our communities in deeper ways through the process of community organizing.
This last spring, the youth of the SE Youth Collective launched into action after they learned that the Wichita Center in Milwaukie was for sale, with the NCPRD board of directors looking to make a profit rather than preserve the vital services housed within the center. Many of our students and their families had been personally impacted by Wichita and felt deeply connected to it. They worried about what the loss of such an important space would mean for their community. With help from leaders, school board members, community organizers, and other community members, they signed letters, wrote emails, and drafted op eds. They told their friends, and spoke up at board of county commissioner and NCPRD public meetings, giving testimony and sharing their personal stories with their elected leaders. They also raised awareness within our larger organizing cohort, speaking in front of over 400 people at the Mass Assembly about their stories and concern for Wichita.
On Wednesday, June 26th, the NCPRD Board of Directors and the NCSD officially came to an agreement and the Wichita Center was sold to the school district, preserving the services.
We are so incredibly proud of our youth for their hard work and vulnerability through this process!
Retreats
Each year we have different opportunities for middle and high school students to connect for retreats, summer camps, and half/all nighters!
This past summer, we took our high school students on a trip to the Wallowas to do some learning about the Indigenous history of Oregon and explore our own histories and where our values come from. We visited the Tamaskalit Center near Pendelton, the Maxville Heritage Center in Joseph, and the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland in Wallowa and heard many impactful stories from the folks there. We also spent time at the lake, went on hikes, and played lots of mini golf, gaga ball, and volleyball!
Each year we have different opportunities for middle and high school students to connect for retreats, summer camps, and half/all nighters!
This past summer, we took our high school students on a trip to the Wallowas to do some learning about the Indigenous history of Oregon and explore our own histories and where our values come from. We visited the Tamaskalit Center near Pendelton, the Maxville Heritage Center in Joseph, and the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland in Wallowa and heard many impactful stories from the folks there. We also spent time at the lake, went on hikes, and played lots of mini golf, gaga ball, and volleyball!
Contact Information
Click here for Youth Collective News
STAY TUNED FOR THIS COMING YEAR'S MEETING PATTERNS. All youth invited to join the discussion!
STAY TUNED FOR THIS COMING YEAR'S MEETING PATTERNS. All youth invited to join the discussion!