Frequently Asked Questions

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Leona Goodman
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1 Archdiocese of Newark Pilgrimage to the 2017 National Catholic Youth Conference Indianapolis, IN November 15 19th, 2017

2 What is NCYC? The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) is a powerful, biennial, three-day experience of prayer, community, and empowerment for Catholic teenagers (of high-school age) and their adult chaperones. The schedule includes keynote presentations, prayer, workshops, liturgy, and opportunities to participate in reconciliation and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as recreational activities, concerts, and exhibits. A key component of NCYC is the thematic park which is a blend of traditional exhibit booths with interactive areas featuring service projects, games, recreation, live musical performances, arts and sports. NCYC is sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, Inc. (NFCYM). Who is the NFCYM? The NFCYM is a nonprofit organization who purposes are to foster the development of youth ministry within the Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Newark is a member of the NFCYM. Learn more about the NFCYM here: What does NCYC as a pilgrimage experience mean? Attending NCYC is more than just a trip; it can be a life-changing experience. The goals of a pilgrimage, especially for youth, should reflect the general goals for youth ministry found in Renewing the Vision. As a reminder, those goals are: To draw young people into responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the faith community To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person More information on practical applications of a pilgrimage will be posted in Why attend the NCYC? Youth and their adult chaperones attend NCYC because they want to: Gather together with other Catholic youth on a national level; Learn more about themselves and their relationship to God, and the Catholic Church; Celebrate their Catholic faith; Meet thousands of other Catholic youth; Share beliefs and experiences; Recognize their role in the life of the Catholic Church. When and where will NCYC be held? All activities for NCYC will take place at the Lucas Oil Stadium and Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 16-18, 2017.

3 What is the schedule for NCYC? The official opening of NCYC begins on Thursday, November 16 with the Thematic Park opening at 12 noon. NCYC ends with closing liturgy at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 18. The full schedule of events will be posted at a later date. ** We have included a copy of the 2015 schedule for you to look at as a point of reference Who can attend NCYC? The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) is open to all high school aged youth and their adult chaperones. Youth attendees must be in high school at the time of NCYC (November 2017). When promoting NCYC, don t forget to include this year s 8th graders, as they will be 9th graders in November This IS NOT meant to be a conference for College Age or Young Adults. Who can be an adult chaperone? Adult chaperones must be 21 years or older. There should be at least 2 adults for every 10 youth. Be sure to think about both male and female chaperones in proportion to the gender make-up of the group. All adults must be in compliance with Archdiocese of Newark Safe Environment Policy (i.e. all adults must have a cleared background check and complete the initial safe environment training). All parishes/ schools attending will need to provide the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry with copies of current PGC Certificate and a letter from the parish/ school stating they have had a background check done and are in good standing in the parish in regards to Safe Environment. What is the NCYC Code of Conduct? There are separate codes of conduct for adults and youth. All attendees should review them. These are incorporated by reference in the Liability Waiver and Permission Forms. These will be available at a later date. Will participants miss any school days? Yes. NCYC participants will miss at least 2 days of school. Some schools may give excused absences. The NFCYM has provided a letter that students can bring to school officials in the fall to explain the great value in attending NCYC. Neither the NFCYM nor the Archdiocese of Newark has any control over our schools allowing or disallowing excused absences for NCYC.

4 Who organizes NCYC at the parish level? Since participants must register through their parish, each parish must have an adult Contact Person who will be the single point of contact between the parish and the Archdiocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. In most cases, the Contact Person is the Parish Coordinator of Youth Ministry or High School Campus Minister. This Contact Person will lead the NCYC organizing effort in their parish. This includes forming a local parish/school planning team, promoting NCYC, recruiting parish youth, collecting fees and forms, and being a vital communication link between parish participants and the diocese. How can my parish/school group participate in NCYC? The Archdiocese of Newark Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) must pre-register all participants from our diocese. NCYC will not accept registrations from individual parishes/ schools. Adult leaders at parishes/schools will be responsible for organizing, promoting and managing your own group. Hotel: The OYYAM will reserve a block of rooms thru the NFCYM How many youths to a room? Youth will be housed four to six people in a room in twobedded rooms with a pull out sleeper, separated by gender. **In 2013, 2015 and again now in 2017 our hotel accommodates up to 6 in a room helping reduce costs! How many adults to a room? Adults will be housed two to a room in two-bedded rooms, separated by gender. Married couples may share a room. If an adult wishes to have their own room, an additional fee will be required and is based on space availability. If you want to place more than 2 adults in a room that can be done also to reduce costs. Will we be staying in hotels by parish/school? For the most part, hotel rooms will be assigned by parish/school to make the job of the adult chaperones as easy as possible. Each parish/school will need to provide the OYYAM with rooming lists. In an effort to reduce the over-all cost and to utilize our block of rooms effectively, if a parish/school does not completely fill each room, we may need to assign youth from different parishes/ schools to share. If that is the case, the parish/school group leader will be notified first. How will we get from our hotel to the conference? Our hotel is in walking distance to the stadium and convention center. It will be the responsibility of adult chaperones to accompany their group from the hotel to the conference and back.

5 Transportation: The OYYAM will take care of arranging bus transportation to NCYC From the AYRC to the hotel it is roughly hours. Buses will depart around 10pm on Wednesday evening November 15 th and you will arrive in Indy around 11am to 12noon the next day. Buses will make one stop for breakfast along the way. We have done this in 2011, 2013, and 2015 with no issues. Parishes can choose to opt not to take the bus and arrange on their own to make airplane reservations. Please not If you do this you are responsible for getting your group from the airport to the hotel. The transportation fee part of the total package would be deleted from each individual parish/ school that would choose to do this. Sunday November 19 th buses would depart by 8am to return back to the AYRC again returning roughly hours later around 8pm. One stop would be taken for a late lunch/ early dinner break. Are there opportunities at NCYC for youth besides being a participant? Yes. There are three additional opportunities for your youth to be more involved at NCYC. NCYC YOUTH ANIMATOR. The Youth Animator Program is for young people with high energy and enthusiasm who also possess good public speaking skills, vocal music ability, and some rhythm. Youth animators take lead roles in general session programming by leading prayer, song, and movement from the main stage in the stadium. All youth selected to be animators will be asked to sing and perform basic dance steps and ritual movement whether or not it is their primary area of ministry. For eligibility and requirements, contact the OYYAM. NCYC YOUTH AMBASSADOR. The Youth Ambassador program is for young people with good people, public speaking, and/or leadership abilities. They do not need any previous experience, but should be comfortable with the possibility of speaking in front of large groups. Ambassadors welcome other participants to mega workshop and workshop sessions, determine if/when a room has reached its capacity, introduce and thank warm up artists (mega workshops) and speakers (mega and regular workshops), lead prayer, and introduce the evaluation process. More information forthcoming Are there Videos on Youtube I can show my teens? The official NCYC 2017 Promo videos have not yet been released. However here are a few you could use

6 Trading Materials Once again the Archdiocese will provide each participant with some items to use for trading materials during the conference. For the 2017 conference these will include -buttons -waterless tattoos -a draw string bag -a winter hat w pom pom on it -a scarf Parishes can choose to purchase and bring, or even make their own items to trade while at the conference. Meal Options Groups are on your own for most meals while at NCYC. Of all NCYC host cities, Indianapolis has proven to be the easiest city to find a place to eat. There are a lot of restaurants within short walking distance from the convention center and well as vendors inside the convention center that provide food. You should plan about $25-$40 a day for meals per person. Selecting Chaperones Please be careful in selecting the adults who will assist you for this event. All participants will have long days and must have a lot of patience and genuine faith to get through the event. We want our adults to be positive role models. Please try to find at least one man and one woman to attend with your group. While all adults are helpful in keeping the teens safe, the adults who attend the trip are also responsible to help the teens grow deeper in their faith. As a Faith Mentor, your chaperones will be able to assist the youth participants in selecting workshops, getting the most out of an experience, and discussing the ways that God is working in their lives during NCYC and beyond. Ratio of Adults to teens Each group should have at least two adults for the first 10 teens, and we recommend at least one adult for each additional six. Age of Chaperones Chaperones need to be at least 21 years old and each group must have at least one chaperone that is 25 years old or older. Adults who are between the ages of 18 and 20 do not count as chaperones.

7 18-20-Year-Old Participant Policy Remembering that NCYC is for TEENS and not Young Adults or College Students we encourage programs to stay away from brining year olds. HOWEVER if you choose to please understand they are to be considered neither participants nor chaperones. They are in essence Chaperone Assistants. They should complete the NFCYM s adult liability form and will be expected to abide by the adult code of conduct. They are not to deviate from any Archdiocesan rules. They also MUST have completed all Safe Environment requirements of the Archdiocese of Newark. Since they are neither NCYC participants nor chaperones, they are to be considered guests of the NCYC program. If they cannot abide by the high standards that we must place on them, they will be sent home at their own expense. They are allowed to attend in a role of service to their parish community, but should not be attending to have the NCYC experience. Safe Environment Requirements ALL Adults over the age of 18 attending will need to supply to the OYYAM NO LATER THAN September 7 th the following -a copy of their UP TO DATE Protecting God s Children Certificate -a copy of a letter on Parish letterhead stating the person is in good standing at their parish and there are no adverse concerns. PLEASE DO NOT wait til the last minute to get this done. We must certify to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis that ALL of our Adults are in fact in compliance with all Safe Environment requirements. Group Leader Responsibilities Invite Tees and Adults from your parish/ youth ministry program Possible hold a meeting to discuss the event show some videos if you can Set your own deadlines for collecting all paperwork, etc so that you get it in on time! Distribute permission slips, data collection forms and code of conducts Help plan some fundraisers for your group Collect regular payments from your teens and adults going Turn in all paperwork and fees to the OYYAM ON TIME Stay on top of all Safe Environment requirements for your group Attend the Pre Pilgrimage meeting in early November Prepare your group by having a meeting for all participants and parents AFTER the OYYAM meeting in early November Chaperone your group at all times from departure on Wednesday til arrival home on Friday Work with and be in constant contact with the OYYAM staff during the conference Follow up the experience with teens once you arrive home

8 Thursday Night Warm Up Act 2017 NCYC Emcees Fr. Joe Espaillat Emily Wilson 2017 NCYC Keynote Speakers Chris Stefanik Sr. Mirium Heidland Roy Petitfilis Brian Greenfield Thursday Night Friday morning Friday Night Saturday Morning

Welcome to Holiday Inn Indianapolis Downtown

is within walking distance of the Indiana

It is the same hotel the Archdiocese of Newark

10 Welcome to Holiday Inn Indianapolis Downtown 515 S West Street, Indianapolis, IN The Holiday Inn Indianapolis Downtown is a smoke-free all-suite hotel in Indianapolis and is within walking distance of the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium. It is the same hotel the Archdiocese of Newark has shared with the Diocese of Portland Oregon at the 2013 and 2015 NCYC s!

Pilgrimage Tour Price Breakdown 6 people to a room $595.00 per person 5 people to a room $615.00 per person 4 people to a room $640.00 per person 3 people to a room $690.

11 Pilgrimage Tour Price Breakdown 6 people to a room $ per person 5 people to a room $ per person 4 people to a room $ per person 3 people to a room $ per person 2 people to a room $ per person 1 person to a room $ per person All Pilgrimage Tour Packages include... -Conference Fee -3 nights hotel accommodations w breakfast (Fri, Sat, Sun) -Motor Coach Transportation -Trading Materials for the Conference -Archdiocese of Newark T-shirt -Region 3 T-shirt

Archdiocese of Newark Pilgrimage Deadlines July 7th, 2017 -$100 per person Deposit Due -Individual Participant Registration Collection Form -NFCYM/NCYC Liability Waiver and Permission Form

12 Archdiocese of Newark Pilgrimage Deadlines July 7th, $100 per person Deposit Due -Individual Participant Registration Collection Form -NFCYM/NCYC Liability Waiver and Permission Form (Youth/Adult) -Rooming List September 8th, DEADLINE FOR making any ADDITIONS, DELETIONS,ETC -Safe Environment Requirements for all Adults attending have been met and submitted PLEASE NOTE!!!!! If you have a teen or adult drop out and cannot fill that spot with a replacement after September 8th you will owe the balance of the person s spot. By October 6th -Final bills will be sent to each parish November 10th - Final Payments are due into YM Office. For on NCYC please contact Rich Donovan at x 4150 or via at donovari@rcan.org

NCYC 2019 CO$T E$TIMATE$

NCYC 2019 CO$T E$TIMATE$ Based on previous trips and current estimates, I can give you at least some preliminary estimates, to allow you to start planning: $404-865 Diocesan per-person trip package price*,