Youth

Networking and action planning around youth priorities

The Global Young Reformers Network is a program of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) created by youth for youth.

Every LWF member church nominates two young persons under the age of 30, who regularly come together for networking, organizing, and action planning around youth priorities and leadership.

You can get involved even if you are not serving as your member church’s official delegate!

To learn more about upcoming events and how to get involved, check out the Global Young Reformers webpage.

Related LWF:

• From 2018 August – 2020
  • Global Young Reformers Network 2.0
    • Virtual kick off
    • Young Reformers Space: Monthly online platform
    • “Being Lutheran”
    • The Caribbean and North America Leadership Conference (COL) 2019 and Africa Lutheran Church Leadership Consultation (ALCLC) 2019
    • “Baptism and Sacraments in Lutheran understanding”
    • “Gender justice in a global context”
    • “Churches towards Sustainable Development Goals”
    • Climate Change and Climate Justice
    • Asia regional Young Reformers meeting, Pematang Siantar , Indonesia
    • Europe regional Young Reformers meeting, Trondheim, Norway
• In 2017
  • LWF Global Young Reformers Network
    • 60 “Living Reformation Projects” globally and nationally
    • Exhibitions and workshops at the LWF Twelfth Assembly, Windhoek
    • Leadership program during the World Exhibition on Reformation, Wittenberg
  • LWF Youth Pre Assembly in Ondangwa, Namibia
  • Youth delegates at the LWF Twelfth Assembly

Related Content:

• Global Young Reformers Website
• Reflections from young reformers

October 2019

1. Global Young Reformers Network 2.0 - Asia Regional Meeting
   The Global Young Reformers of Asia gather for its Annual Regional Meeting in October 2019 in North Sumatera, Indonesia

2. Global Young Reformers Network 2.0 - European Regional Meeting
   The Global Young Reformers of Europe gathering "Mission Eine Welt" in Bavaria in October 2019.

June 2020

3. Young Reformers' Space: Living a new normal
   LWF Young Reformers from Brazil, India, Nigeria and Sweden discuss settling in during the COVID-19 pandemic and finding a new normal going forward.

Youth-led action for creation care and justice

Climate justice was affirmed as a cross-cutting youth priority for 2018 – 2024 by youth delegates at the Twelfth LWF Assembly in 2017.

These priorities are currently implemented primarily through grants for youth climate justice projects and youth representation in the LWF COP delegation.

COP Delegation

The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations (UN) conference on climate change brings together delegates and other interested parties from nations around the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Since 2011, youth, who lead climate work in their own communities, have represented the LWF as the official LWF COP delegation.

The COP 26 delegation in Glasgow, Scotland, was a hybrid combination of both in-person and online participation.

Related Content:

• Climate Justice 
• COP Delegations

Related News:

• COP25
  • With human rights in focus at COP25
• COP24
  • On the way to COP24 in Poland
  • Care for creation and future generations key issues for LWF delegation at COP 24
  • Climate change destroys livelihoods and ecosystems, LWF delegates remind world leaders
  • A strong basis to implement climate agreement but the poor have been left behind

An interfaith training for young people as peacemakers

What?

Peace Messengers includes a five-day training each year for young people from LWF member churches around the world to understand more deeply peace and conflict, and to apply what they learn about conflict analysis and conflict resolution in their own communities.

Why?

As Christians, we acknowledge that we live in a broken world. God also calls us to be transformative agents in that world (Rom 12:2).

The LWF fosters participation and leadership of young people between 18-30 years in all its programs. The LWF Strategy 2012-2017 states: “Young people have a place and a voice in all aspects of church and communion life, including decision making and leadership.” Thus, young people are seen as active contributors to change and peace.

Today’s youth have energy, creativity, and passion, and they are not bonded by conflicts of the past. By providing them spaces for dialogue, training them as peace builders, and supporting them even at the highest levels of leadership, we will enable young people to build a future for themselves and for their communities.

How?

The Peace Messengers Program will:

• Equip youth to serve as advocates for peace, as mediators, and as leaders in their communities.
• Provide spaces for inter-group dialogue and discussion in order to foster understanding.
• Invite the community’s senior leadership, to both encourage intergenerational dialogue and to provide positive role models for peace building.

The LWF provides a training course book for local trainings, organizes an annual global training of trainers, and coordinates a network of peace messengers.

The Peace Messengers trainings include follow-up, aimed at enabling participants to plan and facilitate trainings in their own communities.

Related Content:

• Training Manual

Working together across generations to shape the future

We believe that working together across generations builds empathy between us and is faithful and valuable in shaping the future of the communion. LWF Youth takes a lead in convening and facilitating these important conversations at events such as the:

• LWF Assembly
• LWF Council
• Regional Church Leadership Conferences
• Women’s Leadership Networks

We provide a space for listening, sharing and learning based on mutual respect across the social generations.

How do I get involved?

• Check back regularly for upcoming events and dates of intergenerational dialogue opportunities.
• Share your stories of meaningful intergenerational relationships with us on social media @LWFYouth on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Contact us with great ideas for intergenerational events or to request resources for intergenerational conversation.

Related LWF Youth Activities:

• From 2018 August – 2020
  • International Youth Day
  • Call for Papers; Lutheran Identity
  • Intergenerational dialogues at church level
  • Monitoring and reporting of 20% youth quota at LWF events, programs and decision-making boards
  • Training and induction on principles of inclusiveness for new LWF staff and newly-elected church leaders
  • Exchange of youth leaders between LWF member churches
  • Pre-metings
    • European Regional meeting, Slovenia
    • Africa Lutheran Church Leadership Consultation, Tanzania
    • Youth Council meeting
    • Asia Church Leadership Consultation , Indonesia

Related LWF Youth Activities in 2017

• Intergenerational dialogues at church level
• Monitoring and reporting of 20% youth quota at LWF events, programs and decision-making boards
• Training and induction on principles of inclusiveness for new LWF staff and newly-elected church leaders
• Exchange of youth leaders between LWF member churches

Related LWF Youth Activities in 2017

• Climate justice advocacy at COP 23 and climate projects of member churche
• Peace messengers training
• LWF trainee program in humanitarian work