IMPORTANT SURVEYS ON YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR LIVES

In October 2018, the Synod of Bishops will gather in Rome to consider the issue of ‘Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment.’ In the words of the Holy Father:

“The Church has decided to examine herself on how she can lead young people to recognise and accept the call to the fullness of life and love, and to ask young people to help her in identifying the most effective ways to announce the Good News today. By listening to young people, the Church will once again hear the Lord speaking in today’s world.”

In preparation for the assembly in 2018, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and the Bishops of England and Wales would like to hear from young people and from those who are regularly in contact with them, so that they can be sure that what they are discussing is both relevant and important. With this in mind, I would like to draw your attention to the ways your staff and students can respond to this consultation process called ‘Your Voice Matters’, so that you can encourage your school community to participate.

Here in England & Wales, there are two key surveys:

The first is a Mega Youth Poll aimed at young people (whether Catholic or not) aged 13-29 living in England & Wales. It is a ‘mega’ poll because it asks a lot of important questions of young people. Questions about their life, experience of the Catholic faith and how the Catholic Church can help them to hear and respond God’s call. I would appreciate it if you could encourage your students (and also staff in this age range) to take part in, perhaps as part of a PHSE session or general RE lesson in sixth form.  The Mega Youth Poll can be accessed by visiting www.catholicnews.org.uk (search for ‘Youth Poll’), or via https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/schools-youth-poll, it is also in the ‘Your voice matters’ section of the Flame app, for those who were at Flame 2017.

The second survey is aimed at those who have regular contact with young people in a Catholic context, including parents and all staff in Catholic secondary schools and sixth form centres. I would therefore be grateful if you would invite all your staff to respond as we would like to hear about how they contribute to the Catholic ethos of your school in the topics covered in the Your Voice Matters consultation. The poll has not formally launched just yet, but those who would like to take part can register their interest by emailing synod2018@cbcew.org.uk 

Please encourage your staff to like or follow the ‘Your Voice Matters’ @MegaYouthPoll Facebook page or Twitter feed. Access to all the surveys and supporting resources will be on these platforms.

Both surveys take about 15 minutes to complete and will be a great help both to our own Bishops and to the Holy See in advance of the assembly next year.