Youth

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What We are Learning
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From Youth

Anecdotes of the Summer Youth Institute
Below are five observations from SYI alums that communicate the significance that the program has on youth and the church at large.

1. While interviewing a couple of SYI alums, the Director asked the question: "If you were a donor what would you want to know about SYI?" One of the alums said "the impact". The other chimed in with "SYI is not just impacting people. It's definitely impacting my Christian values. But it also impacts what I want to do with my life, where I want it to go, what is important to me and what is not. How relationships with God, other Christians and people in general can grow."

The Director asked her to unpack that a bit and to explain what her statement meant in regards to vocation. Her response was this: "Honestly, I think I am going into business or economics. It's funny because most people will go with whatever company will hire you, or with whatever firm you can get an internship…but when I am researching companies, I definitely look at their mission statement, what they have done in the past, what programs they do and don't fund, to make sure that I can incorporate what I believe in into my work. Also on a personal level outside of work, I always look for what I can do. I would never have the confidence if I had not gone to SYI."

The first alum who spoke went on to say that SYI is about branching out. "SYI is not just a holy huddle for two weeks. This program is something where you see people going into seminary eventually and if not seminary, they have learned tools they can take into the secular workplace or other graduate programs. It is something that impacts more then just the 32 people or so that go through in a year."

2. Time and again, alums touch on the fact that there are very few, if any, occasions that the vocation of ministry is broached. As one alum said, "No one ever talks about -'Do you want to be a minister?' It never comes up around school. People are going to be doctors and lawyers". This same person shared how refreshing it was for SYI to provide the opportunity to really explore ordained ministry. Though she does not feel called to Ministry of Word and Sacrament, she valued the opportunity of being introduced to the idea again and again, through her time as a scholar and an intern as well as during the reunion and follow-up visits. She credits the institute for helping her to determine that religion was one of the things she wished to study in college.

3. One of the college interns shared this anecdote while reflecting on how her experience with SYI empowered her to speak of her call. In returning to college for her senior year, she joined the chair of the religion department and fellow religion majors for dinner. As the evening unfolded the intern and her peers shared their various reasons for interest in religious studies. One proclaimed her interest in Eastern Culture, another in Bakti Devotionalism, another Tibetan Buddhism and yet another in Islamic Mysticism. This environment did not reflect an equally friendly attitude toward mainline Western Christianity. However, our intern had the courage and comfort, for the first time in four years, to say, "I am a religious studies major in order to accept my call to become a Presbyterian minister." The intern took strength from the critical tools, new avenues of worship, and heightened appreciation of community taken from her time at SYI-a fresh and rigorous approach to, "faith seeking understanding."

4. Out of the first seven SYI scholars that have matriculated in seminary, three are studying at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Here is a thought concerning why one of those persons decided to attend PTS - "SYI has really given me a sense of community. This is one of the reasons I decided to come here initially. I knew that I would know some of the professors already. My advisor taught the class on worship the year I was an intern. I live next door to the counselor that I worked with the year I was an intern. The fact that I can come up here (to the SYI offices) for directions to the grocery store or to a closer branch of my bank; I think that is what follow-up has done for me. It has really given me the sense that, 'We are here for you no matter what you decide to do, no matter where you decide you're finally going, we want to support you in that.'"

5. Another of our SYI alums/PTS students described the impact of the program on discerning his call at a recent seminary sponsored breakfast. This preacher's kid had grown up thinking it would be great to be a pastor himself. However, not wanting to be simply a follower of his Dad, he out grew that idea by high school.

As a rising senior in high school, he attended the first Summer Youth Institute and was introduced to the study of Theology. In his words, "Wow that's really cool". More important to him was the ongoing contact with the seminary. He went on to say: "It gave me a real sense of value to the seminary and the study of theology. I attended a Christian College and at times felt my voice was insignificant. But here was the seminary that was interested enough in me to keep in contact with me. It was really encouraging to see that there could be a reason for me to go to seminary. In fact the seminary feels so strongly, they will send someone to keep in touch with us."

It is through serving as an SYI intern that he discovered the possibilities before him, specifically the M.Div./MSW dual degree program offered through PTS and University of Pittsburgh. Along his journey, SYI continued to ask an old question with new importance. His sense of call was validated, while at the same time helping him to find the niche in which his gifts fit. He could truly be himself while heading into the same occupation as his father.

Additionally, SYI made the transition from college to seminary much easier. He knew many of the faculty as well as the admissions staff for nearly five years, was familiar with the library and the community. (SYI has required library time.) SYI served as a light for him to see the path more clearly.