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YOUTH SPIRITUALITY ROUNDTABLE
On 21st and 22nd March 2007, a Roundtable was held to discuss the results and the implications of a four year study of youth spirituality.

A pilot project was begun in 2002. The study involved two rounds of interviews with young people plus a major national telephone survey of 1200 young people.

The Chief Investigators were Assoc.Prof. Ruth Webber and Dr. Michael Mason (ACU), Dr. Andrew Singleton (Monash) and Rev Dr Philip Hughes (CRA).

The project has been sponsored by 17 organisations.

Several of the presentations made at the Roundtable are available below.
LAUNCH OF 'PUTTING LIFE TOGETHER'

Barney Zwartz, the religion editor of The Age, launched the book Putting Life Together on 21st March 2007. He suggested that the book provides the factual basis for many things that we know intuitively, but does much more than that. For example, Barney Zwartz said he had no intuition that one in five young people are in a state close to despair. MORE...
THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH: ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY - PRESS RELEASE

Passing on the faith to the next generation has been an on-going challenge for the Church, for Christian families and faith-based schools. Now the churches of Australia are finding it even harder to meet the challenge. MORE...
THE CHURCH'S FUTURE: ENGAGING YOUTH TODAY - HUGHES

The first presentation at the Youth Spirituality Roundtable was given by Dr Philip Hughes. He outlined some major findings from the research on how young people put life together and explored some of the implications. His presentation can be downloaded from this site.
YOUTH SPIRITUALITY: HOW YOUNG PEOPLE CHANGE

From Pointers Volume 16. Number 3. September 2006. MORE...
IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY OF YOUTH SPIRITUALITY

From Pointers, Volume 16. Number 3. September 2006. MORE...
THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE X FACTOR - HABEL

Dr Norm Habel, professorial fellow at Flinders University, Adelaide explored what a theology for Gen Y might look like. He took each of the five relationships - with self, friends and family, wider society, nature and the universe - and explored these theologically in a way that took account of the perceptions of young people. His presentation can be downloaded.
AN EDUCATOR'S RESPONSE TO THE RESEARCH - ROSSITER

Graham Rossiter is the professor of moral and religious education at the Australian Catholic University, Sydney. He commented on the research in terms of what it said about young people and what it meant for religious education. His presentation is attached as are some sheets that he handed out at the Roundtable. Graham Rossiter has recently completed a book on religious education which he wrote with Maria Crawford, Reasons for Living: Education and young people's search for meaning, identity and spirituality.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESEARCH FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS - RYAN AND MUDGE

Peter Mudge and Peter Ryan work with the Parramatta Catholic Education Office. They gave a presentation at the Roundtable examining some of the implications from the research for Catholic schools. They point, for example, for the need to take seriously young people's interest in music and ethics. They also note how young people have affirmed the influence and importance of retreats.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - BOND

Sharon Bond is currently doing her doctorate at La Trobe University on young people and social responsibility. She also conducted many of the original interviews that contributed to 'The Spirit of Gen Y' project. Her presentation at the Roundtable drew on the 'Spirit of Gen Y' project and on other research to explore young people's interest in social justice and how young people put that interest in practice. There are both colour and black and white versions of her presentation that can be downloaded. The black and white version is better for printing.

 
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