There are several ways for youth in the Moreland, and broader, community to connect through our weekly programming and our partnership with the SE PDX Youth Collective!
Weekly Gatherings
Our weekly gatherings run from September through June! Our structure for this coming Fall is still being decided upon, but will consist of seperate gatherings for middle and high school students. In years past we have explored identity, how to build a better world, and what it means for everything to be sacred. We also have time to play fun games, including Sardines, Spoons, Apples to Apples, and more!
Our weekly gatherings this Fall will occur on Sunday evenings. Middle and High School will gather from 6-7:30pm, and high schoolers are invited to stay from 7:30-8:30 for some extra content and leadership time!
Community Engagement
Through our partnerships as a church and with the SE PDX Youth Collective, we provide different opportunities to serve our community! This can take the form of more traditional service projects, such as serving food to our unhouse neighbors or doing land restoration projects, or impacting our communities in deeper ways through the process of community organizing.
This last spring, the youth of the SE Youth Collective launched into action after they learned that the Wichita Center in Milwaukie was for sale, with the NCPRD board of directors looking to make a profit rather than preserve the vital services housed within the center. Many of our students and their families had been personally impacted by Wichita and felt deeply connected to it. They worried about what the loss of such an important space would mean for their community. With help from leaders, school board members, community organizers, and other community members, they signed letters, wrote emails, and drafted op eds. They told their friends, and spoke up at board of county commissioner and NCPRD public meetings, giving testimony and sharing their personal stories with their elected leaders. They also raised awareness within our larger organizing cohort, speaking in front of over 400 people at the Mass Assembly about their stories and concern for Wichita.
On Wednesday, June 26th, the NCPRD Board of Directors and the NCSD officially came to an agreement and the Wichita Center was sold to the school district, preserving the services.
We are so incredibly proud of our youth for their hard work and vulnerability through this process!
Retreats
Each year we have different opportunities for middle and high school students to connect for retreats, summer camps, and half/all nighters!
This past summer, we took our high school students on a trip to the Wallowas to do some learning about the Indigenous history of Oregon and explore our own histories and where our values come from. We visited the Tamaskalit Center near Pendelton, the Maxville Heritage Center in Joseph, and the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland in Wallowa and heard many impactful stories from the folks there. We also spent time at the lake, went on hikes, and played lots of mini golf, gaga ball, and volleyball!
Our high school retreat will be from December 13th-14th!
SE PDX Youth Collective
As the SE PDX Youth Collective, we believe our connections to each other are the most powerful things we have. We cultivate relationships at a unique intersection of youth, faith, and the wider community because that is what makes us resilient: knowing we have a whole community to support us, and that we have something to ground us in a chaotic world.
We invite youth into curiosity and leadership because we need their unique voices and because we want them to know that together they have the power to move the world. And we take time to pause, pondering the bigger and deeper questions and allowing ourselves to cultivate meaning out of our lives and the work we do together. Our leadership team consists of Brennen Wildermuth (Moreland Presbyterian), Debi Stromberg (Creator Lutheran), Dez Valdez (Storyline Community), and several students within our Collective!
Our Youth Collective gatherings will take place on the second Sunday of each month this Fall at Moreland Presbyterian Church! Middle School will run from 5:30-7pm and high school will run from 7-8:15pm. High school students are invited to join us for dinner at 6:15pm We hope to see you there!
Contact/Donation
All of these opportunities are only possible through the generous support of others, and as we look towards more and more ways we can leave a lasting impact on our community we would love it if you would consider making a donation to our youth programs (select Youth Ministry in the drop down menu)!
Want to stay up to date with our programming or get involved? Subscribe to the weekly newsletter or contact Brennen at brennen@morelandpres.org.
Follow the SE PDX Youth Collective on Instagram at sepdxyouthcollective