Global Ties – Global Ministries at UCC National Youth Event

Global Ties – Global Ministries at UCC National Youth Event

Participants at the UCC’s 2012 National Youth Event (NYE) had the opportunity to help support Global Ministries special projects for youth and children by redirecting the cost of one giveaway item.

Participants at the UCC’s 2012 National Youth Event (NYE) had the opportunity to help support Global Ministries special projects for youth and children by redirecting the cost of one giveaway item.

There were no “giveaway” items at the Global Ministries exhibit. Instead, participants were asked to choose the gift they would give, and not get. Each participant could choose one of three projects where the dollar that wasn’t spent on a giveaway for them would be sent.

The projects chosen and their descriptions included:

Welcome Water (Zimbabwe)
Think of how important water is in your daily life. For drinking, bathing, cooking, growing – water is a fundamental necessity. And yet, in some parts of the world, water is very difficult to access. Having to carry water for several miles every day may mean kids don’t have time for other important things like school. Because the water is so deep in the ground, pumps are needed to get water to the surface. The United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe is working to make water more accessible by installing wells with pumps so that youth and children who had to collect water now have time to go to school.

“Deep” Needs (India)
Deep Griha (meaning “light house”) is working to make life better for many people living in the poorest areas in Pune, India. They work with many children who live in difficult circumstances and who must work to support themselves and their families. Often these kids don’t have the time to just be kids and play. They also may have to work instead of going to school and not going to school means it will be harder to get a better job as they grow up. Deep Griha gives these kids a chance to play, to get healthy food, to see a doctor when they are sick, and space to learn.

Earth Care (Chile)
The Shalom Center in Chile hosts youth camp programs every summer where concern about the environment and the importance of taking care of God’s creation is emphasized. They make sure that everything they do is very environmentally friendly, and they teach others ways to care for God’s world. Since the big earthquake in Chile in 2010, the Shalom Center also works with people who were traumatized by the death and destruction, including little children. They continue to work to take care of the earth and also the people that live on it.

The participants were asked to decide which project they wanted to support and then indicate their choice by placing a token representing $1 in that project’s jar. Once they selected a project, they received a recycled fabric bracelet, or Global Tie, as a reminder of the way we’re tied together globally, making life better for youth around God’s world.

After NYE, Global Ministries tallied the tokens. The projects received the following amounts:

  • Earth Care (Shalom Center, Chile) – $209
  • “Deep” Needs (Deep Griha, India) – $283
  • Welcome Water (Well Projects, Zimbabwe) – $374

Some participants were so moved they made an additional contribution, amounting to an additional $87 in cash.