How it started……
The idea of setting up a youth group in Attard was discussed by Fr Noel (the parish priest) and Vincent Farrugia way back in September 2008. The first call for youths was made in November 2008, however, at first the response was not very encouraging. In fact it was only after the Archbishop’s pastoral visit in January 2009 that a group of 15 youths accepted the invitation to form part of the core team with the aim of being leaders of a youth group led by youths for youths.
After holding the first meeting in February 2009, the group continued to meet regularly once a week. During these meetings the group held several team building sessions to build personal relationships, discuss individual expectations and roles as well as to identify the aims and objectives of the group. The core team also came up with the group’s name: YouthReach, inspired by the group’s mission statement i.e.
"To create a youth community, to encourage, guide and support youths to grow in their relationship with self, family, others and God."
Structure
From the beginning the vision for the group was to have a youth group for youths by youths. The structure of the core team is made of 15 youths aged between 17 and 23 who meet every other week to plan the meetings and activities under the guidance of Vincent Farrugia as core team co-ordinator and Noel Borg for spiritual direction. Each core team member is assigned a specific role to enable the team to meet its goals. For more information on the core team follow this link…
Aim
Youth is a time of discovery, of organizing, choosing, foreseeing and making personal decisions, decisions that will be important for the future both on a personal as well as on a social level. For this reason the time of youth is a treasure. The aim of the group is to create a youth community where youths are encouraged to unlock their treasure and help each other in the search for truth while walking together through the path of growth in their natural relationships with self, others and God.
Meetings
After months of preparation the group is planning to start holding regular weekly meetings every Thursday at 8.30pm as from 1st October 2009 at the Attard Youth Centre.
The weekly meetings prepared by the core team will be varied and include discussions on topics of interest to youths, film nights followed by a discussion on the relevant theme, real life testimonies, biographies on specific personalities and reflection evenings. From time to time the group will also invite experienced speakers to intervene on specialised subjects.
Apart from the weekly meetings, the group will also organize social indoor and outdoor activities such as night hikes, karaoke evenings, night camps, barbeques, live-in’s, retreats, pasta and pizza nights, occasional parties, treasure hunts, sports activities etc. The group aim through these activities is to help members to get to know each other better in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Who can join and how
The group is open for all youths aged 18+. To join the group there is no need for any formal application or otherwise. All you need to do is to start attending our weekly activities. We make it a point that every person is welcome and endeavour to make everyone feel accepted they way they are. If you wish to know more about our youth group you can surf our website or send us an email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .