State Youth Representation

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The State Youth Representation (LJV) is an independent youth association representing voluntary youth workers within the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW). Only teenagers and young adults can become members. Membership ends automatically on your 26th birthday. According to the statutes, no contribution may be levied from the members, the association, based in Bochum, is financed through donations and projects. The LJV came into being after the EKvW Synod in 1997 dealt with the main topic “Children - Youth - Church”.

tasks

The purpose of the association (§ 2 II of the statutes) is particularly realized through

  • practical help in all questions of Protestant youth work
  • Training opportunities for young people and youth workers
  • Raising funds to relieve the financial contributions of the training participants
  • Promotion of participatory and democratic structures within the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW) and society
  • Promotion of self-determined forms of organization for children and young people
  • Support for confirmation work
  • Promotion of children's and youth services
  • Statements on questions of youth work and youth policy
  • Participation in youth events of the EKvW
  • Participation in and initiation of youth work projects
  • Organization of meetings of volunteers
  • Creation and expansion of youth and contemporary communication and information structures
  • national and international youth exchange
  • active advocacy against all forms of discrimination, especially racism and xenophobia
  • active advocacy for the free-democratic basic order and the sense of responsibility of the individual
  • as well as participating in the conciliar process for peace, justice and the preservation of God's good creation.

Campaigns and Topics

  • Voting age: As part of the call for a lowering of the voting age in the church board elections, the LJV called for a nationwide confirmation strike in 1999.
  • The LJV collected ideas for reforming the Protestant Church for several years - also at the regional synod - with the provocative question: "Already nailed today?" (Alluding to Luther's 95 theses)
  • The "church service check" has existed since the company was founded; At LJV meetings, the young people go to various church services on Sundays and evaluate them for their "youth compatibility".
  • As a purely voluntary youth association, the LJV is often seen as the opposite pole to full-time employees or decision-making bodies dominated by adults.
  • In May 2007 the LJV presented a detailed model for youth participation in church decisions based on the planning cell procedure .

people

Previous chair of the LJV:

  • Marc Zedler (1998–1999)
  • Christoph Urban (1999-2003)
  • Jens Wollesen (2003-2004)
  • Caroline Peters (2004-2008)
  • Lale Eckardt (2008-2010)
  • Caroline Peters (2010–2012)
  • Katharina Bloemberg (since November 2012)

The current board also includes: Daniel Klinkmann (vice chairman), Katharina Viereck, Corinna Donath and Caroline Peters. The founder of the LJV is Timo Rieg, who introduced the idea of ​​independent youth representatives back in 1992 in his book “Artgerechte Jugendhaltung” and finally presented it for Westphalia at the 1997 regional synod. Because of the age limit, Timo Rieg never belonged to the LJV himself.

Composite

The LJV is a member of the Youth Chamber and the Evangelical Youth Conference of Westphalia (EJKW).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Timo Rieg: Youth participation according to the planning cell method. In: "deutsche jugend" (Juventa-Verlag), vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 483–491