Commentary
Interviewing youth is an excellent way to get to know them up close and personal. Let the youth you contact know that they are a part of a listening process to understand
better the needs and concerns of youth in the community.
The personal contacts that are made in these interviews can become a tool to welcome and accept youth as members of the faith community. Create an interview form for your use.
Consider interviewing one or two youth who are involved in ministry such as regular youth meetings, confirmation candidates, retreat participants, altar servers, etc. In addition, interview one or two young people you do not know that well such as youth who live in your neighborhood or who are children of friends of your family or who have had contact with the parish. It is important to interview teens who are not involved or active in church life to get a balance in the information gathered.
There are two ways to conduct the interviews:
Face-to-Face Interviews
Meet with the youth for about thirty minutes in a relaxed atmosphere. It would be good to gather a small group of 3 or 4 to help young people to be comfortable in this setting. At the end of your time together answer any question he or she might have about the parish, your ministry, or how the interview will be used. Follow up this interview with a thank you note to the teens who participated.
Phone Interviews
Use the phone to contact youth. Once again, it is important to be an active listener and to record accurately the responses of the interviewee. At the end of the conversation answer any questions the youth might have about the parish, your ministry, or how this interview will be used. Follow up this interview with a thank you note to him or her. An alternative to adults making these phone calls is to have other teens who are already in some leadership capacity in the parish call their peers.