Youth Group is Back, Learn more about Refugia Community

(Refugia – Organisms that survive a period of harsh conditions)

We are thrilled that a Friday youth group is coming back to McDougall. You can learn all about it below. For additional youth activities please visit our Youth Ministry Page.

Philosophy and Mission

We all know that our world can look pretty bleak through the eyes of the average teenager. 

The climate crisis, the pandemic, racial injustices, inflation that often makes it difficult just to survive, technology advancing at rates we can’t possibly keep up with – these are just some of the challenges that teenagers face when navigating the world, in addition to all of the problems that have been around for generations like anxiety and depression, peer pressure, and identity formation. First and foremost, Refugia is a community of hope. We will have a focus on the real problems that youth are facing and what we can actually do about it as the Refugia who have true hope that we can change this world. We are looking to engage teenagers as complete individuals: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual, guiding them in becoming healthier and more whole, by giving them some of the tools necessary to thrive in this world.

Who is Refugia for?

  • Open to anyone from grade 7-12 (about 13-18 years old). Refugia is a fully inclusive and affirming community, meaning that everyone is welcome and fully embraced by the community regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race or ethnicity, status, abilities, or any other factor. All are worthy and welcome in our community.

What is Refugia?

A Place for Spiritual Growth

  • Refugia is a place for learning to see the spiritual in the ordinary. We fully believe that beautiful things that speak truthfully and any act done for another in love can be a spiritual practice. This philosophy is a cornerstone of the Refugia community. Whether a person identifies with any particular religion or not, humans have a spiritual component. In the same way that you need to take care of yourself through nutrition and exercise, you need to feed your spirituality in order to be whole. We will be learning to see the love and grace of The Creator through art, music, food, nature, and community.

  • Refugia is also a place for wrestling with The Divine. As Christians, we believe our Scriptures are an important revelation of Godself to the world. You will find that as we pull apart the Scriptures, they have a way of pulling us apart as well, revealing within us our deepest loves and pains, guiding us as we grow into the fullness of life.

A Place for Learning Life Skills

  • Nik learned to cook at 12 years old, and is very grateful for his dad teaching him this essential skill. He is passionate about equipping teenagers with the life skills necessary to thrive living on their own (when the time comes), including basic car skills like how to change/rotate tires. There will also be room for input from the youth to ask about any skills they want to learn that they feel like they need to know. Refugia is a place to learn and figure things out together.

Mentorship

  • Nik sees his role at Refugia as a travel guide or an explorer. He doesn’t have all the answers, and is still learning how to navigate the twists and turns of life. But he has lived through enough to know much of the struggles that teenagers have faced, are facing, and will face. Wherever we’re going, Nik is confident that we can get there together.

  • There are also so many wonderful older adults within McDougall United who have much deeper wisdom and a wider range of skills. If a teenager wants to connect in this capacity, especially to learn skills beyond Nik’s capacity (including things like budgeting, sewing, and how to write a resume), we are happy to get you connected. This is completely optional and isn’t part of the regular weekly meeting.

Fun

  • A youth group wouldn’t be a youth group if it wasn’t fun. Sometimes we will meet at the youth room in the church for board games, ping pong, movies, and foosball. Sometimes we’ll meet at a park so we can have a fire. Sometimes we will do bigger events like going to Southland Leisure center or doing an escape room.

When does Refugia meet?

  • Typically, every Friday from 6-10pm. There are some exceptions, such as holidays, in which case we will meet on the Saturday. A schedule will be emailed out monthly, with reminders sent by text earlier in the week for anyone who wants that kind of communication. Upcoming events can also be view on the McDougall Event Calendar.

Where does Refugia Meet?

  • McDougall United Church is our base of operations. We have a room stocked with games and snacks that is all ours.

  • There are times we will meet at a park or a specific location

Why Refugia?

  • Refugia isn’t just another abstract church youth group that is only concerned about the possibility of an afterlife. We truly believe that the grace of the Creator has effect for us today, tomorrow, next year, and for generations to come. Here on Earth in our physical reality. We will have a focus on the real problems that youth are facing and what we can actually do about it as the Refugia who have true hope that we can change this world.

  • In biology, Refugia is a term that refers to organisms that survive harsh conditions, volcanic eruptions and glacial freezing for example. Refugia are able to overtake the death that surrounds them and bring life back to their environments. The God we believe in is the God of Life, yet when we look around, it’s so easy to see death everywhere. Our Scriptures claim that the most important things to cling to are faith, hope, and love. Christians are great at the faith part, sometimes we get the love part right (but sometimes not), but how often do we truly hear of churches that give us a reason to hope for a good future for this world? As a community, we come together as the refugia to bring life back to our contexts. Together, we have hope. We come together to and find our hope through each other within the Creator of the cosmos, who we believe to be revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.

Contact Information

This program is run by Nik Sloat, you can learn more about him here.

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