Ministry Of Youth And Sports
Borna Belnas
The ministry of youth and sports was first created in 1991 when two state committees of physical culture and sports and another of youth (minor) affairs were merged. In 1996 the organ was split again until 2000. In 2000 the two agencies were merged again along with the state committee of tourism for less than a year. In 2005 the ministry of youth and sports was reestablished again and later was joined with another agency the ministry of family and minors' affairs.
In 2010 the Government of Ukraine led by Party of Regions in populistic way arrogantly announced about reorganization of its hierarchy making the newly elected President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych a big reformist when the consolidated ministry was merged again with the Ministry of Education and Science for the next three years, while agency for sports was degraded to the state service of youth and sports. Finally in 2013 the state service again was given the ministerial portfolio.
A ministry of sports or ministry of youth and sports is a kind of government ministry found in certain countries with responsibility for the regulation of sports, particularly those participated in by young people. It is led by the minister of sport (or sports minister).
Greater Cincinnati Catholic Youth Sports was founded in 2015 to serve as a youth athletics ministry for the Catholic youth of Greater Cincinnati. Recreational and competitive leagues are offered for both boys and girls basketball and volleyball.
Here we are halfway through summer time! For many families, this means the commitment of youth sports is ramping up, and you are likely in the throes of planning to travel for tournaments near or far (or near and far!). The time, energy, and money that we are expected to spend on increasingly competitive teams and opportunities for our kids is practically a full-time job.This is incredibly challenging to balance for any family, but it is especially so for families that desire to make their faith the center of their lives.
Looking at what those involved in attracting children to organized religion have to say, youth sports is winning the competition against God so thoroughly, it might be time for sports invoke a mercy rule on His behalf, instead of the other way around.
The latest lament I've seen comes from Stephen Ingram, a youth minister at a Methodist church in Birmingham, Ala., who also serves as a youth ministry consultant and has written one of the more intriguingly titled books I've come across: "Hollow Faith: How Andy Griffth, Facebook and the American Dream Neutered the Gospel." (I don't know if Andy Griffith was a gospel-neuterer, but any sheriff who wields a guitar more than a gun sure seems soft on crime.)
Ingram's open letter to parents about how stressed and overscheduled and "in a bad place" their kids are struck a chord with me, mostly because of this line: "Your kids are probably not going to play a professional sport, and that is ok." With a little tightening, that might work as a blog title. Ingram was talking in general about all the worldly pressures keeping children from a balanced life that includes church and youth ministry, but sports got a special mention:
Of course, even Ingram has to know, deep down, that's not going to happen. There are too many trends working against organized religion. The big trend is that, as some religious scholars say, only 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church (and I doubt the numbers for other houses of worship would bump up that total much), so a lot of those parents Ingram wants to pull their kids from the football team are already long gone. In fact, many church leaders are already, if unwillingly, waving the white flag in the worship vs. sports battle. If the family isn't going to church, they're probably not too worried about youth group.
Another big trend is why families are willing to spend a large amount of time on homework, school activities and sports, but not so much on church. In an age of high middle-class anxiety, with fears that not keeping up with the competition 24 hours a day is a guarantee of slipping into poverty, those other activities provide the promise -- however false (in the case of sports) it may be -- that kids will at least stay at the income level of their parents, if not exceed it.
My family is actually among the 20 percent of regular churchgoers, with my busy children participating in youth group, including out-of-state mission trips. It's a challenge, to be sure, and sometimes when the schedule stretches too much, the kids, particularly the older ones, get to sleep in on Sundays. The church itself sees a value in its children being involved in their communities in many ways, including sports, and for two years it's even sponsored youth baseball and softball. But that might end, in part because there might be a better way to use our resources, especially with exactly zero people coming to our church because they saw the name on the back of some kid's jersey. Maybe for the reasons I already stated above.
Other church leaders have responded to laments like Ingram's by saying ministers shouldn't see outside activities as competition, and maybe bend the schedule a bit to fit into the other things that kids do. Clearly, sports and activities are not going to invoke a mercy rule to ease up on their affect on houses of worship, except for maybe whatever is happening in this recently released Kirk Cameron Christian baseball movie that is called, in fact, "Mercy Rule."
That hallowed sense that most people feel upon entering a silent place of worship, or happening upon a beautiful scene in art or nature, or listening to a haunting piece of music: I felt that same sense of awe and wonder whenever I entered the realm of sports.
The God preached by this marriage of sports and Christianity becomes a God who looks more like Tim Tebow or Kirk Cousins than the brown-skinned, middle-eastern historical Jesus who was arrested and killed in capital punishment because of the threat he posed to the established religious and governmental order.
Sports should be treated like any other extracurricular, no more or less important. Pastors can support the kids in their congregation who play sports, but they can also find ways to engage those kids that have nothing to do with sports: affirming the sense that the church is a place where their whole being is embraced and loved, regardless of their athletic performance.
For parents: pastors and church leaders can approach youth sports parents from a place of wise understanding, curiosity, patience, and love. Church leaders should be wise about the pitfalls and dangers of intense youth sports, and know that many parents might be carrying baggage with them about the nasty politics or parent relationships on youth sports teams, and thus might be more guarded in church communities. Churches can create safe spaces for sports parents, offering online communities or even occasional gatherings that offer tools for parents to navigate youth sports in a healthy way.
Learn more about the Archdiocesan Youth Leadership Team, events such as the annual Leaders Inspired to Evangelize (LITE) retreat, the ADW Youth Minister Network, adult formation and certification, regional youth minister meetings, the ADW Youth Parent Network and more.
The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) was established through a Presidential Directive in January 2007. It exist to create an enabling environment for youth empowerment, sport development and preservation of culture and heritage in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to enhance unity and pride of the people of Botswana.
Today, Vice-President of the European Commission for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, and Minister for Youth and Sport of Ukraine, Vadym Guttsait, met in Kyiv. They agreed on the importance of continued and strong cooperation on youth and sport issues, which is ever more important in the light of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and its devastating consequences on the lives of millions of young Ukrainians and on the country's sport sector. They also agreed to work further on the EU-Ukraine common youth and sport policy agenda.
Since the beginning of Russia's war, the European Commission has demonstrated its solidarity with Ukraine, and has strengthened support and cooperation, including through the Erasmus+ programme. The budget for the programme's Annual Work Programme for 2023 has been increased by EUR 100 million to support those affected by the war, and the EU has ensured that flexible opportunities are offered to young people, and also youth workers and staff from Ukrainian organisations active in the fields of youth, education and training.
Cornerstone Youth Sports (CYS) is a ministry outreach to all the youth of San Antonio. Our sole objective is to lead athletes and their families to a Saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. CYS leagues and teams provide a safe, fun, competitive and distinctly Christian environment where kids can learn about sports and Christ through mentoring and instruction.
Unsportsmanlike behavior by student athletes or parents at youth sporting events happens with regularity these days. Much recent research reveals that young people are dropping out of sport at alarming rates due to the often toxic elements in the culture of youth sports. The timely, innovative essays in Youth Sport and Spirituality present a wide-ranging overview that draws on resources from Catholic spiritual and theological traditions to address problems such as these, as well as opportunities in youth sport in the United States.
The book consists of two sections. In the first, prominent scholars in philosophy, psychology, theology, and spirituality reflect on how youth sport contributes to the integral development of the person and his or her grasp of spiritual values. The second half of the book consists of chapters written by coaches, athletic directors, and specialists working with youth coaches. These practitioners share how their approaches to working with youth in sport contribute to the integral development of their players and their openness to transcendent values. The essays examine coaching as ministry, youth sport and moral development, and how parents can act as partners in youth sports, among other topics. The book will interest coaches, athletic directors, and youth ministers in Catholic elementary and high schools in parish settings, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in education who are preparing to teach in Catholic schools.
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