TERM THREE NEXT GEN NEWS
Kia ora leaders,
Thank you for all you are doing to champion tamariki and rangatahi where you are.
To help you prepare for term three, on this page you will find some key information about what is coming up – resources, event information, upcoming training and connection points, funding pathways, and 2027 dates.
Keep an eye on our website (nextgen.salvationarmy.org.nz) for resources and information to support your ministry. If you’re looking for something specific, visit the ‘Resource Hub’ on our website, and use the search function.
Alongside this, we’re always here to help, so please contact us with any questions or support needs at nextgen@salvationarmy.org.nz, or connect in on socials.
As always, we’re cheering you on and praying for you, and we look forward to seeing many of you at MORE Conference soon!
Ngā mihi,
The Next Gen Team
RESOURCES
Some significant dates coming up for our communities are: Matariki (12 July), Self Denial (12 July - 16 August), Season of Creation (13 September), Tino Taonga month (October), White Sunday (11 October). Resources for these days can be found in the links below.
Church Together (intergen service) here.
Kids Church (Explorers) material for term three will be uploaded here or chat to Missy.
Youth Bible Study material here.
Self-Denial kids and youth resources here.
The vision behind Tino Taonga month and ideas, here.
And check out these amazing resources from our friends at Mission resources - school holiday packs, covenant renewal, winter wellness and matariki! Sign up to their newsletter and get the latest news here.
Additionally, we have recently updated our Safe Practice Manual for Children & Youth Work. This is a great tool to print off and have at your desk as a reference guide, and a tool for discussion with your leaders. This can be found here.
EVENTS
Term three and four are busy terms with both kids and youth camps happening across the motu! To see an overview of our 2026 dates, head here.
Kids camps: Details can be found here. These camps are for people school year 3 – year 8, and their leaders. The dates are 26-28 September 2026. Registrations are open now, and registrations close on July 31.
Youth camps: Information on these can be found here. These camps are for people aged school year 9 – 20 years of age, and their leaders. The dates are 28-30 August 2026. Registrations open on 1 July, and registrations close on 14 August.
Amplify: This annual camp is being held 12-17 January 2027. Early-bird registrations will open on 1 October. More information will be released in due course.
Raranga: These combined youth gatherings are for the lower north island. You can find more information here.
Invest: This Young Adults Gathering is being held 23-26 Oct in Rotorua. This is open to young adults aged 18-30. For more information head here or follow along at instagram.com/invest.clubhouse.
Youth Sports days: These are being held across the motu on 7 November. More information can be found here.
Reminder: all leaders attending any of these events or participating in next gen leader roles locally, must have current Keeping Children Safe accreditation – no exceptions! Please look at this soon to ensure no challenges closer to the time.
TRAINING AND CONNECTION
Communities of practise: Are you looking for a space to connect, learn, and grow with others passionate about youth and children's ministry? The Next Gen Team is providing an online space for anyone connected to youth or children's work. It's called a Community of Practice (COP). For details look here or email next gen.
An Introduction to Pastorally Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People: To find out more or to register interest in a future training, please head here.
Neurodiversity online webinar: Our second Neurodiversity online webinar is being held on Tuesday, 20 October, 7:30pm: for more information and to register head here.
Intergen training: Our friends at Intergenerate have some intergen training coming up, all the details can be foundhere.
2027 THINGS!
International Youth Congress: IHQ have announced an International Youth Congress for young people aged 18-25 from around the world. This is being held in Indonesia 15-20 July 2027. We are excited to share that our Territory will be supporting a group of 60 to participate in this alongside a yearlong leadership development journey. More information about this, and how to apply will be available soon here.
Foundations of Next Gen ministry 2027: We encourage you to start thinking about who would benefit from participating in our Foundations of Next Gen ministry course for 2027. More information and application forms can be found here.
LAB: This is our youth worker training programme. If you have someone who is interested in training as a youth worker you can have a read of our information here. We would love to talk to you!
Aspire: Expressions of interest for Aspire groups for 2027 will be open in September. If you want to know more, please head to this page and get in contact with James at james.adams@salvationarmy.org.nz .
Next Gen 2027 dates: to pop in your calendar can be found here.
FUNDING
For information on all things funding, head here. On this page you’ll find information about:
Jeff Trust funding
Grow local partnerships
Outward bound scholarships
Aotearoa New Zealand National Camp Funding
Youth Worker training and development fund
Tindall Foundation
Thought Matters scholarship
… And other funding pathways!
