In this episode, Jeremy is joined by Pia Ocenar, a Catholic youth minister with experience serving students across Canada, to talk about teaching faith with clarity, care, and depth. Pia shares her own journey back to faith and offers insight into how the Catholic tradition approaches catechesis: intentionally teaching what Christians believe, how faith is practiced, and how students are invited into a personal encounter with Jesus. Together, they explore why youth workers can feel nervous about teaching theology, how to discern trustworthy resources, and why students today are often hungry for something richer than surface-level faith. As you listen, we hope you’ll reflect on how you communicate belief, practice, and experience in your ministry, and how creating space for honest questions can lead to deeper discipleship.

Pia mentioned netcanada.ca, youcat.org, realtrue.org, and Hallow.

Have a question or want to dig deeper? You can email jeremy@youthworker.community

Jeremy and Sid talk about one of the most polarizing parts of youth ministry: games. Why do we play them? Do they actually matter? And how can they go so wrong so quickly? Together, you’ll hear how games can be a powerful tool for building community, creating belonging, and developing trust between leaders and students… when they’re done with intention. From thinking about games as a means to an end (and sometimes an end in themselves) to practical principles like inclusivity, age-appropriateness, timing, and clear explanation, this conversation will help you rethink game time. Whether you love games or dread them, this episode will help you see how play can support deeper ministry and healthier group culture.

You can check out our training series that talks about Play as a core responsibility of youth workers here: 4 Core Responsibilities

Have a question or want to dig deeper? You can email jeremy@youthworker.community

Tate, Events Leader at Camp Qwanoes and a local youth pastor, shares about why games and activities matter far more than we often realize. He shares stories from camp and youth ministry that highlight how games can build trust, create shared experiences, and open the door to deeper relationships with students. You’ll hear about the difference between games that isolate students and those that foster belonging, why leader buy-in and energy matter so much, and how play can become a powerful tool for discipleship rather than a distraction from it. This conversation will help you rethink game time: not as filler, but as meaningful groundwork for gospel-centered ministry

Tate mentioned the games resources at stuffyoucanuse.org

Learn more about Qwanoes and Kaleo at one of their links:

instagram.com/qwanoes

qwanoes.ca/leadership/kaleo

qwanoes.ca

You can check out our training series that talks about Play as a core responsibility of youth workers here: 4 Core Responsibilities

Have a question or want to dig deeper? You can email jeremy@youthworker.community