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

In this episode, Jeremy is joined by Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, to talk about what happens when evangelism becomes part of the culture of a youth ministry. Drawing from new research involving hundreds of youth groups around the world, Greg explains the difference between a “typical” youth group and a gospel-advancing one. What would it look like to see leaders model faith-sharing, students trained to share the gospel relationally, and new believers intentionally discipled? The results are striking, but the heart of the conversation goes deeper: when students put their faith into action, discipleship accelerates. This episode will challenge and encourage you to see evangelism not as an extra program, but as a key leverage point for spiritual growth and long-term impact

Check out the research at dontmissit.report and watch Greg talk more about it on YouTube.

Learn more about Dare 2 Share at dare2share.org

And if you are looking for a clear way to start a faith conversation remember: Ask, Admire, Admit…

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

Jeremy is joined by Steve Zacharias to explore a topic most youth workers have wrestled with: how do you have meaningful conversations with students who are anxious, shut down, or unsure how to engage?

Steve draws from both personal experience and practical ministry to unpack how anxiety shows up in student behavior and how youth leaders can respond with empathy, curiosity, and calm. They talk about fight/flight/freeze/fawn responses, why students often seem resistant or disengaged, and what we can do to build trust, slow the pace, and help students feel seen and safe.

If you've ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “Did that even work?” this episode will help you rethink success, show up more helpfully, and ask better questions.

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

Here are a few of the practical next steps from Steve’s episode…

• Take a deep breath before youth group—your presence matters more than your pressure
• Learn to identify the four responses to anxiety: fight, flight, freeze, fawn
• Regulate your own anxiety first—what tone, pace, and posture are you bringing?
• Let students choose the space for deeper conversations (not always the foyer!)
• Ask fueling questions to explore anxiety:

1. “What are you feeling? How do you feel about talking with me?”
2. “What’s it like for you to feel this way?”
3. “When did you start feeling this way?”
4. “What was going on at the time?”

• Ask flipping questions to reframe the situation:

1. “If you switched places with someone else, what would you see?”
2. “Whose voice do you hear in the pressure you’re feeling?”
3. “What would you imagine Jesus saying to you in this moment?”

• Avoid “why” questions—reframe with what or how to reduce defensiveness
• Use Scripture gently to help students reflect, not just correct

In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Dr. Jason Burtt, sociology professor at Trinity Western University and former youth pastor, to explore the intersection of culture, discipleship, and what actually helps students grow and flourish today.

From pirates and pig roasts to positive sociology and generational shifts, Jason offers insights rooted in both research and real-life youth ministry experience. This wide-ranging conversation covers how students are formed, why embodied relationships still matter in a digital age, and how the love of Jesus is the most powerful and most often overlooked discipleship tool we have.

If you're a youth worker wondering whether your investment is really making a difference, this episode is a timely and encouraging reminder that your presence, love, and consistency are shaping students more than you realize.

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

You can catch up with Dr. Jason and check out Trinity Western University by heading to twu.ca

In this episode, Jeremy and Sid sit down with legendary youth ministry scholar and practitioner Dr. Chap Clark to unpack how cultural shifts have radically shaped the identity formation of today’s teenagers and what that means for youth workers today.

Chap introduces the idea of “avatars” (the multiple versions of self that students present in different spaces) and explains why helping young people discover and integrate their real identity in Christ through community is more urgent than ever. He shares insight from decades of research , youth work, and teaching, and offers a powerful vision for building ministry cultures that move beyond transactional relationships toward healing, belonging, and purpose.

This episode is rich, deep, and hopeful. If you want to help your students thrive as whole people in Christ, not just perform as Christian teens, don’t miss this one.

Check out Chap’s books on Amazon or see what he’s up to these days at MinistryLeadership.Church.

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

In this honest and heartfelt conversation, Jeremy and Sid tackle a question every youth worker will face at some point: What do I do when I’m struggling personally (whether it's emotionally, spiritually, or mentally) and I still have to lead?

They explore what it means to lead with integrity while feeling emotionally off, how to understand the difference between burnout and being overwhelmed, and how Scripture reframes our emotions as meaningful but not final. With stories from camp, personal leadership failure, and wise encouragement from Scripture, this episode is for every leader who has ever shown up tired, anxious, or unsure whether they should even be there.

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