Today's Ypulse Guest Post is from Shari Biediger. Shari is currently a freelance writer with over 13 years experience in youth media and marketing. If you're a Ypulse reader who works in youth media or marketing and have an idea for a Ypulse Guest Post, get in touch!

What Youth Marketers Can Learn From Youth Ministry

It was a cool spring evening down by the river, and there was a rockin' band, about two-dozen young people, and an outdoor basketball court-turned-dance floor. Nice night for a party.

Then the Candlelight Crashers showed up … a loosely organized band of teens who showed up at my 15-year-old daughter's retreat site over the weekend. (I say "loosely" only because they weren't wearing matching T-shirts … yet … and you won't find them in a Google search either.) She was there with 25 others from her all-girl, inner city Catholic high school.

Teen ACTS retreats are teen-led weekends where high schoolers sing, pray and generally talk about God, church and community service. According to their report, the 11-year-old ACTS movement now exists in Alaska, California, Connecticut and Missouri, as well as all over Texas.

These Crashers came loudly, uninvited and unknown (though not unwelcome), like they do at retreats all over the area nearly every weekend. I was intrigued as they danced and sang, that they had obviously sought out this "Jesus party," yet with good intentions. They didn't fit into one "type" or "clique" but were a mix of teens from artsy to preppy to loner.

OK, it's not like there was nothing else going on in town. But they had no doubt experienced an ACTS retreat themselves, and knew it was the best place for a free party. (It was probably easy to get mom and dad to hand over the car keys as well.)

A 2005 Harris Interactive Survey (.pdf) reported how religious leaders do a great job recognizing the need to be relevant to teens, and if they didn't do it now, it would be too late to establish lifelong faith. Now if Candlelight Crashers, who happily choose to spend their Saturday nights in this way, isn't an example of how effective they've been in beginning to create a lifetime preference, I'm not sure what is. Especially when it comes to picking up where parental influence leaves off, which can be a model applied so many other, uh, industries as well. After all, youth ministry has been around since the mid-1800s.

Of course, Crashers isn't a widespread movement and not an official group of any kind. But I loved how they subtly express their reaction to an experience. They serve as a non-digital reminder of how you can tell when your marketing efforts are a slam-dunk: when you see them (youth) make it social, make it fun, make it a little "underground."

Sort of related: (posted by Anastasia)

Papal Skateboard Art Design Contest gallery (via Next Great Thing)

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