2022 ELCA Youth Gathering!
Tomorrow's the day! Registration for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota opens tomorrow. We encourage your congregation to register as soon as possible to receive discounted rates and begin planning for next summer. Learn more about the 2022 Youth Gathering below.
WHO
The ELCA Youth Gathering is open to youth currently in grades 8-12 and adult leaders over the age of 21 at the time of the Gathering. The recommended ratio for congregations attending is one adult leader for every seven youth participants.
There is also an opportunity for young adults to volunteer at the Youth Gathering! Servant Companions are volunteers aged 19-30 years old at the time of the Gathering who accompany congregational groups as they encounter and serve the people of Minneapolis during their Service Learning day.
WHAT
This year’s ELCA Youth Gathering will take place from July 24-28, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the theme “boundless: God beyond measure”, using the verse Ephesians 3:14-21. Each day will center around a different “boundless” theme; Sunday boundless love, Monday boundless creation, Tuesday boundless forgiveness, Wednesday boundless invitation and Thursday boundless promise.
Each day at the Youth Gathering will look different, one day will be spent with fun Interactive Learning, one day of Service in the City of Minneapolis and one Synod Day with your home Synod. Each day will end with a Mass Gathering in the U.S. Bank Stadium with all other 30,000 guests!
WHEN
The ELCA Youth Gathering happens from July 24-28, 2022, with the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and tAble pre-gatherings happening July 21-24, 2022.
We encourage you to keep an eye on the Key Dates page of the Youth Gathering website to ensure you are staying on the recommended timeline when planning!
COST & REGISTRATION
Registration opens September 22, 2021 and closes May 22, 2022. Registration costs are dependent upon when you register. Registration fees do not include transportation expenses to/from the Gathering or hotel costs.
Early Bird Registration: $350/person
September 22, 2021 - November 21, 2021
Regular Registration: $390/person
November 22, 2021 - February 21, 2022
Late Registration: $440
February 22, 2022 - May 22, 2022
A $150 nonrefundable, per-person deposit is due at time of registration and must be paid within the rate range you expect to pay. Registrations are not considered final until the $150-per-person, nonrefundable deposits have been received by the Gathering. Delaying payment may move you into a higher registration-fee bracket.
We encourage adult leaders to use these worksheets to help prepare for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering registration process.
To learn more about registration, we encourage you to watch this livestream.
Registration is live here!
COVID-19
Proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result will be required to attend the 2022 Gathering, MYLE or the tAble. The Gathering team strongly encourages everyone to talk with their health care provider and get vaccinated if they are able. The science shows that the vaccine is an effective and helpful way to limit the spread of COVID-19. To learn more about the vaccine or how to get vaccinated, please visit: https://www.vaccines.gov/.
The ELCA Youth Gathering will use local, state, and federal public health guidelines to inform their decisions as they relate to necessary precautions needed to control the spread of COVID-19 onsite. They aren’t entirely sure what those guidelines will be for summer 2022, but they imagine they may include those precautions you are already familiar with today: lots of handwashing, mask wearing, etc. To learn more how the City of Minneapolis is working to ensure all guests are safe during this time, visit: https://www.minneapolis.org/covid-19-health-safety/.
Masks are an important tool in controlling the spread of COVID-19. The Gathering team has shared that tt is still too early to determine if masks will be required onsite at the Gathering. Final decisions will adhere to CDC and local health department guidelines.
Learn More
Still have a few questions about the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering? We encourage you to first check out the all-encompassing website, found here.
Additionally, the Gathering team has prepared and will continue to host webinars to help answer questions and provide more details about different Gathering topics, such as safety, synod day, service learning, mass gatherings and so much more. The schedule for the upcoming webinars and more details can be found here.
If you would prefer to speak with someone one-on-one with years of experience taking groups to the ELCA Youth Gatherings, you are welcome to speak with our Synod’s Youth Gathering Coordinator Lisa Herlocker, lherlocker@me.com.
