Alpha for Youth Online
It’s been amazing to see how churches and youth ministries are adapting to the changing landscape in our culture.
We want to do our part in equipping youth leaders and students in the US to lead through this, and have created tools to help you take your Alpha online.
At Alpha USA, our mission remains the same – to serve the US Church in its mission to help people discover a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are praying for you and we are here to serve, listen, and pray as you discern the best way to make Jesus known to the students in your community during this season.
We are encouraging all churches and groups to follow the guidelines mandated by the public health authorities in their region.
Get Trained
Run Alpha Youth Online Training
Times have changed in just a matter of weeks. Your voice is just as (if not more!) important now than before, but the jarring shift to online is new territory. We’ve created Alpha Youth resources to help you either move your current Youth course online, or to help you launch a brand-new way to connect with your students.
What we’re talking about:
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What is Alpha?
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Understanding Alpha good practices in an online context
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7 Best practices of running Alpha
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How to reach a new generation in a shifting culture
Click on a training to get signed up.
Tips for Running Alpha for Youth Online
What you will need:
The Zoom app
It’s free to download but we’d recommend the paid subscription version that can host meetings longer than 40 minutes. (Though other apps could work as well, Zoom is our #1 choice, especially for groups of more than 12 people). Zoom has a number of great tutorials to help you get it all figured out!
A solid internet connection
You can share your screen and play the episode – it works much better when the episode is downloaded first.
The Discussion Guide
Have the Discussion Guide handy with questions sent beforehand to your hosts and helpers.
Preparing Well:
Pray
Thankfully, the presence and power of God is not bound by social distancing or digital interfaces! Pray for all aspects of your Alpha, and try and find ways to join other youth workers to pray together.
Build a Team
There is more information available on what new roles you will need to fill. One thing to consider if how to empower young people to be hosts and helpers on your Alpha.
Reach Out
While many of us are thinking through the question of how we can stay connected to the students already in our ministry, a GREAT question is how can we use this situation as a way to reach out to those who don’t yet know God?
Guide: Running Alpha for Youth Online
For more tips on online hospitality, prayer ministry, and how to do the Alpha Weekend, download this guide.
Using Zoom
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Ask all guests to be on video
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Ask all guests to join in a quiet environment if possible
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Ask all guests to unmute during discussion. (Unless in a noisy setting). This allows for a more organic, free-flowing conversation.
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Ask guests to not use green screen backgrounds to create a more natural environment.
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Invite the guests to use Gallery view to see all the other participants.
Hospitality and Fun Online
A core part of Alpha is hospitality, and that includes taking “fun” seriously. How do you have fun online though? There are a couple of ways, but our friends at Download Youth Ministry have our favorite way! Their app, sidekick, works great with Zoom and will bring laughter to your Alpha Youth online. They are offering their gold membership for free for 60 days, which will grant you access to this app.
What is sidekick? https://sidekick.tv/
Using Sidekick with Zoom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkidjC6xoFc&list=PL83lvtaDXW1ayvWWEB3ojIeAklAEKWYEb&index=4
Alpha for Youth Online Resources
When you register/login to MyAlpha, you’ll have access to:
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Alpha Online Learning Module
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Instructions for using Zoom
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Video tutorials
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Digital images to promote your online Alpha
