Event Objectives: 

  • To give young people the opportunity to honour grandparents/grandparent figures in their lives.

  • To strengthen bonds between family members and within multigenerational relationships within the community.

  • To give an opportunity for intergenerational dialogue accompanied by faith sharing.

  • To celebrate the gift of families and grandparents.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.”
— 2 Timothy 3:14

Logistics:

  • Have young people invite their grandparents/grandparent figure in their life and community.
    Invitations can be made with RSVP (Sample: Appendix A)

  • Look for a grandparent/youth to share a testimony.

  • Sharer’s profile

    • A grandparent who has a close relationship with their grandchildren and strives to share their faith with them. 

    • A grandparent/youth who have experienced hardship in their relationship and have overcome their struggles through love and understanding of the other. 

    • A youth who no longer has a grandparent alive but still values all that was passed down from them. 

    • A youth who brought a grandparent figure to share about what makes their relationship. 

  • Plan and assign different roles and responsibilities with the youth.

    • Emcee(s); an outgoing person(s) that will be the host for the evening. May ask their elder guest to co-emcee with them. 

    • Opening Prayer/ Blessing; invite parish priest to join for the evening to be part of the hosting team to welcome and greet families. If a parish priest is not available, ask members from the PPC or part of the Church community.

    • Game Master: an individual to prepare and help facilitate games/ice breakers.

    • Tech; to create slides, and ensure all tech needs will be present for the evening and will be in charge of moving the PowerPoint.

    • Food; with the help of the youth minister, will plan what food will be served for the evening, and help set up the venue for dinner.

    • Hospitality: to welcome all guests and helps serve food. Also ensures that all dining materials that are needed are present.

  • Prepare a creative way to honour grandparents - some examples but not limited to:

    • Special performance of a song, and flowers can be given to all grandparents.

    • A slideshow with pictures that are collected from the families with their grandparents.

    • A short skit or play made by the youths about how much their Grandparents mean to them. 

    • A poem for grandparents

  • Dinner portion will be focused on getting to know each other’s grandparents through question cards that will be on the table (Appendix C)

 

Proposed Program:

Click on schedule below for editable template

 

Proposed Planning Timeline:

2 Months before the event:

  • Book venue

  • Confirm service team

  • Discern for sharers and go over their roles and responsibilities

  • Plan dinner meals and contact caterers (if needed)

  • Make a list of logistical needs

1 ½ Months before the event:

  • Send invitations with RSVP date

    • See link to Canva below.

    • Depending on the budget and resources, this event may be a ticketed event. It can be priced as $25/grandparent couples and $10-$15/per person to help cover the dinner and other event costs.

  • Conduct at least 2 service team meetings to plan the event. 

  • Finalize food and meal options.

    1 Month before the event:

  • Finalize program and schedule.

  • Screen sharers and meet with people who will be sharing their testimonies.

  • Conceptualize a creative way to honour grandparents to be performed on the day of. 

2 Weeks before the event:

  • Confirm the final number of guests attending.

  • Contact the youth and young adults who are attending and brief them with the evening and how the night will go. Coordinate how they will be serving food and attending to their grandparents for the evening.
    Do a practice for performance.

Week of the event:

  • Confirm that everything is set for the event.

  • Conduct a final service team meeting.

  • Go over the program and ensure that everything is taken care of. 

Day of the event:

  • Service team to arrive at least an hour before guests arrive. Begin with a short prayer followed by a short coordination meeting.

  • Finish all the final touches and be ready for when guests arrive. 

Appendix:

Click below to view: