Join us to celebrate the presence, power and promise of children and youth within The Salvation Army!
Every year The Salvation Army celebrates the International Day of Children and Youth on the last Sunday of April. In 2023 this is Sunday 30 April.
The day is not just an opportunity to pray for children and young people, but also to create space for them to participate in every aspect of our mission. It is about giving them a voice and a stage.
We believe that, although children are developing, they are, at the same time, whole and complete human beings. God calls each individual human being into a real relationship and to a real vocation, not a potential vocation somewhere in the future.
This means we see children and young people as full, active members of the Body of Christ, equally important as anyone else.
Join us to celebrate on Sunday 30 April, or on another Sunday of your choice.
Theme for 2023: Footprints
This year's theme encourages us to think about and celebrate our journey, identity and direction.
Our identity
We are all made in the image of God and we are all unique! God created each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does; his work of creating, restoring and reconciling.
How we do that depends on our unique set of characters, talents, gifts and skills. We have a unique footprint!
Our direction
‘Footprints’ helps us to think about our future. What is our direction and how can we find direction for our lives?
The Gospel invites us to follow the footsteps of Jesus. Maybe Matthew 11:29 and 30 express best what it means to follow Jesus:
‘Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’ (The Message)
We are all invited to live this kind of life with Jesus!
Our journey
We celebrate where we have come from. We celebrate our journey together. We celebrate God’s presence during our journey.
We also acknowledge the challenges we faced and the things and people we might have lost. We find comfort in knowing God was with us every step of the way. And we reflect on our impact on others during our journey; what was our footprint?
Materials for all ages
This year the materials are created by the Southern Africa Territory.
A team of youth leaders has created the materials under the supervision of captains Vukani and Sindisiwe Nkosi. They have made a unique set of materials using the taglines ‘In God’, ‘Be you’, ‘Stand out’ and ‘Make your mark’.
We invite you to use these materials as a framework. Feel free to add, adjust and adapt them for your own unique context and culture.
There are materials for different age groups:
- Family Devotions can be used for all ages
- Sunday School materials are for children up to 14 years old
- Prayer Explosions are for teenagers and young adults
You are welcome to combine different materials, for example the prayers from the devotions and the challenges from the prayer explosion.
Download the materials
Download all the materials as PDFs and Word files you can edit. We have also included social graphics you can use to promote the International Day of Children and Youth on your social channels.
The materials are available in the following languages:
If your territory is translating the material into another language, please send us a copy so we can make this available to others. Send your translation by email to youthandchildren@salvationarmy.org.
How to use the materials
Outreach ideas
We believe our children and youth should be fully engaged in the mission of the Salvation Army. They are not supposed to stay on the side-lines!
So here are some activities that can help young people in all territories to make their mark, guided by the following scripture, “Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:14
- Clean up with a group in your community.
- Conduct an ‘Open-Air-meeting-new-style’ with the theme song, a dance or other art forms. Bring a big canvas with you with paint and markers and ask people to add their handprint and footprint on the canvas. Ask them who had a positive impact on their life and what impact or footprint they want to leave on the life of others.
- Do a ‘church in the park’ with the theme song and a little devotion and games around footprints. And don’t forget to bring good food with you!
- Visit 40 Family Wallchart 2020 (40acts.org.uk) for more mission ideas.
Online options
If it is not possible to meet in person, try to find ways to meet online. You could prepare bags with materials for the activities and challenges. Add something nice to eat and a little note and deliver the bags to your children and youth. In an online meeting you could share parts of the message outline and do some activities together.
Be as creative as possible! And share your own ideas on our Facebook page to inspire others: https://www.facebook.com/TSAyouthandchildren
International Creative Arts Competition
Take part in our competition! You are invited to create a video using the theme ‘Footprints’ or the lyrics written by the Southern Africa Territory.
Be creative: create a dance routine, paint a picture, make a Reel, video or try your hand at animation. Perhaps you could put together a choir and get a worship band or a brass band to accompany you.
You have until 1 June 2023 to send us your completed video.
Here are the steps to join the competition:
- Step 1: fill in the competition entry form: https://forms.office.com/e/Uw2B5GBFMh
- Step 2: Once you have completed the form, you will receive an email from fernanda.rivera@salvationarmy.org to the email address you provided in the form with a link that will direct you to a One Drive folder, click on the link.
- Step 3: Upload your file(s) to the folder.
- Step 4: When uploading your file(s), be sure to use the same name you provided on the form so that we can identify your submission(s).
- Step 5: Stay tuned to our social media to stay up to date with the latest news about the International Children and Youth Online Event and the International Children and Youth Creative Arts Competition!
We will share the best videos and announce a winner later in June. Keep an eye on social media for the details.
Watch the competition launch video for some creative arts inspiration:
We can't wait to watch all your unique videos!
Footprints logo
Download the Footprints logo in your language:
Any questions?
If you have any questions, remarks, or ideas, please send an email to youthandchildren@salvationarmy.org.
