Switch is an action-based youth program designed specifically for teens in grades 6-12. We believe everyone is on their own unique spiritual journey, at Switch it is not our goal to guide teens on their journey but to equip them with the skills to guide themselves. We meet every second week on Sunday at the same time as the adult meeting time(10:30). Switch is designed to be a safe space where teens can ask questions, express doubts, and just be themselves. It is simply put, a place to belong.
Our Mission:
To empower teens with the skills they need to enrich the world!
SWITCH is run by this guy (see below)
World-class chef
Dog Owner
Bread/Cider/Everything maker
Goes by the name Ryan Doggart
officially he's the SWITCH Student Ministry Pastor
He will be the “guy in the chair” for your unique spiritual journey
-i.e. The nerdy support character feeding the hero insight and intel-
Our Values:
We value Action based spirituality
That enriches individual teens' lives and the wider world.
We value Teens!
Teens are our future! They have the power to shape our world for the better and we “adults” learn just as much from them as they do from us.
We Value Individuality.
We strive to provide a space that not only respects everyone's individuality but focuses on it as a strength.
We value intentional living.
We believe living intentionally and honestly helps teens in learning their own values, strengths, and weaknesses and empowering them to forge their own unique paths.
We value those things that create healthy lives
We believe that living a healthy life and doing things that improve our health our essential to our unique spiritual journeys. We are better at enriching the world when we ourselves are healthy.
Service Time
See SWITCH Event Calendar
Location
900 -47th Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2S 3C8
Email Address
Phone Number
(587) 581 3255
What age group is Switch for?
- We don’t go by age but rather by grade. Switch is designed for grade 6-12 and we are firm on this as we already have a large age span and the larger it gets the more challenging it is to cover some of the topics that we like to tackle.
How often does Switch run?
- Switch runs every second Sunday from 10:30 – 11:30. Our service is always followed up with lunch and an event that typically runs for about 2-3 hours.
- Over the summer we don’t hold services, but we do hold a variety of connection events on various days of the week.
Why doesn’t it run every week?
- This is for a couple of reasons. A Switch weekend takes a lot of planning and human power. It also gives our teens an opportunity to experience different aspects of Friends Church like going to the main service or volunteering with our kid’s program, both valuable opportunities to connect to the larger community.
What is the cost to attend Switch?
- There is no charge for our Sunday service but our lunch and events typically have a cost associated with them. We attempt to just cover our costs and so events would range from $7 – $20. We make an effort to space out the more expensive events.
- If cost is ever an issue we are happy to help out. We never want teens missing out.
What does the word Switch stand for?
- We are asked this occasionally and although we have given it some thought, we actually just liked the name.
Who can volunteer?
- Our volunteers are regular people who have a desire to help teens discover their strengths and make their world a better place. They are not perfect, they have varied beliefs, backgrounds, and range in age. It is their uniqueness that makes our team awesome. So if you are graduated and want to work with teens and have a great time you should check us out.
- For more info contact Ryan Doggart at ryan@friendschurch.ca or on his cell at 587-581-3255
What are you guys all about?
- Switch is about empowering and equipping teens. We strive to provide a place that is safe for teens to question, explore, wrestle with life’s questions and the beliefs they will choose to hold. We don’t shy away from tough topics and encourage each teen to discover the strengths and talents that they possess. It is a place where teens have the opportunity to make a difference and build confidence in their ability to make a difference in their world. We exist to help teens thrive and make a difference.
Where is Switch held?
- We meet in the social hall of a Jewish Temple (Bhai Tikvah) 900 47 Ave SW, Calgary at 10:30 am every second Sunday. Our events typically start at the church but often end up offsite.
What does a typical Sunday look like?
- 10:30-10:45 hang out and catch up. Free snacks, slurpee, and ice cream. Games and music
- 10:45 – 11:20 interactive topic & experiential learning, engaging teens in topics focused on life skills, relationships, and how we can make our world a better place. We explore what it means to have a unique spiritual journey. We focus on making a difference in our world and believe that this is indeed spiritual. We Don’t shy away from topics that matter.
What sort of topics do you cover?
- We tackle all sorts of topics. Things like: relationships, consent, life skills, spirituality, making a difference, purpose and so much more. Often our teens and volunteers will bring forth topics which are near and dear to their heart.
What is a Switch event?
- Switch events are broken into 2 categories. We do our best to run one of each over the course of a month. The first has a focus on giving back and making a difference in our world. The second is fun, relational events which also help teens learn a skill that will help them be more effective at making a difference.
Big events
Each year we host a couple of larger events.
- Project Mexico in which we take a team of grade 9 and up to Tijuana to build homes (March – spring break) this is currently on hold until March 2023
- Fall Retreat – this is a weekend in September when we take the teens to Camp Evergreen. It helps our group connect and set our intentions for the coming season of impact and making a difference.
Getting information about what is going on at Switch
- e-mail – bi-weekly parent update, click this link to add your email
- phone tree – phone messaging system that sends out a call with event info.
- Facebook – Switch FB page
- Instagram – Switch_youth_crew
- Website – friendschurch.ca/switch
- Ryan Doggart – 587-581-3255, ryan@friendschurch.ca