There's Something for Everyone

 Not sure what there will be for your kids and teens to do!!! Well, look no further. The Youth Program (0-18) hosted by Building Bridges is a highlight of the week as all children and youth from South Church Retreat, Faith Development Week, Brave Light, and Building Bridges are enrolled in our Youth Program

The main focus of our Youth Program is for kids and youth to have the opportunity to create new friendships and strengthen past ones. Time is spent playing lots of bonding and teamwork games, working on a team project (bottle rockets, photo scavenger hunt, designing a relay race, and Sr. Youth Chapel), sharing stories, singing, laughing, and exploring nature on both land and sea, including island field trips to the Marine Lab, Music Barn, Art Barn, beach, and neighboring islands. 

All families are also invited to be a part of the daily Family Chapel Service, hosted by Faith Development Week, which is held right after breakfast and kicks off the Youth Program for the day.​

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
~ April Rosario - Youth Program Director ~


Here is a bit more information on what Star has for kids and youth.
The Youth Program  has something for everyone, with programming in the morning and afternoon programing and afternoon childcare (for kids 0-5)  to give parents and caregivers time to enjoy their own programing or just take a break.

Nursery (birth - 3 years old)
Our Nursery and Pre-K group meets each morning Monday - Friday from 9-12, and is staffed by three wonderful volunteers who have lots of experience working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Their main focus is providing a safe, caring, and friendly environment full of fun! Group Leaders make sure that days are filled with lots of games and laughter, as kids play with toys, take nature walks and island field trips, enjoy story and snack time, play on the playgrounds and so much more!

Pre-K & Lower Elementary Group (4-7 years old )
The Lower Elementary group meets each morning Monday - Friday from 9-12, and is led by two wonderful volunteers, who will create the perfect environment to have fun and make new friends in! Days are spent enjoying nature, taking island field trips to the the Beach, The Art Barn, Music Barn and Marine Lab, while also having lot of time for arts and crafts, storytelling, singing, laughing and so much more! This group also spends time spent working in teams to create the “famous” bottle rockets that will be launched on the front lawn for everyone to see on Saturday . 

Upper Elementary (8-10 year olds)
The Upper Elementary group meets each morning Monday - Friday 9-12, and is led by two amazing volunteers who spend their time helping kids bond as they do all kinds of island exploration, create and leave out kindness rocks, visit the marine lab and art barn, go swimming,  and so much more! Days are filled will be filled with lots of laughs and time spent creating a photo scavenger hunt that the whole island gets to take part in on Saturday!

Jr. Youth (11-13 year olds)
The Middle School Youth group meets each morning Monday - Friday 9-12, with two amazing youth group leaders. Days are spent making new friends, enjoying group games, crafts, taking hikes and exploring nature, rowing to nearby islands, and island field trips and creating a relay race that the whole island gets to take part in on Saturday!


Sr. Youth (14 - 18 year olds)
** Our Youth program has grown exponentially over the years to the point that we need more space! We are accommodating this by moving our Sr. Youth Group to the afternoon this year. 

The High School Youth Group spends their afternoons from 1-4 pm, with two amazing youth advisors doing tons of community-building activities such as games, rowing to neighboring islands to go swimming and cliff jumping, and exploring the many treasures the island has to offer.  Youth will work together to plan and lead an evening worship service and those who are interested can take part in the annual softball game! 

*If you are 18+ and are interested in joining the Youth Program as a group leader, we would love to have you. It’s an amazing opportunity to work with our children and youth to help create an amazing community on Star Island. As all children and youth from South Church Retreat, Faith Development Week, Brave Ligh,t and Building Bridges are enrolled in the Youth Program, adult conferees registered for any conferences are invited to participate, and we hope to have representation from each one!

Youth Program volunteers work in leader teams Mon - Fri to facilitate and lead our youth programs. These positions require a commitment for the whole week as programming runs for 3 hours each day and childcare runs for 1 1/2 hours. April Rosario, the Youth Group Director, will work with you to plan the week’s activities and provide training and a framework for leading your group. In gratitude for this commitment, the Building Bridges Conference will pay a portion of your standard shared room room and board (30% for Sr. Youth leaders and 50% for Nursery - Jr. Youth who also do 2 afternoons each of childcare) for the week. We will offer positions on a rolling basis, so the sooner you sign up, the better chance you have to fill one of these special positions. If you are interested in being a youth leader, please reach out to April Rosario at [email protected]