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Applications open for General Convention Official Youth Presence 2022

November 22, 2021
Office of Public Affairs

The Episcopal Church invites teens age 16 to 19 to apply to become part of the 80th General Convention’s Official Youth Presence, a group whose members have seat and voice in the House of Deputies.

Up to two youth from each of the church’s nine provinces will be selected to participate in the Official Youth Presence from July 4-14 in Baltimore, Maryland. Youth who are selected must also attend orientation and training in Baltimore from March 31 to April 2.

Applications and nomination forms are due by Dec. 23. Nominators must not be related to the applicant. Spanish applications and nomination forms are also available.

“I look forward to welcoming the members of the Official Youth Presence to the House of Deputies,” said the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies. “Our legislative deliberations and debates are enlivened and inspired by the perspectives and experiences of faithful young people from across the church.”

Applications will be reviewed by a committee convened by the Office of Faith Formation. The Official Youth Presence team will be announced in February. Additional criteria and information are available online.


“Creating space for the General Convention to hear the voices of young people within the legislative process has been held as a valuable initiative since its creation in 1982,” said Bronwyn Clark Skov, officer for Youth Ministries. “Forty years later we continue to make that space, engage in education about our polity and governance, and mentor teenagers as they discern their opinions and claim their voices. Every time convention convenes we are blessed with this refreshing perspective from the youngest faithful voices among us.”


The General Convention, which normally meets every three years, is the Episcopal Church’s governing body. It comprises the House of Deputies, with nearly 900 clergy and lay deputies elected from the church’s 109 dioceses and two area missions, and the House of Bishops—with more than 200 active and retired bishops.

To ask questions about the application process and nominations, contact Bronwyn Skov.