About Challenge & Conquest Methods and Curriculum
About Challenge & Conquest Annual Membership & Products
About Challenge & Conquest Resource Center and Online Training
About Starting a Challenge or Conquest Club
About Challenge & Conquest Camps
About Related Programs
 

About Challenge & Conquest Methods and Curriculum


 

 

What age groups are Challenge and Conquest for?

The Challenge and Conquest Youth Ministry Program offers curriculum for K – 12th grade boys and girls. Challenge offers three programs for girls: Challenge High School 9th–12th grade girls, Challenge Middle School for 5th–8th grade girls, and Challenge Junior for k–4th grade girls. Also, Conquest offers three programs for boys.

Do Challenge and Conquest offer a curriculum for the whole year?

Yes, Challenge and Conquest both have 3 age specific curriculum – 5th/6th, 7th/8th and High School. On the Youth Ministry Packages section of this website, you can find an in-depth explanation about what makes the Conquest and Challenge curriculum unique and you can download the curriculum maps. Conquest and Challenge are intended to be used as a Youth Ministry program in a parish or school, led by teens, and is not a Religious Education program or curriculum. They can complement Religious Education or Confirmation prep but are not intended for that purpose.

Are Challenge and Conquest a Catholic Youth Ministry program?

Yes, Challenge and Conquest are 100% Catholic, using the YOUCAT and Gospel as a basis for the curriculum. Our materials promote a deep devotion and love to Jesus, in the Eucharist, the sacraments, the Church, the Pope, the Blessed Virgin Mary and saints. Our Conquest and Challenge materials include an ECyD prayer book with all the basic Catholic prayers – like how to pray the Rosary. The Team Leader Guidebooks contain the curriculum and do not have an imprimatur because they change each year and are updated with new activities.

Why do Challenge and Conquest promote a teen led and team based method?

In Challenge andConquest, we believe that small group peer mentoring is an effective way to reach young people. Our program materials are developed and shaped around the method of breaking the youth group into smaller teams of 8-10 youth, led by a teen who is 1-2 years older than them. The activities are team based and teen led each week. Our team leader guidebooks put the material in the teen’s hands and the youth minister focuses on working with the teen leaders each week. We offer an online training series for teen leaders to get equipped to lead teams.

How are Challenge and Conquest service driven, and why are service projects part of the curriculum?

Challenge and Conquest offer 24 service project options each year that the teams can work on. The projects are age specific and are varied to help the youth experience different forms of service. We believe that there is more joy in giving, not just receiving and that a youth group comes alive when they are service driven. Challenge and Conquest service projects try to encompass all of the areas of service and solidarity mentioned in Renewing the Vision.

What does a weekly activity for Challenge or Conquest look like?

Each program has it’s own section on this website where you can find a detailed explanation of the Challenge or Conquest weekly activity and a sample to download from one of the team leader guidebooks.

Why are Challenge and Conquest groups gender specific and not co-ed?

Challenge is developed specifically for girls 5th -12th grade and Conquest is for Boys 5th -12th grade. Both programs are parallel with the same weekly curriculum themes, but the activities and presentation of the themes are adapted to better reach boys and girls respectively. Since we promote a teen led and team based method of youth ministry, we find that is more effective for a young man to lead a group of boys and a young woman to lead the girls. The team can relate better to the team leader and will participate more without the opposite gender present.  If you have a co-ed group, you can begin together (group time), then break out for the team activities and then finish up together –even planning a joint apostolic project.  Challenge and Conquest are very flexible, and while gender specific, is recommended for middle school groups.

Typically how many girls or boys make up a team? How old should the team leaders be? How do I find or train team leaders?

A team consists of 1 to 2 team leaders with 8 – 10 team members.  Your youth group may have several different teams, some smaller and some larger.  Team leaders should be mature enough to lead a team of younger kids. We recommend that the youngest team leaders be in  8th grade since the youngest teams will be in 5th/6th grade. Most of the current Conquest and Challenge team leaders are in high school and we have about 800 teens leading groups across the US and Canada.

I have youth in 5th through 8th grade, but not enough to make different teams. Can I combine the grades?

Yes, you can surely use the 5th/6th or 7th/8th grade curriculum for middle school teams ranging over several grades.  We suggest always using the younger age group curriculum so that in coming years, the material does not get repetitive.

About Challenge & Conquest Annual Membership & Products


What is included with a Challenge or Conquest Annual Membership ?

1. License to run one program, that is, one age group of Challenge or Conquest, for one year and use the Challenge/Conquest brand, curriculum, and method. 2. Access to purchase Challenge or Conquest curriculum, curriculum tied resources, and resources on our unique method. 3. Access to the Online Resource Center for that age group with digital resources that are linked to the different formation activities and apostolic initiatives of the program. 4. Access to the international network of ECYD and information about ECYD Camps, retreats, and mentors in your area. 5. Training and support to be an apostle of young people via our national Trainer, training add-ons, the support page with tips and tools for implementing Challenge and/or Conquest. 6. 3 free coaching calls with National Trainer. 7. Access to quarterly group coaching calls, sharing of best practices on relevant topics and a network of other youth evangelizers. 8. Monthly exclusive leadership resources

Are Challenge and Conquest Products important?

A cinch bags, ECYD prayer books, Tshirts and other fun items that change every year. They are optional add-ons but really complete the experience for a girl because it helps build a sense of unity as part of the group. Even more importantly, some products can help members grow spiritually and learn about their faith. These products also bring Challenge and Conquest into the home and not just at the meetings.

Do all team leaders need to have the Team Leader guidebooks?

A team may have two leaders who share a set of guidebooks yet the books should not be shared among several different teams. This is so that the teens who are leading the teams can have the material in their hands. The Team Leader Guidebooks are meant to be just that – workbooks which the team leaders write in and make their own.

Can I purchase an extra set of team leader curriculum books ? Can I purchase additional Team Leader shirts for my additional team leaders?

Yes, you can find the Challenge and Conquest Team Leader Book series and t-shirts a la carte on the store.

What about adult volunteers supplies?

You can purchase an Adult Leader t-shirt for all adult volunteers on your team and for those who train the youth leaders.

Why must I purchase an Annual Membership, I just want some curriculum?

Challenge and Conquest are comprehensive youth ministry programs that run weekly and concurrent with the school year. We offer much more than a book of curriculum, and there are many pieces that all work in conjunction together for the adult leaders, team (teen) leaders, and members. The annual membership is a license to run the program for a period of one year, providing the parish, school or institution with the rights to use the name, logos, materials, online resources, promotions, etc. Challenge and Conquest are priced competitively lower than other Catholic Youth Ministry programs, especially in all of the resources that are provided.

Do you offer Conquest or Challenge Retreat Guides and materials for Youth Ministers?

Yes, Challenge offers a retreat series with leader guides and materials for the participants. We currently have 3 different retreats available: Iced Out, Survivor and Journey. You can find these materials on the store.

About Challenge & Conquest Resource Center and Online Training


How do I get access to the Adult Leader and Team Leader online resource centers?

After your annual membership order is complete, you will receive an account to access the online resource center. There are hundreds of files that complete the curriculum on the resource centers.

About Starting a Challenge or Conquest Club


I am a parent and would like to start Challenge or Conquest at my parish or school.  How do I get started?

Ask your pastor or principle for permission to license the Conquest and / or Challenge Youth ministry program to the parish or school. Once they agree, you can complete an order online for an annual membership or call our customer service line and someone will assist you with your order.

I am a youth minister or campus minister and would like to start Challenge or Conquest at my parish or school. How do I get started?

It’s very easy – you can simply got to our registration page and complete an order online for an annual membership at https://regnumchristifederation.org/events/CH-CQ. If you prefer to go through customer service, you can call 855-556-6872 and someone will assist you with your order.

How do most groups pay for the Annual Membership and materials? Should I charge members and if so, how much?

Most Challenge and Conquest groups charge an annual registration fee for their members. You can purchase products for your members to include as a part of their registration. For most families it is seen in the same way kids would pay for soccer or dance classes. The best way to determine the annual registration fee per member is to calculate the annual membership cost including all member products (t-shirts, bags, notebook, prayer book, etc) and team leader curriculum books, and then divide this by the number of estimated members in your program.  Each member will then pay a fee to help offset the cost of the program to the parish or school. In most cases it would end up costing each kid less than $50 a year. If you divide that up over 10 months, it’s only $5 a month. That is including their t-shirts, bags, notebook, prayer book, etc.  Fundraising is also recommended for groups as well. Some parishes or schools prefer to pay for entire program and that works too.

Who will manage the finances as well as the other administrative aspects of the program?

The entity (parish or school) who license the program will manage the finances for the program and provide the permission forms for all participants in the same manner that after school programs or faith formation classes are managed.

Who do I contact for more information or assistance placing an order?

Please call 855-556-6872 for assistance. Our customer service representatives are available to assist you Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm EST.

Do you offer local or national training events to help people get Challenge or Conquest started?

Yes, Christina Jacobeen is the Challenge and Conquest training specialist. She can either connect you to other local groups for training opportunities or see about the possibility of coming to your location to offer regional training if you have a large group of people interested in starting Conquest or Challenge.

About Challenge and Conquest Camps


Where can I find information about the Challenge or Conquest Summer Camps?

The camps section on both the Challenge and Conquest websites have and up to date list of all the camps. You can download flyers for specific camps as well.

About Related Programs


What is ECyD? How are Challenge and Conquest connected to ECyD?

Conquest and Challenge are Official ECYD Programs. ECYD is the youth organization of Regnum Christi. You can find a detailed explanation of ECyD and how it enriches Conquest and Challenge on the ECYD page of this website.