UPDATE

Due to the continued difficulties with international travels, the Atlanta conference is in the process of being postponed until July. The registration is therefore temporarily suspended. More updates are coming soon. As soon as the details are clear both those who have already registered and those who are presenting will be contacted.

The bi-annual international IASYM conference

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

January 6^th - 9^th, 2022

Engaging With the Prophetic Voices of Young People

In Acts 2, Jesus’ friends are emboldened by the Spirit to leave their locked room and engage the market place.  There they find a wildly diverse community gathered – and the sudden, miraculous ability to speak different languages. Peter quotes Joel’s prophecy:

…I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

and your young shall see visions,

and your elders shall dream dreams.

The IASYM 2022 conference will gather in the city of Atlanta, the heartland of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement – a spiritual movement seeking justice, guided in dialogue with the black Church and the visions of young people.  This conference meets as the world emerges from the pandemic and, as after the Pentecost, we know there is no way we can go back to life as it was before.

Today, we find ourselves surrounded by the voices of young people, calling us all to attend to the injustices of the world.  From student-led actions in support of democracy and human rights to their call to world leaders for climate action … our sons and daughters are prophesying, and our young see visions – often outside the context of traditional religious structures and faith-informed contexts.  

When the voices of young are raised in the public square, many questions are relevant for youth ministry. How can youth ministry research contribute by creating opportunities for the voices of young people to be in dialogue with the wider Christian community and faith tradition? How should we engage with young people's search for justice and change in the context of God’s mission in the world? How can we bring together the prophetic voices of the young and the dreams of the elders? Taking a cue from the inspiration of Pentecost and the legacy held by our host city, this conference will offer presentations that interact with this and other themes.

Please check the conference page for more information.

Corona precautions

The current pandemic still affects both the planning and execution of an international conference. At the moment we have the following restrictions due to the polities of Emory University and IASYM:

• We are limited to 85 on-location participants. Which means the number of registrations is limited (60 full residential and 25 non residential). 
• There will be a waiting list when we reach 85 participants.
• On-location participation requires full covid-19 vaccination.
• It's possible to cancel your registration and receive a refund according to Cancellation Policy mentioned below.

These precautions will be updated when the situation changes.

Cancellation policy

First of all we understand that the global pandemic may drastically change travel plans. In the event of last minute, wide-spread travel restrictions, the Host Committee will consider alternative options for the conference.

In case you have to cancel your registration the following refunds are possible:

• Cancellations (full residential, non-residential, and online registrations) before September 28th: full refund
• Cancellations (full residential and non-residential registrations) before December 15th: full refund minus 45 EUR which is converted into a online participation.
• No refund after September 28th for online registrations and after December 15th for full and non-residential registrations.

No other refunds are possible.

Current travel restrictions

We hope there will be fewer travel restrictions in January. But please keep updated on the current regulations through one of these sites and be sure to check with your local US embassy concerning travel protocols and visa requirements.

• US Department of State
• Center for decease control and prevention
• List of restrictions at NAFSA
• List of US embassies.

In place of the postponed bi-annual IASYM Atlanta conference we will have a short e-conference and annual general meeting (AGM) on January 7th (January 8th for Asia). Participation is free, but you need to be registered on the website (Affiliate and full member). 

For full IASYM member - with an active membership - the AGM will take place after the e-conference. Voting for the executive board will be online and end just before the AGM. Check if you have paid you membership fee in your profile (upper right corner).

The European regional conference for 2023 will be held in Denmark. It will be held just after Easter, but the exact dates and location are still not set.