In a few minutes the 2012 National Youth Assembly of the Church of Scotland will get underway. This is one of my favorite annual events but it snuck up on me this year. This is partly because I have been super-busy the last few weeks and partly because it is being held three weeks earlier than the past few years.

I am glad that it has caught my attention because it is for me one of the highlights of the year. This is not your usual denominational youth event. Sure, there are plenty of great social events and fellowship time. But this group is also a deliberative body in the best Presbyterian tradition. Every year they designate three or four topics for the group to discuss and finally formulate into a General Assembly style deliverance that they then take to the wider church and the General Assembly itself. It is great opportunity to see the younger generation of the church in action and hear what they are thinking.

So beginning today, 10 August, through Monday 13 August roughly 300 youth (young adults between the ages of 16 and 25) will be gathered in Dundee at the West Park Conference Centre.

So what is on the docket for this year?  While the official source of information, the COSY blog, has not been updated yet but there is a schedule posted on the Church of Scotland web site with the live streaming on the National Youth Assembly 2012 page. The overall theme is “Breaking Barriers” and the debate topics on the schedule include Tax Evasion/Finance, HIV/Aids and Domestic Abuse. Other sessions listed are the Scottish Youth Parliament and Human Library. (And on a personal note I am grateful that latter one is scheduled at a time I can easily listen in from the other side of the world.)

So you want to follow along with a few of us?  Here are some places to check out.  The live streaming is up on the Church of Scotland web site. Comments, reflections and official decisions usually appear on the COSY blog. There is also a photostream on flickr that may have some pictures.

And of course the best way to follow will be by way of Twitter. I would make a guess that the hashtag will be #nya12 but follow the official feed at @cosy_nya to be sure. And the Moderator of the NYA, Euan Patterson, can be followed at @Elfangorax. although I suspect he will be so busy he won’t have time to tweet much.

So, I hope you will join me in seeing what the younger members of the church are talking about.