Thank you for your interest in writing for the 180 symposium! Writers are a critical part of the discussion that will encourage change in the right direction.


Be A Writer

The 180° Symposium addresses issues in ministering to young people in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and beyond. The term “young people” includes youth (teens), young adults, and children. The topic for the March 25-27, 2024 symposium is “WHO CARES? Ministering to (and with) Young People in a Secular World.”

Those interested in writing and presenting a paper for the 180° Symposium March 25-27, 2024, at Andrews University are invited to submit a one-page proposal to Steve Case at Steve@involveyouth.org no later than November 1, 2023.

Because all papers will be peer-reviewed before the March 25-27 symposium, the deadline for submitting your completed paper is Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Send your completed paper via email to Steve@involveyouth.org. The length of the paper should target the 2,000-3,000 word range, which is 8-12 pages, double space, 12 point font in Times New Roman font.

The symposium will be a hybrid event, with both in-person and Zoom video, with interaction on the social media app “Slack.” Writers can do their presentations in-person or online or through Zoom. Each writer is given 15 minutes to present an overview of their paper, followed by 15 minutes of feedback and discussion. Participants will have access to the full paper via Slack for reference at least one week before the symposium. Those who register for the symposium, both writers and participants, will be sent an email invitation to the 180° Symposium page on Slack.

The first day of the symposium will be spent hearing presentations on this year’s topic and providing feedback. The second day will be spent in breakout groups to address the topic from three perspectives of practitioners, administrators, or academicians. Each group will address the topic from their selected perspective and based on the papers presented on the first day and the expertise of those engaged in the dialogue. By the end of the second day, each breakout group should prepare their main points and recommendations for presentation on the third day. The third day will include a report of each of the three perspectives from the second day, with feedback from others present. The third day’s activities will end with lunch.

Following the symposium, writers will have an opportunity to revise their papers based on the symposium. They will then send them to Steve Case for editing and will receive the edited version before this collection gets published in hard copy by AdventSource and put online as individual chapters on the Andrews University Digital Commons website. Writing a paper doesn’t guarantee its inclusion in the publication, but not writing a paper does guarantee it will not be included. 😊

Guidelines for the Paper

  • Select a subtopic of the overall topic and submit a one-page proposal explaining what you would like to address. A list of potential subtopics is available.
  • Limit yourself to 2,000-3,000 words (8-12 pages, double space).
  • Support your subtopic with 10-20 references (quotations and/or references) using in-text citation in University of Chicago (“Turabian”) format. For examples, see https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/turabian/turabian-author-date-citation-quick-guide.html.
  • Use American spelling.
  • Type you paper in Microsoft Word format, with 1-inch margins, align left, using Times New Roman font, 12 point type.
  • Insert page numbers centered at the bottom of each page.
  • Your manuscript title should be centered, bold, ALL CAPS. You may include a subtitle if you choose.
  • After your title (and subtitle if you have one) double space and center the name and highest earned degree of the writer.
  • Triple space and Include a 1-paragraph abstract (overview) after completing your paper, but place it at the beginning of the paper, in italics.
  • Organize your paper with an introduction and first level headings. You may choose to have second level subheadings if you so desire.
  • First level headings are centered, bold, and Capitalize First Letters of Major Words
  • Second level headings are centered, regular font, and Capitalize First Letters of Major Words
  • If you would like to see examples as a template, refer to 180° Symposium papers from 2023.
  • The 180° symposium is addressing those in professional ministry to young people. This includes youth (teens), young adults, and children, although you may choose to address just one or two of these subsets rather than the entire range of “young people.”
  • It is vital that after summarizing your key point(s) or “conclusion(s)” toward the end of your paper that you include at least three to five recommendations based on your conclusions. Identify to whom you identify your recommendations, drawing from the three groups of academicians, administrators, and practitioners. Examples of academicians include professors, teachers, researchers, and graduate students. Examples of administrators include those making policy decisions and administering budgets such as youth directors, presidents, and those in school administration. Examples of practitioners include pastors, youth pastors, Bible teachers, counselors, social workers, and anyone doing ministry at a local church or Christian school.

Deadlines for Writers

 

As of 4/18/23