ALPHA YOUTH SERIES // WELCOME The Alpha Youth Series is an updated, interactive series that helps young people engage with the big questions of faith, life and meaning. This October, we are launching a brand new Alpha Youth Series and we can’t wait to show it to you. In 2013, we launched the very first Alpha Youth Film Series resource and it’s been so wonderful to see how this tool has helped churches all over the world create spaces for youth to engage in life-changing conversations about faith. The best days for Alpha are ahead and in the next ten years we are going to see millions of young people encounter the love of Jesus. The growth of Alpha Youth is the result of hundreds of Alpha staff around the world investing time, prayer, vision, budget and love into the next generation. We are so thankful for all you have done to make youth a core part of your strategy. We believe that the new Alpha Youth Series will serve you and your team as you look forward to the next five years of Alpha Youth. Thanks to all the user feedback from the first series, we’ve improved scripts, included more stories, more humour and new hosts. We’ve also added a thirteenth episode, improved the production quality, improved the questions and enhanced the whole experience. The new Alpha Youth Series will be available in English from October and we will work together to see it launched in dozens of languages in 2018 and beyond. Thank you for all you have done to champion the cause of the gospel and the local church. Let’s link arms as we invite a generation of youth to experience real hope in Jesus Christ.
Love from
Ben, Jason & the Alpha Youth Series Team 1
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// TRANSLATION For those countries that released Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS, 2013) over two years ago, or those who haven’t yet translated any youth product but feel ready for something new, we would encourage you to begin preparing for the upcoming launch of the Alpha Youth Series (2017), which will be released in English first, with international masters and scripts available in early 2018. For those countries currently translating the Alpha Film Series (AFS, 2016) as a priority, or those who have only just recently translated the Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS, 2013), please don’t worry or feel any pressure to now also adopt and translate the new Alpha Youth Series (2017). We realise translation of new product is a huge investment of time and resource. We encourage you to continue using the AFS (2016) and AYFS (2013) as the primary products in your regions for now.
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Please still feel free to use the Alpha Youth Series (2017) assets and images to promote other Alpha products where relevant. The Communications and Marketing Timeline, which can be found on pages 16–22 of this booklet, or the Alpha Hub in the Alpha Youth Series folder: alphahub.alpha.org, will also give you some ideas for promoting other Alpha products and engaging with churches in general. Thank you very much for all that you’re doing in your countries! Please send us any questions at comms@alpha.org; we always love to hear from you.
// PURPOSE
// TARGET AUDIENCE
Our core vision is for the evangelisation of the nations, the revitalisation of the church and the transformation of society. Just like our other products (Alpha with Nicky Gumbel and the Alpha Film Series), the Alpha Youth Series (2017) introduces the viewer to Jesus and explores the basics of the Christian faith.
As with the current Alpha Youth Film Series (2013), the Alpha Youth Series (2017) is designed for 13–18-year-olds. In order to capture the intellect, imagination and hearts of today’s youth, the series will contain updated elements that more effectively communicate the topics in each episode. Although our goal is to reach younger Alpha leaders and guests, anyone can use and benefit from the series.
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// WHY ARE WE CREATING A NEW YOUTH FILM SERIES? Since the launch of the Alpha Youth Film Series in 2013, it has been used in 49 countries, in 19 languages, in schools, homes, coffee shops and churches. It has revealed the global need for an Alpha resource that is contextualised for the youth context across the world. Since 2013, the world and our audience have evolved. Pokémon are hanging around on street corners and we’ve learnt (and forgotten) how to nae-nae, dab and stay on fleek; we know the importance of keeping up with the times and ensuring that our content is relevant for young people today.
// WHEN WILL THE ALPHA YOUTH SERIES BE RELEASED? As with all our Alpha products and resources, the Alpha Youth Series is available free of charge.
EPISODE 1
0CTOBER 2017
Episode 1 will be released in October 2017 on the Alpha Hub for National Alpha Offices (NAOs), and on Alpha Builder (alpha.org/run) and the Courses System (courses.alpha.org) for churches. Church leaders can also preview the episodes without having to register their Alphas in the Learn How/Preview section on Alpha Builder.
EPISODES 2–13
ONE A WEEK
The rest of the episodes will be released one a week following the first episode.
ALL EPISODES
END OF YEAR
The full series will be available by the end of the year. Please get in touch with us at comms@alpha.org if you’re interested in translating the series. Masters and scripts will be available in early 2018.
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CHANGES TO THE SERIES // GLOBAL AND CULTURAL RELEVANCE By incorporating feedback from all around the world, the new series is designed to better engage a broader global audience.
// THE NAME To help differentiate from the Alpha Film Series (2016), we’ve changed the name to ‘Alpha Youth Series’.
// IMPROVED CONTENT We’ve taken the feedback from the first Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS, 2013); our improved content is now clearer and more engaging.
// ADDED HOSTS Ben Woodman and Jason Ballard will be returning as the main presenters and, this time, they will be joined by new young co-hosts, each presenting different insights and perspectives in the episodes.
// MORE INTERVIEWS The new series will include more interviews from a diverse array of people. Some notable interviews include Cardinal Tagle, Scott Harrison and Nicky Gumbel.
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// THE EPISODES LIFE: IS THIS IT?
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FAITH: HOW CAN I HAVE FAITH?
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SPIRIT: WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WHAT DOES HE DO?
FILL: HOW CAN I BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?
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TELLING OTHERS: WHY AND HOW SHOULD I TELL OTHERS?
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JESUS: WHO IS HE?
CROSS: WHY DID JESUS DIE?
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PRAYER: WHY AND HOW DO I PRAY?
BIBLE: WHY AND HOW SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE?
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NEW LIFE: HOW DO I MAKE THE MOST OF THE REST OF MY LIFE?
EVIL: HOW CAN I RESIST EVIL?
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HEALING: DOES GOD HEAL TODAY?
CHURCH: WHAT ABOUT THE CHURCH?
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// THE EPISODES WILL FEATURE
PRODUCT
ALPHA WITH NICKY GUMBEL
ALPHA FILM SERIES
ALPHA YOUTH FILM SERIES (2013)
ALPHA YOUTH SERIES (2017)
EPISODES
15
15
12
13
LENGTH OF EPISODES
30–45 minutes
30 minutes
20–25 minutes
20–25 minutes
FORMAT
Talking head/live
Multiple locations, hosts and illustrations
Two hosts, a few interviews, and illustrations
Multiple hosts, more interviews, and illustrations
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TESTIMONIES Each episode with feature stories from different people all over the world on how they have met Jesus personally.
UPDATED VISUALS Updated and more dynamic visual references and stories aiming to inspire.
TRANSLATABLE TEXT FOR GRAPHICS All text overlays will be digital, enabling easy translation.
STREETERS/MONTAGE/VOXPOPS Every episode features three 1-minute montages of people from across the globe answering questions that guests will answer in their small groups.
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// WHAT IS THE PRODUCT BRANDING? Here is the branding mockup of the Alpha Youth Series. The branding files can be found on the Alpha Hub in the Alpha Youth Series folder: visit alphahub.alpha.org and click Alpha Global on the dashboard, followed by Content Library.
Here are some of the key branding elements: Fresh, young and exciting with colourful gradients and patterns to add a pop of energy.
Split-screen design shows the parallel of both the experience (top slice) and product (bottom slice) of Alpha.
The top slice showcases photos of young people on adventure together, experiencing community and fun, which is the same type of experience we want to invite them to on Alpha. The bottom slice showcases different screenshots from the actual episodes. It gives the viewer a peek into the actual series, showing the wide variety of locations and format of content that the series will feature.
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// WHAT IS THE FONT USED IN THE LOGO? The font for the text ‘Alpha Youth’ is the same font as the one used for the Alpha Film Series (2016): Trade Gothic Bold Condensed No. 20. Kindly note that this is just the font specific to the logos of the Alpha Youth Series and the Alpha Film Series, and isn’t an official Alpha font of any kind. Similar free fonts: NHL Colorado Font or NHL Montreal Font. The word ‘Series’ is handwritten. The logo files are also available on the Alpha Hub in the Alpha Youth Series folder: alphahub.alpha.org
// IS THE QUESTION MARK DIFFERENT? We have an Alpha question mark specific to the Alpha Youth Series, which we would love for you to use in all Alpha Youth Series-related material in the same way that you would use any Alpha question mark.
u Please refer to the Brand Guidelines on the Alpha Hub if you have any questions about our branding.
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FAQs What will happen to the current Alpha Youth Film Series webpages and social media accounts? They will all be redirected to the landing pages that will sit on alpha.org and the Alpha Global social media accounts.
What Alpha Youth Series resources will be available for promotion and training? u February – August: Behind the scenes images and videos (these are also shared on alpha.org/youth) u May – August: Teaser and trailer videos
What if I have only just translated the current Alpha Youth Film Series or the Alpha Film Series?
u June: Printed promotional materials: editable versions of banners, posters and postcards
Don’t worry! Please continue using them and don’t worry about using this new product for now.
u July: Press release
How and when can I start translating the Alpha Youth Series? All international masters and scripts will be available in early 2018. Please contact us at comms@alpha.org if you would like to get involved and translate it for your country.
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u September: Training guides and videos that are more specific to Alpha Youth u Early 2018: International masters and scripts for translation Where can I find all the images and assets for promotion of the Alpha Youth Series? All images and resources can be found on the Alpha Hub, on the Alpha Global site: alphahub.alpha.org
Will there be a social media and communications & marketing plan? Absolutely! The Communications and Marketing Timeline is on pages 16–22 of this booklet. It can be downloaded from Alpha Hub: alphahub.alpha.org in the Alpha Youth Series folder. Feel free to use the ideas for promoting your other Alpha products as well.
For the Alpha Youth Series, we will be sending you an Inside Track newsletter template, updated regularly with promotional material and production news, that you can forward to these church leaders and youth pastors if you so wish. You can also pop the content into your existing newsletters to churches. More information about this is in the Communications and Marketing Timeline.
What can I do to engage with church leaders and youth pastors about the Alpha Youth Series or other Alpha products? We have created a few guidelines for engaging early adopters and churches, also in the Communications and Marketing Timeline on pages 16–22. These church engagement ideas can also be used for other Alpha products. The Inside Track: If you don’t already have existing church-facing newsletters, we recommend that you invite church leaders to sign up to receive exclusive updates to the Alpha Youth Series and/or Alpha as a key strategy for church engagement. Through this, you can then capture early adopters for the Alpha Youth Series and/or other Alpha products, and identify strategic Alpha advocates in your country.
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ALPHA YOUTH SERIES COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING TIMELINE This is the recommended communications and marketing plan for the English version of the Alpha Youth Series (AYS), which will be available from October 2017. If you’ve only just translated the current Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and/or the Alpha Film Series (2016) in the past year, please feel free to use this plan for ideas on how to promote these other Alpha products and engaging with churches in general.
currently running Alpha Youth to ensure they are aware of this youth-specific resource and how it will enable them to run Alpha easily. This guide also includes a recommended plan for social media. Feel free to contact us at comms@alpha.org with any questions.
Our aim is to equip National Alpha Offices (NAOs) to build momentum, create a buzz and ensure your existing churches already running Alpha are well-resourced with the AYS. We will also aim to suggest ways in which you can engage with churches that are not
Asset delivery: u Coming Soon video u Landing pages on alpha.org/youth (feel free to duplicate this for your own Alpha websites) u February – August: Behind the scenes images and videos Timeline overview: u Tease and Engage: February – September 2017
u May – August: Teaser and trailer videos u June: Editable versions of banners, posters and postcards u July: Press release
u Launch: October 2017
u September: Training guides and videos that are more specific to Alpha Youth
u Roll out: Ongoing from early October 2017
u Early 2018: International masters and scripts for translation
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// TIMELINE MAY u Church engagement Work with your Alpha Youth Coordinator(s) to identify key youth pastors and leaders who are already engaged with the current Alpha Youth Film Series and, where possible, are active on social media. These will be your potential early adopters/key AYS advocates. The Inside Track: Get up-to-date information on everything happening behind the scenes through our Inside Track, please contact your regional office to get signed up. u Website Decide if you’d prefer using the global AYS landing page on alpha.org/youth or duplicate it on your own Alpha website. All assets to do so are on the Alpha Hub, Alpha Global site: alphahub.alpha.org u Social media With the new AYS, we really want to promote the idea of one Alpha, many contexts, and so we highly encourage everyone to share the AYS content directly from your regional/national Alpha channels, instead of setting up separate Alpha Youth accounts. The existing Alpha Youth Film Series social media channels will also be phased out, with them all directing to the global Alpha channels.
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Share u The Coming Soon video u The landing page on alpha.org/youth or duplicated on your own Alpha website. u Encourage your followers to follow Ben Woodman and Jason Ballard on Instagram to journey with them as they film on location. Example posts u A range of sample posts are available for you in the Alpha Youth Series folder on the Alpha Hub.
JUNE u Church engagement
u Events
Invite your advocates to share the teaser trailer video on social media with their thoughts/opinions/excitement.
Research and get in touch with any events eg key Christian festivals, conferences, etc.
u Website
Alternatively, host an Alpha conference or training event that you could invite your advocates and other churches to.
Upload the teaser trailer video and printed/ digital promotional materials to the AYS landing pages on your website. These will all be available on the Alpha Hub: alphahub. alpha.org u Social media Share the teaser trailer video.
u Print/Online/Broadcast Research Christian broadcasters, online blogs, youth magazines and partner online pages. A press release will be available in July.
Example posts u Here’s a first look at the new #AlphaYouthSeries Influencers u Start making a list of key social media influencers. Ideal influencer: someone who is influential in the field of youth ministry with a large (ideally 5/10k+) following. This could include well-known youth pastors, authors, worship leaders and Christian celebrities.
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// TIMELINE JULY
AUGUST
u Church engagement
u Church engagement
Invite your advocates to join with you in promoting the AYS.
Invite your advocates to share the full trailer video on social media with their thoughts/opinions/excitement.
Encourage your advocates to consider becoming AYS early adopters. This would mean that they would be the first to use the new AYS from October to run their Alphas as each episode comes out each week. Create a list of these early adopters. u Social media Share the behind the scenes images and videos. Example posts u Go behind the scenes with Ben and Jason. u Print/Online/Broadcast For radio stations, we recommend booking in interviews with influential church leaders, youth pastors and/or key Alpha staff. Get in touch with the Christian broadcasters, online blogs, youth magazines and partner online pages you would like to advertise the AYS.
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u Website Embed the YouTube link to the full trailer video onto the AYS landing pages on your website. u Social media Continue building excitement around the release of the first AYS episode in October. Share the full trailer video. Example posts u The #AlphaYouthSeries, launching in October
SEPTEMBER u Church engagement Mobilise your advocates, asking them to join your regional or national social media campaign. Invite them to ask their networks to also join the campaign to reach as many people as possible. u Social media If you want to make some noise on social media and reach a large number of people, then we have found Thunderclap to be a helpful tool, but feel free to use what is most effective in your region/country.
Example posts u A range of sample posts are available for you in the Alpha Youth Series folder on the Alpha Hub. Influencers u Reach out to your influencers, sharing the teaser or trailer video with them and asking them to join the conversation on social media and share the first episode of the AYS with as many people as possible.
If you would like more details about Thunderclap, let us know at comms@alpha.org.
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// TIMELINE OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
u Church engagement
u Church engagement
Your advocates will receive a sneak peek of the first episode 24 hours before release.
Send out a ‘thank you’ message from Ben and Jason, eg telling the advocates how many people saw the first episode.
Continue encouraging your advocates to become early adopters and use the AYS as soon as the first episode is released.
Keep your early adopters informed of the episode delivery schedule and where they are available.
u Social media LAUNCH! On launch day, follow the conversation around the AYS and keep retweeting positive reactions to the first episode and interacting with users who are sharing their thoughts. Encourage your followers to watch and share the first episode. u Print/Online/Broadcast If you haven’t already, send the press release to Christian press, blogs, youth magazines and partner online pages.
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Encourage them to share images, endorsements and write blogs about their experience of using the AYS for the first time. u Social media Influencers u Thank your influencers for their involvement by sharing an update with them about the launch. Review your influencers list to note who was involved so you have a record for the future.
DECEMBER u Church engagement
u Events
Continue rolling out the AYS and let your wider church network know that all episodes of the AYS are now available.
Consider inviting your early adopters to a panel interview/training event, to discuss using the AYS to run Alpha and encourage other churches and youth groups to do the same.
Please get in touch with us at comms@alpha.org if you’re interested in translating the series, so that we can keep you informed about when international masters and scripts will be available to you in early 2018. u Website and Social media Share the endorsements, testimonies and blogs from your early adopters.
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ALPHA.ORG/YOUTH #RUNALPHA