The purpose of the research was to examine the experiences of youth belonging to sexual and gender minority groups in confirmation school and the following youth work in Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Based on the research, a guide was composed for the employees in the church’s confirmation school work. The guide is titled Minäkin olen Jumalan kuva – Opas sateenkaarinuorten kohtaamiseen rippikoulussa. The guide is digitally published and it can be found on the official internet page of the Evangelical Lutheran Chruch of Finland by Kirkkohallitus.

The thesis is a production. It includes the report and the guide. The theoretical portion of the report deals with sexual and gender minorities, the confirmation school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finlands and the church’s attitude towards the minorities.

The research was qualitative and the material for it was gathered through semi-structured themed interviews. The material was reviewed via content analysis. Using the results and source literature, the guide was produced, in which the experiences of the youth were presented. Tangible instructions for encountering sexual and gender minority youth better overall were also assembled.

Experiences of the youth in confirmation school are presented in the conclusions. The youth brought up their experiences, ranging from positive to negative. The interviews also revealed, how feelings of isolation had had long-term effects on their thoughts about church and congregation.

The improvement proposals presented by the youth highlighted augmentating the awareness of the church youth workers. The interviewees also emphasized the hope that the youth in sexual and gender minority groups were acknowledged in the activities of the church, without a big deal being made out of it.