YES - Libby Spence, faith adviser, Girlguiding UK
We aim to help girls develop their spiritual side. This can encompass anything that touches them and makes them think beyond themselves. It's a good way to view the world and their place in it.
I don't believe you can separate faith and spirituality. A lot of Guides have been interested in the Make Poverty History campaign, which has a spiritual dimension.
We have a promise everyone makes that uses the phrase "my God", so it can be used by anyone of any faith in the context of their own beliefs.
For Buddhists we have alternative wordings.
Some girls are not into any religion, but often show an interest in other things such as aromatherapy. It seems to me that religious people are tolerant of each other and it's secular people who get anxious about it.
In the Guides we have to be mindful of all faiths, including food considerations.
We are getting better at it, and we're helping Guide leaders to be aware of these issues in their local areas.
YES - Terry Sanderson, vice-president, National Secular Society
Young people care about spirituality, but not necessarily in the way churches would like. Young people do search for some kind of spiritual meaning in their lives, but a lot of churches might be disappointed to find it doesn't mean religion.
Spirituality means having morals and ethics, and treating others as you would like to be treated yourself. That is my version of spirituality and it has no religious connotation to it. There is a difference between faith and spirituality. Faith is believing something that can't be proved, such as the Virgin Birth. These are things that are often rammed down young people's throats.
It's good for young people to explore and look at options, but if they are drawn into a particular religion the exploration ends and they become defined by religions such as Islam or Catholicism - it's sad. The label is an identification, a sense of belonging, but it also creates a sense of separation.
NO - Hanne Stinson, executive director, British Humanist Association
Some young people care deeply about their faith, but most do not believe in God or have any religious beliefs. A 2004 study for the Department for Education and Skills found that 65 per cent of 12- to 19-year-olds are not religious, and Church of England statistics show that only 164,000 children attend Sunday services.
Significantly, the Government study also found that, while religious belief had declined by 10 per cent in less than 10 years, moral attitudes had not.
People do not need faith to be moral. Young people brought up in other faiths tend to retain their faith more, but many remain involved with religion simply because it is central to their culture.
Spirituality is notoriously difficult to define. If it means a sense of wonder about the world, concern about morality, or a belief in humanity's potential, then most young people probably care about it. But if that comes with a mass of religious and pseudo-religious baggage, most will not.
YES - Kirsty Jordan, 18, UK Youth Parliament member for Mid and East Devon
I have friends who are into religion and friends who aren't. Although I was christened, I am not a practising Christian - I just live life.
A lot of my friends are into tarot cards and horoscopes. I got into reading my horoscope because my friends were into it and sometimes they consult the Magic 8-Ball for decisions. They got me one, too, but I just do it for fun.
Faith and spirituality don't mean much to me, but they're nice for people to have. They feel there is someone there looking out for them, or have people in their church to talk to.
Some people think faith is complete rubbish. I don't really know what the Church can offer me as a young person, but I think it does offer a lot if you're looking for it. I do have a Bible, though I've never read it, and have been to Sunday school, but I never got much out of it. I don't feel I have the time to sit in church on Sunday. I think what people get out of it depends on the person.
