Thursday, December 10, 2009



Here I am
spilling all I believe
is the best in Youth Work .
All I have strived, stumbled and fumbled with over many years.
Take what you want.
Transpose it to your own context.
YOU are the expert
in YOUR context
become .........
Leadership.
Leadership is a function not status.
I have never said 'my staff' because
I believe that every single human brings uniqueness to youthwork.
I believe that leadership is about
Purpose, Programme, Process and People.
A leader cannot do everything but these are the essentials and priorities.

Teamwork.
No matter how large or small the youth work is
- a team is needed to do the job
and to nurture/disciple young humans.

A team needs to meet monthly to work together
at Programme,

Training, Planning and Fun.
Especially if the work is tough,
a team can be the one positive part of a youth worker's life.
Open communication is vital.
I believe that God was strategic
in sending Jesus to be with us

and that Jesus was strategic in building a team
which we know as disciples.
The need to belong within all of us can be met
in a closely working and breathing together team.
Jesus had a priority of building a team.

Bible Study.
If you have a team of workers who can meet during the day, there is no better way than coming together weekly to look at the handbook!
For thirty years in my leadership life,
as a leader of a community,
the first hour of the senior team was always Bible study.
Striving to understand it in its context - when it was written,
and then transposing the principles
into the reality of youth work.

Everyone on the team needs to take an equal turn.
I have always had young workers at the heart of a senior team
contributing equally and feeling the learning the pressure
of leading a bible study and devotional times.

Love, Security, New Experiences and Participation.
These have always been core principles
and practice in youth work.
All humans need to develop and can do
if they experience these four - and so can we.

Programme.
Enclosed is a model which comes out of experience
of open youth work

but can be adapted to any context.
It promotes openness and acceptance
as youngsters enter into a youth provision.

Casual, no pressure.
It also has many open doors to encourage them
to take steps into further involvement
through to leadership.

A good programme involves body,
mind and spiritual activities.


Group Work.
There is a difference between Working with groups
and Group work.

The former is gathering a group together and doing programme type activities.
The latter is forming a group with a closed membership and leadership.
This is a particularly good model for working with young humans with behavioural issues.
That group then stays together long term
and is secure in terms of belonging and beautiful
in terms of growing into the fullness of life that God wants for us.
I have belonged to such a group for 29 years.

But - the greatest of these is Love.
You will work with a range of humans - young and old.
You will be working with young humans from different backgrounds.
You may have the privilege of those with Polish accents,
other cultures,
those with a differing economic status,
academic abilities and more.
You will understand them fully ONLY if there is intimacy.
Building a positive,
helping relationship seems to me to be pretty important.
No matter what the cultural background,
economic, academic state may be -
there is one language which is understood by all.
That is the language of love.

Love needs to predominate over our passion for engagement,
sport, faith, relationships, church whatever.
They can tell if you love them.
Love seeps through the pores of your skin,
in your eyes, in your face and body language.
Love is largely non-verbal, just like all communication.
May you journey into love.
Falling increasingly in love -
passionately with your creator.