YOUTH WORK IN ARDEN MARCHES

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Parish Youth Worker Blog.. 6 Month Mark.

Well, I’ve past my first 6th months and I’m coming to the end of my first year working with the Arden Marches group of Churches. It’s gone so quick!!

So how is everything going at the moment..? GREAT!! I’m so excited by everything that is going on at the moment. I’m shocked, thrilled and happy to report that I am ON TRACK with my uni work wooop woop!! I have until 6th June to finish my JNC work and then 30th June to hand in two more 3,000 word essays. I’ll be very proud of myself when I get it finished. It’s been a tough ride as essay writing is not my favourite thing to do in life, but I’ve enjoyed every min of university. I’ve learnt so much and my confidence is definitely growing.

Embers is going FANTASTIC!! It was a bit of a struggle at first with being the new person, wanting to make changes but still build relationships with the young people and parents. However the groups are growing amazingly. We have around 7-12 young people a week between the two groups and both groups are responding, questioning and growing in strength. I come out of the sessions buzzing from just how incredible the sessions have been with how the young people have interacted with each other and the topics.
Most of the new members in the younger group have joined because of the work myself and David (Claverdon’s youth worker) are doing in Studley High. We meet every Friday lunch time and have around 20 girls weekly. We just play games but some good relationships are being built up and of course, some come to Embers now. At Henley things are slightly different. We have around 5 boys weekly on Thursday lunchtime and David is getting alongside them nicely.

Another project which also really excites me is the Outreach Project which launched at the beginning of March. A group of 4 go out every Friday night in school term time. We set up a table outside the youth centre and serve free hot chocolate and biscuits to the young people. On average we have approx. 30 young people a night. The question we get asked the most is, “why do you do this?”. We each have our own answers but the young people are really appreciative of us being there. It’s a great couple of hours on the streets and I’m really excited to see how it develops!! The police are certainly relieved that we are there. P.C. Gary has been very helpful and supportive of the project.
We also have a prayer time which meets whilst the Team are out on the street. If you wish to know more, or would like to join the team then PLEASE ask Sue Ludlow where she lives and you can just turn up! We value anyone who wants to join the team or pray for us.

I mentioned last time that I was a part of a Core Group who is involved in improving the youth service in Studley. This work is on-going and despite the recent and radical cuts, I am VERY expectant of God to overcome all obstacles that we may face. There has been a lot of research done and consultation with businesses, the school and the young people of Studley. I’ve not been able to attend recent meetings due to uni commitments but I can tell you that there are some great ideas and plans coming together. I’ll be getting involved again more after Easter. I’m (again) very excited about this project and looking forward to seeing what we can produce for young people. I ask that you pray for all that are working hard for young people at this current time.

What does the future hold..? LOTS! At the moment I’m currently looking at how I can develop everything that is going on currently. Over May the older Embers group are having social nights whilst they are taking their exams. The younger group meanwhile will be exploring their creative side. I’m also planning a residential for the groups in Sept/Oct time which will be opened up to other youth groups in the deanery. Plans are being made for an Easter project for next year. I’m thinking about the school groups and how we can maintain relationships whilst supporting the new year 7’s and getting to know the older age groups. I’m having conversations about how we can link up with the rest of the deanery and how they can link up with us. I’m also looking at where I can do my 2 alternative 3 week long placements for uni. I’m planning another trip to see my partner in Uganda next April. I’m planning to get my licence and a car!!! All in all, the work never stops and I LOVE IT!

I thank God every day that he brought me to Studley. There is so much potential and so many opportunities to see young people grow into amazing young beings. God is here and working in Studley!! I thank everyone that supports me and the youth work because it is so vital and very much appreciated!!! You might have picked up already, but I am VERY excited about everything going on and everything that will go on. It’s a privilege to work with young people. They are incredible people who teach me so much! I encourage you all to spend time with them and get involved with what God is doing at this time. Thanks!

Bethan
APRIL Parish Youth Worker Blog.. Life as a youth worker!

Dear readers,

Hi! As many of you may know, I’m Bethan Sweetman and I’m the youth worker for the Arden Marches Group of Churches. I work part time as a youth worker and part time as a student studying ‘young people communities and practical theology’. I started my job back in September and I thought it was about time I reported and let the community know what I am and have been up to. It’s been a busy 6 months!
When I started my role, there was just a well attended church youth group for 11 – 18 year olds. My first actions were to split the group to years 7 – 9 and years 10 upwards. The groups are now smaller and developing well. The groups still take part in join activities and regularly have joint social nights, DVD nights and outings. My next task was to tap in to Henley and Studley High Schools. Working closely with the youth worker in Claverdon Church, we now run lunch time clubs. On a Thursday we have a club running for year 8 students at Henley High. On a Friday we have a club for the year 7 students of Studley High. In these clubs we are currently building up relationships with the students, playing games and having a chat over a sweet or two. I’m looking forward to see how these sessions develop further in the future. During my time I have also been networking. I have built up a good relationship with the workers at the Youth and Community Centre. In the near future we will be linking up together to launch a Friday Night Outreach Project. This project will entail members of the Baptist and Parish Church working with the staff at the Youth Centre to go out on a Friday night handing out hot chocolate and biscuits, and having a chat with the young people. This project will be launching on the 4th March. My networking has also led me to being a part of a Core Group who is looking at service provision for young people in Studley. We have been consulting with young people and hope to gain further support from the community in the next couple of weeks.
In the near future I am hoping to co-host an Alcester Deanery Youth Residential. This will be held at Claverdon Parish Centre for 11 – 18 year olds. I am also hoping to continue to work with the young people and the community to develop service provision within Studley for young people. This is an outline of my work for the past 6 months.. In my next post I will dig deeper into the trials, barriers and personal disasters (that I wouldn’t change for a second) to reveal the true life of a youth worker..!

Bethan_0404@hotmail.com

Here are some photos of our Shrove Tuesday celebrations, Delirious gig and some silly games.