A very pleasant, if soggy, morning in the garden fettling an old fence panel into two doors meaning that the Cavy Cabin is complete. The Guinea pigs can now fret less about the approaching winter and get on with doing what ever Guinea pigs like to do.
REALLY HOT OFF THE PRESS
I can't track down any details at the moment but a press release by Youth Specialities yesterday announced that they have "released" Marko! It's difficult to imagine Youth Specialities without Mark Ostreicher.
I have no idea what this means and whether this was by amicable agreement or more of a cull?
Anyone got any more info?
Further: Various links in the comments and an update here from The Christian Post
I seem to be having a bit of a crisis of confidence when it comes to blogging. I'm happy that the blog is a quirky mix of personal stuff, youth ministry stuff and the interface of the two, but this week I've been unsure as to what constitutes blog-worthy and what is more in the realms of get-a-life. This is still not quite resolved in my mind yet; especially as what seems to be emerging from the bloggy bit of my brain, for a post, is a kind of, 'my week' by Ian Macdonald aged 42. I'm going to write it up anyway tho' as it'll serve as a reminder of the things I need to do a proper write up of (and maybe to just, Get a Life!)
So, beginning randomly at last Wednesday, which saw me in London at the LICC listening to Nick Shepherd present some research and thinking about discipleship. It proved to be a valuable session and started a whole bunch of thinking about "Intentional Christian Community" which I must write about. Had lunch with a fellow Youth work veteran and thoroughly enjoyed the reflection, challenge and encouragement that involved. Worked on the train on the way home and did a few more e-mails/phone calls from home.
Thursday: Dropped our German guest off at the coach station and hit the road, arriving at my desk at 07:30 (great news as this meant an hour of work with the radio on before anyone arrived and asked me to switch it off.) Mainly a management and paperwork sort of a day but had meetings also in Faringdon and Burford with a youth work volunteer about training, then some non managerial supervision for an employed youth work (while eating cake, yay!). Picked up my eldest son, took him out for chips on the way to a drama performance he was in with his youth. group.
Friday: Day off and catching up on some reading (including Youthwork magazine). Took the offspring swimming and then helped to cook a celebration meal in the evening for a bunch of friends.
Saturday: Family trip to Westonbirt Arboretum but didn't see much as there were too many trees in the way!! Got back in time to pick up the three teenagers that make up the cafe team for VERTIGO and head up to Oxford. Slight flap on the way there when someone from VERTIGO phoned to say 'help, we have to feed 25 people before the event' but we managed to solve that ....... one of the teenagers ordered £120 worth of Pizza from the car which we were able to pick up. Fab event; hundreds of teenagers, great conversation and a good vibe .... and although i was running the cafe all the time the worship/talk sounded great.
Sunday: Hit the gym (felt like it hit back) then onto Church followed by a Sunday School lunch. Hit the office at about 5pm to catch up with some stuff and prepare a session for the evening. Onto Headington to be with a wonderful bunch of young people who'd invited me to do a session on 'boys and girls' (but not the sex bit) and I adapted this session which went down really well. I enjoyed the great observations, discussion and reflections from the teenagers.
Monday: My department residential at Douai Abbey as we worked together on the structural changes that will see us and the Board of Social responsibility morph into the Board of Mission. Exhausting but rewarding day. Phone chat with a youth worker about boundaries in ministry.
Tuesday: Residential continued with the whole morning being taken up with looking at a survey on Biblical Literacy and what it might mean for Discipleship and Mission.
Cracking evening at home with a friend popping round and our German guest returning. The highlight of the evening being translating "On top of Spaghetti" into German; then my daughter and I attempting to sing it.
Wednesday: Youth work project meeting on the Blackbird Leys estate and catching up with paperwork, answering queries, phone calls and quite a bit of management stuff. Glimpses of the desk by the end of the day.
Today: Various management meetings, a great chat about a possible network of schools workers in Oxford, writing a response to the "Oxfordshire Children and Young People's plan". Oh and a really interesting conversation with a fellow youth adviser that morphed into an interesting piece of theological reflection on nurture and service in youth ministry. I'm heading straight out from the office tonight over to meet a group of volunteers in a West Oxfordshire village who would like to help their church engage with young people.
Excellent article from Tim Davies in 'Young People Now' exploring the opportunities and methodologies for youth work in a digital age. It's an EXCELLENT two page summary whether you are an embracer of tech' or a media virgin. Well worth a read!
You'll find further wisdom and discussion over at Tim's blog
(I'm also very impressed with his card system whereby he gives audiences red cards to wave if he is no longer being understood .............. this could be GREAT for sermons!!)
I'm a regular (and long term) reader of Youthwork the mag!' One of the things I enjoy is the editorial that martin Saunders writes each month. It could so easily be just a page filler but Martin always has something challenging to say, and a great way of saying it.
This months' challenge to embrace unity is well worth reading! In particular I find myself loving this quote for its humour, its insight and its prophetic kick to our collective backsides:
"The lack of genuine church unity isn't the elephant in the room; it's the steaming pile of elephant dung on our mission statement"
A quick reminder that Ruth Hassall is coming to Oxford on November 12th to run a training day on the Youth Edition of Growing Leaders. The day will enable you to run the leadership and discipleship course with the young people you work with.
There are more details here
Firstly a job in the Diocese .................
Youth Worker in North Oxfordshire
supported by churches but based in the Schools and Community
We are seeking a trained youth worker with a
compassionate heart for young people to be a mentor and
leader and provide pastora l care and spiritual support.
Salary £16,000--£19,000 plus housing depending on experience and qualifications.
For further details contact Mike Tydeman on 01295 721525.
Closing date for applications: 17 November 2009 Interview date: 30 November 2009
Secondly, an opportunity ........
A Church in the Diocese are having a Parish weekend away and are looking for youth leader/worker(s) to head up the youth programme. The dates are 22nd - 24th October 2010.
If you are interested let me know and I'll put you in touch
I had lunch with a friend and fellow "Youth Work veteran" yesterday. It was great to be reflecting on the past, enjoying the now, as well sharing stories of hope for the future. Thanks Roy ..... I saw this book cover and thought it fitted our musings on life, faith and ministry :-)
Article from the Guardian at the weekend looking at how teenage leads see, feel and interact with the world. Well worth a read!
Quite a few Dioceses are facing huge financial challenges brought on by the recession and having to make some difficult decisions. Whilst I fully understand the difficulties of this I am very concerned that youth work seems to be an immediate target for cuts, with at least two Dioceses making Diocesan Youth Adviser posts redundant and then creating a new combined youth and children's (and in some case ... and something else) post.
At the very least this reduces support and development of youth work/ministry by 50% but in reality I think, much more. Youth work and Children's work are very different skills, it's unusual for someone to have both and I have seen many many more examples of these combined roles being occupied by children's practitioners than I have by youth workers. Futhermore Children's work pulls in more numbers, more 'feel good factor' and more volunteers meaning that even people trying to balance the roles will be (in my opinion) pulled in the children's work direction.
I believe that this idea of an obvious saving being made by lumping support, advice and training for all young people from 0-20 under one category is unrealistic, unhelpful and unworkable (in effective delivery). Cutting deeper and therefore removing all support for work with young people is obviously even worse.
Yes, I know I am biased BUT I passionately believe that any further steps back from the Churches engagement with adolescents is to fail the young people we should be serving AND to miss out on how much we can learn from them.
I have just written the following statement in support of one project that looks like being axed. I know another Diocese that is looking at where it will cut (and there will be others). So if it's anyway useful, feel free to quote me as saying .......
"I firmly believe that our mission with, to and among young people is critical, both for the teenagers of our country AND indeed for the life of the church(es).
In the post Christendom landscape, and current cultural climate where adolescents are frequently scape-goated for societal failings, the church standing along side young people and engaging with them is both prophetic and vital. I believe we should be the advocates, the listeners to their stories and the brokers of spiritual conversations where young people can explore meaning, identity and purpose. We have much to give and importantly, much to learn from teenagers.
In the last few years many factors together have led to many churches being completely disconnected from teenagers. Diocesan support of existing work AND pro-actively helping churches to re-engage with the teenagers needs to be a priority of our resourcing, time and energy. We are good at working with children, and experts with the elderly; but in danger of failing to help, nurture and engage with the adolescents in our parishes and deaneries.
Cutting posts in this area of Church life and mission is damaging in the now, and may prove disastrous in the long term"
OK, ISA goes live with the 'vetting and Barring' scheme today. Here's what you need to know as a youth worker for the moment.
There are two changes to the CRB process:
1.Standard disclosures are no longer an option, only enhanced.
2.The criteria for needing a CRB comes in line with ISA in that if you are working in a 'regulated activity', you need a CRB disclosure.
ISA now hold the new 'children's list' (which takes over from the previous POCA and list 99) and 'employers' (this includes bodies that 'employ' volunteers) have a duty to refer any individuals who pose a risk to young people.
It'll be Spring 2010 before the new CRB form comes out with ISA option. From Nov 2010 all new appointments will require ISA registration. Checking existing workers and volunteers will be a phased process over the next few years.
IN the meantime: All relevant CP process and CRB disclosures should be done as usual, waiting until everything kicks into gear in the middle of next year is not an option.
Check also the 8 myths which is a very useful resource produced by the DCSF
I've managed to make further progress over the weekend. The floor is fully floor-boarded with the the wood from a de-constructed pallet (although it turns out to take a phenomenal amount of work to take a pallet apart in such a way that leaves the wood intact, nail free and usable).
There is just a hint of creosote discernible on the evening breeze, nice!
Number 10 in the ongoing nosey into the administrative heart of Youth work projects. Pleased to see that this one is back on trend with a fair degree of non-orderliness. This is though the first office I've encountered where it is actually a converted stable (just out of shot there are still wrought iron hay baskets on the wall).
No coffee cup OR coffee making facilities in evidence anywhere!! *shudder*
I'm also going to post Youth work office 10a after this series sparked a world wide trend *laughing* .... OK, less than a trend BUT Chris in Australia read the posts and put up a picture of his office. Still pretty cool though, eh!
(Viewers north of the equator may have to turn their monitors upside-down (obviously) to view this correctly)
Chris's office does pick up another typical trend from the offices I've visited, huge amounts of electrical items and insufficient wall mounted socketry!
I worked on the Guinea Garrison last night until lack of light stopped play. I was chuffed to have got the roof on (yay) but then realised it was too dark to apply the waterproof felt, so had to take it off again (sob). Anyway, progress so far ......
I was recently pointed to a Worship Service that I missed at Greenbelt. Chris Curtis and LCET put together a service that they subtitled, "finding God in the fun, the passion and the power of film" and it uses film quotes and clips to provide the images and words of a creative service.
It is, in a word, brilliant! It actually gave me goosebumps, a sense of joy (and some laughter) just reading the service. Man, I wish I'd been there
LCET have generously made it available as a resource (providing you acknowledge LCET) and you can find it at their web site!
"We believe in one Director, maker of all that is screened and unscreened.
We believe we have been cast in His story.
That we have a perfect part created for us to play.
We believe we are more than extras.
We believe we have heard the call for 'action'.
That now is the time for us to speak up and be heard.
We believe this is not a rehearsal ..............."
One of the perks of my job is I am the only person at Church House who can make use of delivery pallets and hence if there are deliveries that leave an empty pallet when unloaded ... I normally get them. This particular beauty is going to be part of the winter palace (shed) for the Guinea pigs that I am in the middle of building.
This will be the smallest shed in my outbuilding arsenal! So far it is only a completed frame and a double glazed window!!!! (The Pallet is going to be deconstructed, then used for floor planks).
OK, this is my attempt to write up the discussion day on Church engagement with adolescents and give a flavour of where we went. The normal text is the framework that I wrote, the italics being the comments recorded on the flip chart.
1. The Objective: To see if there are trends emerging in terms of church involvement with teenagers. Then looking therefore at what this means for the church we serve ... and for the work we (and the parishes) do in terms of engagement and methodologies.
2. What were the questions the delegates brought to the discussion and thinking:
i. How do we (the church) repsonse to the alienation of adolescents by society
ii What might a counter cultural model of fully integrating young people look like?
iii How could Youth Ministry better connect with the whole church?
iv How do you help the middle ground churches when they perceive that the success stories are only in large evangelical churches?
v How do we change attitudes?
vi What might an imagined future feel and look like?
vii What does/should it measn to be a member of the church (for adults and young people)?
viii How can churches celebrate the distinctiveness of adolesense?
3. The Youthblog Keynote speech:
You may have already seen this myth-buster document produced by the DCSF regarding ISA and the Vetting and Barring scheme, but with launch only a week away it may be a helpful swot up on some of the misunderstandings that will be thrown at you the youth worker:
MYTH No.1
- If a person visits schools without being vetted, the schools' head teachers will be prosecuted.
Sunday Times, 19 July (Daisy Goodwin, columnist, News Review page 4).
FACTS:
- If a person goes to a school to e.g. see a school play, that person is a visitor and has no duty to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA);
- If a person goes to schools to work with children e.g. to teach pupils about writing plays, read as an author from their own book, talk about fire safety or volunteer in the classroom, that person is working for schools. If they do that frequently, they will have to ISA-register.
MYTH No.2
- "charging volunteers £64 each to be vetted seems impertinent".
The Independent, 18 July (first leader article, page 38).
FACT:
- Volunteers doing unpaid work will not pay the £64 application fee. (They might pay a small administration fee, depending on which body they apply through.)
- The fee is set to recover the costs of the Scheme.
MYTH No.3
- "Some ... have suggested that clearance is required for two school visits a year" (website of Society of Authors, whose members include Philip Pullman etc., on Monday 20th July)
FACTS:
- a person must only ISA register if their work in schools is frequent (once a month, repeatedly) or intensive (3 or more days in one month).
- If a person visits schools without working for them, there is no requirement to ISA-register.
MYTH No.4
- Authors should not be required to ISA-register because "visiting writers are not left alone with children".
The Independent, 18 July (first leader article, page 38).
FACTS:
- anyone familiar to pupils from work in schools can become trusted by pupils, even if their work takes them into each individual school only once, because the perception in each school is: "that person works in lots of schools, and so must be trustworthy";
- We need to be sure that trust is well-placed, in case pupils contact or encounter these individuals outside of school, unsupervised. While the vast majority would never abuse their position, we believe parents want anyone working regularly with their children to be checked.
MYTH No.5
- "hearsay, rumour and unfounded suspicion are ... known as "soft information" and this will be the currency of the new procedures brought in by the ISA"
Henry Porter, The Observer, page 21, Sun 19 July.
FACTS:
- This refers to "relevant police information", which is intelligence which has not necessarily led to a conviction or caution;
- A chief constable must have good reason for believing information is relevant, in order to be entitled to pass that information to the ISA.
- People will have a chance to challenge the accuracy and relevance of any such information considered by the ISA.
- ISA recommends that any allegation from an individual should go first to police or social services, not directly to the ISA.
MYTH No.6
- " a measure like this will not truly increase the safety of children"
The Independent, 18 July (first leader article, page 38).
FACT:
- The VBS will make it much harder for anyone who is known to pose a risk to children, to gain access to children through paid or unpaid work.
MYTH No.7
- Being ISA-registered means a person does not pose a risk, even if someone else finds evidence of a risk: "she's got the bit of paper, so I must be wrong".
Independent, 18 July. (Deborah Orr, columnist, page 15)
FACT:
- being ISA-registered means the ISA knows of no reason why the person should not work with children generally. The Government still recommends that employers should check an applicant's employment history and follow up references.
MYTH No.8
- If you can't make life completely safe for every child, there's no point doing anything new. (Various commentators)
FACT:
- The Bichard review after the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman made clear recommendations, which led to the Vetting and Barring Scheme. The Government believes it is right to take proportionate measures to protect children and vulnerable adults. Any case of abuse is one too many.
Quite a few people I've bumped into who nip in here for a splash of Youthblog wittering have commented on the story about H, my son, and the Go karting. Well, the story continues:
We went again to the track this weekend as H decided to blow his pocket money for the entire month on another 15 minutes of lawn mower engined racing. We'd chatted before hand about the goals for the session which included being on the track with other people, focussing on finding the best line through corners, less spinning off; and all this with greater pace. I'd said that if he knocked a second of his time and hit a 31:00 I'd be really happy, whereby he said he was up for a 29:00! I doubted this was possible BUT offered a Mars bar for a 29:00 or faster.
Needless to say we are talking about huge grins, only one spin, increased self esteem, A MARS Bar and a new personal best of 27:85. A faultless drive.
It is so EXCITING for me to see H doing something where he is an equal and not in the "he did 'really' well for a disabled kid" category.
That's my boy :-)
"To indwell a story is to live so much within its framework that we are not so conscious of the story as of what the story allows us to see"
I've been reading and re-reading "Naming the Elephant" by James W Sire (from whom the above is quoted) and finding it a truly exceptional book on Worldviews and philospohical/cutural exploration of meaning. All attempts to write a useful review so far have failed .... but it will happen, oh yes!
Loving the quote though and am thinking about how Christianity exists so often still in the mindset of Modernity, where knowing the story/doctrine/facts are elevated to the point where the knowing the tennets of it outstrip the inhabiting of the story.
I happened to be in a Cafe recently near where two church leaders were discussing young people's faith and how the young people were so involved with social action and justice that there was a danger of them bypassing important doctrinal distinctives of the Christian faith.
Filed under: Thinking out loud
Further thinky bit: I think 'indwelling the story' is a great definition of discipleship
You might want to reconsider the tuck shop? A recent study links adult violence with childhood consumption of sweets and chocolate!!! You can read it here, something to chew on me thinks :-)
I was wondering which was worse, ignorance or apathy?
but then I thought, frankly ... I don't know and I don't care
