Youth Ministry News - Youthblog

I would be grateful if you could let me have the best definition of leadership you have encountered!

Thanks

This month's Youthwork magazine has not got the usual "Holy Peculiar" cartoon! I understand that not everyone liked it (Always going to be the case with humour, I guess) but for the record I miss it.

I would link to an example here, if I could find one BUT I cannot track down a web page.

I still love the mag' though ...... will just need to choose a different beginning point.
In a related think, I really enjoy the investment in humour that the Church Times has made, I usually get at least one LOL per edition!

I noted this line from President Obama's speech:

"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals"

I liked this re-aligning reminder that leadership must come from values, not just a variable pragmatism.

I am fascinated by the art of leadership, particularly the notion of servant leadership (as opposed to wielding power). Leadership learning, training and practice is at the heart of what the department I reside in, does and enables. It's a vibrant place to work ... and in which to be stretched and challenged.

One of the challenges though is that you can't just teach a 'how to do leadership,'course,
it's a learning process becoming more aware of both self and others, growing as a person (leading from values), encountering and reflecting on different and diverse tools and techniques. It's a learning and an unlearning, a discovering what you don't know that you don't know, seeing where your own strengths and weaknesses are, while gaining a greater understanding of others. Gaining skills from a huge body of theories and techniques.

OK, I'm waffling a bit but I'm trying to make sense of what follows.

I've just been listening to Bill Hybels talking about 'The life cycle of a leader' in which he brilliantly illustrates the beginning of the leadership journey. He makes the point that (and this is true for me, and I suspect other Youth Ministers) we often start out in leadership when we are reasonably young, and at that stage we basically have passion and enthusiasm, but little in the way of leadership skills. We lead chaotically and assume others will want to follow, we have little awareness of the impact on others, we have a very fledgling idea of team.
He also makes the point that we can do this for a while, people will follow enthusiasm and passion. But we can't do this forever, people get fed up of it, it leaves casualties in it's wake and it doesn't produce lasting change.

I loved this as it it was such a helpful way of celebrating the steps into leadership as well as being a warning that we need to learn and to grow (and continue to do so)

This really reflects my experience where I was that firebrand UNTIL I attended some training that was around 'team roles'. My team accomplished the task EXTREMELY well but in the process I completely alienated and demoralized the team and they fed this back in the de-brief with some gusto. I was crushed BUT it opened up a huge amount of learning having realised how much I didn't know i didn't know!

Funny now, but a huge OUCH at the time.
An ouch I will be forever grateful for though.

Most of this post was me exploring some stuff in my head. I'm doing a lot of thinking and preparing for the DEPTH 2 retreat and I'm guessing that leadership will be a recurring theme on the blog for a few weeks. I'm really excited about this though as I think youth worker/ministers have to lead on such a variety of fronts:

1. Leading young people and at the same time enabling chance for them to lead
2. Leading a team of volunteers
3. Being part of the leadership team of the Church
4. Leading change

Any leadership STUFF, ideas, themes, reflections etc that you would like to lob into the comments would be fab, or e-mail me.

Although I am still resisting the temptation to Twitter, I have actually (under duress) been unfaithful to blogging and signed up over at Facebook. Can't work out how it all works but there is a photo of me and I have a friend!

Blogging about one's weekend feels like a very self indulgent 'show-n-tell' but in the hope that it may at least paint a humorous yarn, I'm going to do it anyway!

A few days ago I mentioned that I had found an ex-demo Kayak that was, according to the web page typo, Perfect for "cursing the Thames!" The boat on offer, A Robson Maui, was such a good piece of kit that I reckoned I'd be cursing if I missed the opportunity, but Cruising if i got it. On checking further it turned out that they had more than one so, in a Chris Terrant esque fashion, I phoned a friend. So Saturday morning's try out was now going to be two of us, looking at two boats. The only problem with this is my normal 'heath Robinson' Kayak carrier can only cope with one boat. If the trip was successful I would need to roof mount two! This had me scurrying into the Workshop on Friday night and fettling maddly to create the wherewithall to transport both kayaks.

The resulting adaption to the roof rack, which I named the "KAYrAK" was put together in forty five minutes and in theory was perfect for the task.

So Saturday morning saw us at the Whitewater Canoe and Kayak shop (fab place) and then taking to the water for a test drive! The boats were superb and we had a fine time out on the wet stuff enjoying the morning light and crisp air.

We BOTH purchased a boat and were ready to test out the (patent!!!!) KAYrAK. At this point the proprietor took us aside, individually and pointed out that they did sell "proper" carriers for Kayaks. Having blown all the lucre on the boats though, the KAYrAK was the way up, the way forward ..... but hopefully not, when driving, the rapid way down!

Pleased to say that it all worked beautifully and both Robsons remained in-situ all fifty miles home.

Oh and in case you were thinking, "It was too cold to be paddling first thing Saturday morning?" You are probably right, but the proverbial truth is ......

"You can't have your Kayak and heat it"

North Tyneside are looking to elect a Youth Mayor. It looks like this is a thought-out elected position with a serious budget available to the succesful Youth mayor. I'm really impressed with this! (I hope they've given some serious thought too as to how the Youth Mayor relates to decision making processes and how there needs to be a look at the power dynamics)

Reading the newspaper(s) before work (as I often do) is normally a useful source of information, thinking and of course, blog fodder. On Friday however the news coverage had a profoundly unbalancing effect on me and it took me the test of the day to get a proper handle on my emotions and thoughts.

Friday morning was the first I had seen of the airline crash in New York and I devoured every word of the story. I found myself elated by the survival of everyone aboard, the skill of the pilot, the superb way the ferries and rescue services had worked together and the attitude of the survivors. It brought a tear to my eye and created an oddly joyous and exilerating effect in/on me.

However, on from this story we were straight into the horrors of Gaza. I have been truly appalled by Israels brutal assault of the civilian population of Gaza and it has been saddening me each day. On Friday though, to move from the crash story of hope and humanity into the devistating pictures and coverage of dead children, terrified people and Israel's use of phospherous shells deeply affected me.

There was something about this stark contrast betwwen our human potential for good and the ever present human capability for depravity that 'knocked me for six!' As a Christian, the tension of us being fallen human beings who nevertheless are truly made in the image of God, and to bear his likeness, should come as no surprise. I think on Friday, it was that the story of the crash and the way everyone responded made the hate, cruelty, inhumanity and evil of the conflict seem so much, if this is posible, worse.

For reasons that I cannot fully explain it took me the rest of the day to recover some sort of perspective. I wanted to write something, but couldn't.

I pray that the ceasefire holds, and I pray with all those who are mourning.

In April we have 24 teenagers coming to Oxford from our link Diocese in Sweden. They are very keen footballers and want to find some matches to play on Sunday 5th and/or Monday 6th. If you have any contacts in and around Oxford I'd love to know! Thank you

(Oh and while I'm doing the notices, there is a Taize service on at Dorchester Abbey next Sunday evening (25th), I'm going ...... anyone want to join me!)

FYT are suggesting that Churches dedicate on Sunday in 2009 as 'Young people's Sunday.' You'll find out more about it here, as well as a load of useful stuff to make it happen and happening!

Ladies an Gentleman I should like to apologize for a problem with the smooth running of this blog. Regrettably the 'Search' is not working due to an upgrade to MT 4.23. It is hoped that 'normal' service will be resumed soon. Thank you for your patience, and Youthblog wishes you a pleasant onward browse!

Supplemental: The 'search' function now searcheth once more

I wrote about this Charter a while back, along side the "We love our Church" campaign that a number of us scribbled as a response. The campaign to improve employment and recognition does not 'officially' get launched until Spring Harvest but it's all up on the Schools work web site alongside the brilliant Dave Walker cartoons. Enjoy.

(Dave Walker can be found at the Cartoon Church website, where there is more information about how you can buy a license to use his cartoons)

I have tracked down an ex-demo model of my dream Kayak and am off to have a look at it this weekend. The accompanying blurb on the web site notes that this boat is ideal for "cursing the Thames!" but as I want to use it on the sea I'm hoping to cause no offence to the Royal Berkshire river.

The seriousness of the Man Cold is explored here. I defy you not to laugh (Ladies, I defy you not to gloat!)

In a bizarre piece of marketing a show-home display attempted a larger dose of reality than the usual shiny, immaculately presented, Hello-photo-shoot-esque idyll. This particular show home presented one of the bedrooms as the den of a teenager! Enjoy ......

(liking the bicycle wheel, nice touch)

Ok, I have this (maybe) great idea! So, in a kinda of Wright-brothers-stylee, I'm going to see if it will 'fly!' My feeling is that the flight metaphor here is entirely appropriate with this, i.e it'll either soar or completely crash (or I guess, like the Kitty Hawk, fly 12 feet off the ground for 30 feet or so, but open the way for something useful to develop from it).

Anyway, enough of my nonsense blathering, the idea is this: Stories from the coal face!
Back in November when I had a massive blogging crisis-of-confidence and asked for help, you kindly came up with some great ideas and themes. There was a great suggestion of "where are they now?" type research, there was some idea about other people's voices ... and as ever story and reflection are key to what I want the blog to be dealing in.

So, combining all of the above, I'd like to invite stories from the Coal Face! I'm hoping to glean stories from out there in Youth Ministrydom (stuff you are doing) that challenge, amuse, provoke-thought, illustrate tensions or joys of the job etc. I'd also REALLY like stories about why/how former youth ministers left and what that process was and what they/you are doing now.
In short ..... real stories, real people, real situations.

I'm really excited about this idea .............. but will it fly?
OVER TO YOU, e-mail me with a story, in your words from your perspective.

The rules:

1. It's about story, not just facts. Reflection is also good.
2. A degree of anonymity needs to be built in to protect young people, and to not be naming and shaming particular churches
3. No stories that are basically self-aggrandizement
4. The stories don't have to be tidy, they can be snapshots
5. You can choose for stories to be posted but the ability to comment to it, 'switched off'
6. Authorship will remain completely anonymous unless requested otherwise
7. Stories must be true, un-exaggerated ... and not an attack on persons or churches

The man hug! Potential pitfalls a plenty BUT unavoidable if you meet up with yoof wurkas you have known for a long time. At last some good, solid, practical advice ....

Arriving home from a meeting with some Swedish Youth workers, my daughter met me by the car. As we strolled towards the front door of Macdonald Towers I saw the sledge leaning against the wall!

"Why?", I asked my daughter, "is the sledge out?"
"Oh," she replied, "because S (youngest son) was sledging down the stairs UNTIL mum found out!"

It sometimes feels like Outnumbered is based on our family, we became even more convinced of this when in this series the parents were talking about having being married EXACTLY the same time as my wife and I, 17 years!

While out and about in the lpg-mobile I was listening to a Rock Compilation on the CD player. There's quite a few tracks that are 'also-rans' but when Rainbow and "Since you've been gone" came on, the stereo had to be cranked up to 11. Once an epic shout-along (with accompanying steering wheel drums and air guitar) was over I got to thinking about the name of the group, "Rainbow!"
The group was formed in 1974 two years into the life of the identically named Childrens TV programme. This must have been kinda odd for UK audiences, I reckon this is equivalent to Rockin-out to a band called Balamory or Pogle Wood! It's even funnier if you think of printing Balamory in Gothic Script on the back of a leather jacket!

Made me smile!

A couple of years ago I bought a Video Camera with the main aim of being able to include the voices and opinions of young people more easily into training and the like. The plan was fine but the outworking of it was not. I didn't always have the video camera with me, and if I did the download and edit time was MAHOOSIVE and acted as a huge discouragement to actually recording stuff.

Technology, as ever, has moved on rapidly and I've been keeping my eye on the FLIP mini video camera and the reviews that people have posted. The ability to shoot quickly and efficiently then download straight to computer via the Flip out USB connector sounds great.

Yesterday I was at a conference where young people contributed to the content and thinking of the day via video and I reckoned it was time to order one!

So, I eagerly await the Amazon van and I'll let you know if it lives up to hopes ......... via a Youtube clip perhaps!