The Archdiocese of Liverpool Social Action Conference

Reflection written by William Reay, Agents of Change young leader and participant in the Social Action Conference

The Liverpool Social Action conference is an annual event in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, bringing together people in faith-based charities, volunteers, and anyone with a particular interest in social justice advocacy and Catholic social teaching. The theme for this year was ‘Humanitas: Flourishing in Action’.

A small group of us met at the cathedral at 8:30 am in the morning, about 1 hour before the conference started we set up our workshop  so we were prepared and could focus on the talks. It then got to 9:30 am, we all sat down in our seats and were welcomed by Lucy Raurer, part of the Social Action Team and Archbishop of Liverpool John Sherrington.

The first talk was on ‘The Church of Living Stones’ by Fr Maximillian Martin, who is a Franciscan friar serving as the provincial custos for the Order of Friars Minor Conventual  and resides with the Greyfriars in Liverpool. I found the talk really interesting as I was able to learn much more about Saint Francis of Assisi and his life of poverty. The next talk was about ‘From Service to Communion: Exploring Humanitas for Our Time’ by Jenny Sinclair, the founder and director of Together for the Common Good (T4CG) The audience responded well to this, when  speaking  to people around me about what we heard somebody commented on how they are going to use those messages in their everyday life, everyone engaged well.

After the talks, there were 3 workshops and the first one was called ‘Everyday Human Kindness – Simple Actions for Racial Justice and Community Success’ by Justin Malewezi The founder of The Racial Justice House and a member of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ). The next workshop was ‘Why Laudato Si Still Matters – Integral Ecology and Human’ by John Paul de Quay who is the co-founder of the Ecological Conversion Group Charity and The Journey to 2030 Project. The final workshop, which I helped lead was by the Agents of Change Young Leaders, with Million Minutes.

Our workshop was called ‘In Our Words’  During the workshop, wepened with a  prayer, by Sotaar and short speeches Firstly by Dylan on ‘Where I see my Faith Misunderstood’ and secondly by Emily  on ‘How my Faith Leads me to Love, Serve and Act’ bWe then split into three breakout groups, to discuss what had been heard and then shared our thoughts with the rest of the room. Finally, we finished the workshop with a prayer, lead by myself, thanking all those who had attended the workshops, the Million Minutes team and blessing all the young people who want to have their voices heard.

Following the workshops , we then returned to our chairs where Dcn. John Sargent led a 20-minutes of conversations in the spirit I really enjoyed this as it was a very peaceful way to reflect and consider everything that we had heard. We then had some lunch before heading into the final talk which was called ‘Manifesto for Hope & Our Communities: A Renewed Vision of Human Society’ by Revd. James Green who is the CEO of Together Liverpool, a charity supporting churches and communities to develop practical responses to poverty, exclusion and social need. I really enjoyed reading parts of the manifesto and discussing our own communities and the problems they face.

Next, we had a panel discussion with five panel members, chairing the session was  Cllr Jane Corbett, who is the counselor for Everton West Ward. The five panel members were, Professor Iain Buchan who is a professor at The University of Liverpool, Tiffany St James who is the Chief AI officer at the Liverpool City Region, Francis Stewart who is part of the Centre for Catholic Social Thought & Practice (CCSTP), Cllr Portia Fahey who is also a counselor for Everton North Ward, and  Jenny Sinclair, Founder and Director of T4CG and the co-host of the Leaving Egypt podcastand Revd. Phil Jump  Regional Minister and Team Leader of the North Western Baptist Association and chair of Churches Together in the‍ Merseyside Region (CTMR) Overall, I found the panel very inspiring and noticed that everyone involved interacted with interesting and thoughtful questions.

Finally, Dcn. John Sargent ended the event with a final reflection on the day as a whole and Lucy Raurer thanked us for coming, initiating a round of applause for those who contributed and attended the event.

Refugee Week Prayer Vigil

Reflection written by Ioli Charalampopolou, Agents of Change young leader and participant in the Refugee Week event

On the 15th of June we spent a day in London participating in a meaningful programme centred on faith, social justice, and human dignity. Alongside the Columban Missionaries Britain, we joined a peaceful prayer protest advocating for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on our shared values, exploring how the teachings of scripture, the words of prophets, and the examples set by significant religious figures all emphasise compassion, inclusion, and the inherent dignity of every person.

A particularly powerful reflection focused on the fact that Jesus himself experienced life as a refugee. This highlighted the Christian responsibility to welcome and support those forced to flee conflict, persecution, or hardship, while also demonstrating how similar principles of hospitality and justice remain alive today. Listening to different perspectives reinforced the importance of promoting acceptance, understanding, and solidarity in an increasingly divided world.

The experience strengthened my appreciation of the role faith communities can play in advocating for human rights and supporting vulnerable people. It demonstrated that religious belief is not only expressed through worship but also through action, service, and standing alongside those in need. As a memorable reminder of the day, I was also given a spider plant, symbolising growth, care, and new beginnings.

Experience of SiLENT 2026

Reflection written by Michael Chambers, a participant in the SiLENT 2026 Campaign

Last week, I took part in a sponsored silence to raise money for Million Minutes, challenging myself to stay silent for a whole 24 hours. Each Lent, Million Minutes holds a campaign called SiLENT where they encourage people to raise money through sponsored silence.

I knew my SiLENT day was going to be difficult, but I hadn’t realised how difficult. For anyone that knows me, it can often be quite hard to get me to stop talking. The trouble with trying to stay completely silent, is you begin to notice all those ways in which you typically aren’t: humming, muttering to yourself (in my case, sometimes whole conversations are had), or even reading emails out loud. You suddenly become acutely aware of all those little ways that your brain keeps itself occupied throughout the day.

I believe that these ways your brain keeps things ticking over when you’re bored are natural – indeed, they are far better than “doomscrolling” on your phone endlessly. However, as Christians, we are called to be supernatural. Silence in the Christian tradition has existed since the very beginning: even the prophet Elijah heard the voice of God not in the storm, the earthquake, or the fire – but in the silence.

Silence, ironically, becomes a way to have a conversation as well – either with myself or with God – I am quiet in order to ensure that I am better disposed to listen. Indeed I found myself paying more attention to what people were saying to me, because I had to be aware of how I responded (not by words, but often my hand gestures and pointing). This is the heart of why Million Minutes runs this campaign each year; if we are to raise up and encourage youth voice we also must make sure that we are ready to listen to what they say. We can’t simply make token gestures, but we must be ready truly listen and have our minds and hearts truly changed.

Moreover, having to stay silent also opens the door to help us sympathise with those who are often unheard. In many cases this is young people – who often have so much they want to say – but, for example, in other cases, it might be those we see experiencing homelessness, with little-to-no agency of their own.

I even found the time to take a “prayer walk” at lunchtime, instead of staying in on my phone

I’ll admit that I wasn’t silent for the whole day, there were couple of slip-ups here and there: a “bless you” when I heard a sneeze, or calling out to my cat who was trying to enter through my bedroom window. But I think that speaking merely a handful of times (having never spent that long in silence in my entire life) is pretty good going!

Agents of Change: Rediscovering Hope in a Community of Young Leaders

Reflection written by Ioli Charalampopolou, a participant in the Million Minutes Agents of Change: Youth Leadership for Peace and Justice programme. 

The Million Minutes Agents of Change leadership residential retreat from the 6th to the 8th of March 2026 was an unforgettable experience, not only because of the progress we made on our final project (more information to come about this soon), but also because of the remarkable people I encountered. Over those few days, I met an array of thoughtful and like-minded young people whose ideas, conversations, and perspectives taught me far more than I could have expected.

Our discussions were guided by several inspiring speakers, including Lucy and Clare from Durham University, Aisling from Pax Christi, and Tom from Million Minutes. Each of them generously shared their knowledge and encouraged us to explore new perspectives on passion, hope, justice, and peace. One particularly fascinating discussion focused on the subtle historical symbolism found in the Bible and how actions can be interpreted in different ways depending on cultural context. For instance, the well-known verse, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer them the left also,” is often interpreted purely as a message of humility. However, when understood within its historical setting, the way a person struck another carried social meaning: a strike with the right palm implied equality, while one with the left suggested disrespect. This deeper understanding challenged me to reflect on how people’s actions are often shaped by their own interpretations of justice.

This conversation led us to consider how individual passions, formed by memories and imagined ideals of the world, can influence how people act on what they believe is right. For example, some individuals may believe that going to war in defence of their religion is justified, while others view even peaceful protest as an extreme measure. Exploring these contrasts encouraged us to question how passion, belief, and memory shape the ways people pursue justice.

During Lucy’s philosophical and theological seminar, we explored the roots of fear and reflected on whether relief can truly be experienced without first knowing fear. This idea draws on the philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas, who argued that good cannot be fully understood in the absence of evil. Building on this, we discussed how hope can be understaff as a powerful human passion or as a theological virtue and considered how meaningful change requires us to “agitate without irritating.” This phrase stayed with many of us and became a guiding idea as we began planning how to structure our event in the summer term.

A passage that resonated deeply throughout the retreat was Matthew 20:25–28: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Guided by Bernie and Kate from Million Minutes, we explored how our event could represent, educate, and serve people. Through ‘conversations in the spirit’, I was able to hear incredibly thoughtful, honest, and real ideas from my peers. Their openness and sincerity filled me with hope that together we could create something truly meaningful. By sharing our experiences as Christians, discussing the importance of inclusion, recognising that if you exclude someone, you also exclude all of their ideas and encouraging one another’s contributions, we gradually shaped what began to feel like a genuinely empowering and liberating event.

If I had to choose a single moment that stood out above the rest, it would undoubtedly be the walk to and from Mass, as well as the Mass itself. Before attending the retreat, I hoped that it would help me rediscover a sense of hope in God’s world around me and it truly did. Seeing so many young people deeply committed to their faith yet also open to discussion and reflection was really moving. The peaceful walk through the village that evening sparked beautiful conversations that allowed me to connect more deeply with these inspiring young leaders. It was a moment of genuine connection that I will always remember.

I am immensely grateful to have been given the opportunity to take part in this retreat. It not only strengthened my faith but also reminded me of the power of thoughtful conversation and hopeful passion.

Rocketing into CYPR 25/26 following this year’s Launch

Reflection written by Bernie Goddard, Engagement Officer for Million Minutes

This year we have been overwhelmed by the response and sign-ups for Celebrating Young People: Revival 25/26 so far. Since we launched this year's fully resourced program at our launch event back in June, everything has fallen into place, bringing a varied and exciting mix of almost 40 schools, parishes, and youth groups from 16 dioceses nationally.  

We are excited to be working with over 4000 young people and amplifying their voices not only in our work but with many other organisations who have contributed to this year's program. This is also an opportunity for young people to learn about how organisations such as Pax Christi, Young Christian Workers, CARJ (Catholic Association for Racial Justice), Caritas Salford, Common Good School, FCJ Centre for Spirituality and Eco Justice and many more live out Catholic Social Teaching in their work. 

The opportunity to work with so many young people this year means that we will be able to have a broad outlook on what young people around the UK are thinking and feeling about the communities where they live and go to school and the parish communities they are part of, as well as the wider world and Church. This information is important not only for Million Minutes and our work but also for the organisations we work with and for young people themselves. These voices inspire change; they are a call to action and give us the knowledge and understanding needed to stand in solidarity with young people nationally. Celebrating Young People: Revival is about creating a culture of listening, giving reason to why and how we can live out Catholic Social teaching, praying and discerning how we are called to respond, being inspired to act, acting through faith and through dialogue with others, and finally celebrating the amazing things young people offer our world and Church. 

We look forward sharing updates from our 25/26 cohort and invite you to join us in supporting and celebrating these inspiring young people.