Celebrating Young People Awards 2022
25 young people across England and Wales were awarded recognition at Million Minutes’ Celebrating Young People Awards 2022
Set against the backdrop of the London skyline, 115 young people, parents, teachers, youth workers and gathered to celebrate young people from across the country and recognise their contributions to their communities. Hosted by Siobhan McDonagh MP at the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons, it was a truly memorable evening hearing the stories of how young people are actively making a difference and driving change in the world they see around them.
The awards – now in their fifth year – were powered by Million Minutes. Hundreds of young people were nominated in six categories, each celebrating a different aspect of Catholic social teaching lived out in action. As well as two awards for adults, one for volunteer youth leaders and one for clergy or religious.
Anita Motha, Chief Executive at Million Minutes, said:
We had the privilege to recognise and share the stories of young people from our schools and parishes. Their initiative and drive for creating change in their communities, whether through volunteering, fundraising, or advocacy work, is inspirational. Our future relies on young changemakers and it fills us with hope and joy to celebrate their achievements and accompany them in their journeys.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols presented the Pope Francis award to St Peter’s Mini Vinnies, a brother and sister duo, Rebeca and Daniel, who have shown such generosity to their local community. During lockdown 2020 they gathered items for their local foodbank, and even grew their own vegetables to ensure families had enough fresh vegetables as well as tinned food. They drew cards, posters and wrote kind letters to the elderly who were suffering from loneliness. They are remarkable young people who share everything they can, their time, and resources for the benefit of the vulnerable in their community, and have even donated their birthday wish lists for the good of others.
Cardinal Nichols congratulated the duo on their generosity of spirit and the important examples that can be set by the youngest in our societies. He added he was ‘particularly impressed by the selflessness’ shown in these two young people.
To name a few examples of the awards presented, Christine Allen presented the Barbara Ward Award (Caring for the Environment) to Tom and Harvey. In a statement posted on twitter after receiving the award, Tom said:
“Harvey and I are just two if the thousands of young people across the world dedicating their time to tackling the environmental issues we are facing in today’s current climate. We are so lucky to have been given a platform to raise awareness, spread our true beliefs and most importantly to us, encourage other young people just like us to try their best to make a difference for future generations. We strongly believe we still have a chance to save our planet if we all work together, so all we are asking from you is to stop, think, smile and face this climate crisis with all you have”
The new award for 2022 was the Rutilio Grande and Companions Award, sponsored by the Jesuits in Britain was launched. Aleem Maqbool, Religion Editor for the BBC presented the award to two recipients, Fr Paul Wilkinson and Sr Margaret Walsh. Sr Silvana Dallanegra was Highly Commended.
There are countless stories that can be shared from the evening. Andrew received the Dorothy Day Award, he is a gifted photographer using his talents for the good of the community of Brighton and Hove.
Maria was Highly Commended for the St Josephine Bakhita Award, and was nominated for raising awareness of Downs syndrome and promoting the inclusion of people with Downs syndrome in the Catholic Church and wider society
Sport and Cultural Society and St Vincent de Paul from South West London received Highly Commended for the Cardinal Hume Award. They reached out to their local community and beyond, running a food bank and supporting people who suffered due to isolation; during the pandemic, they supported on average 112 families per week.
This has been one of the highlights of our year so far and only the beginning of journey working with our inspirational network of award nominees. Keep in touch with Million Minutes to follow the stories of the Celebrating Young People Awards alumni.
Farewell Daisy - and welcome Anita!
Farewell to Daisy
This week, we say farewell to Daisy, as she journeys on to another CEO role in the youth sector.
Daisy writes, "The scale of what we've been able to achieve during the pandemic, from getting our Beacon Parish Scheme off the ground, to re-launching our Celebrating Young People Awards, whilst promoting an inclusive and open Church that welcomes all young people, is testament of the tenacity and courage of young people across Catholic communities, fighting for a Church with truly 'open doors' in the words of Pope Francis. I have been lucky enough to meet some incredible people in post, and will cherish most fondly our work on LGBTQ+ inclusion as well as the tole of young women in the Church, as well as collaborations with other organisations. I wish Anita and the team all the very best, and I wish the Church continued deepening in understanding of unconditional acceptance and love that makes us all richer."
We are grateful for Daisy's leadership, inspiration, and dedication during her time at Million Minutes. We wish her well in her new role.
Welcome to Anita
We are delighted to announce the appointment of our next CEO. Anita Motha.
Anita will join the team as CEO in May 2022, bringing over fourteen years of experience working and volunteering within Catholic youth ministry and international development. She holds a BA in Music from Newcastle, and a Masters in Education and International Development from Institute of Education, University College London.
She has worked for CAFOD developing and delivering their young adult engagement strategy. Prior to this, she managed Bosco Volunteer Action, the international volunteering programme for the Salesians of Don Bosco for six years. She also has experience volunteering for Christian Aid and worked as a school chaplain in the north east of England. Most recently, Anita has served as Vice-Chair on the Board of Trustees for Million Minutes.
Having grown up across London, Hong Kong, and Dubai, Anita now lives in the Diocese of Brentwood with her husband and two young children.
Million Minutes Chair, Ewan Day-Collins, said, "I am excited to welcome Anita as our new CEO. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, and will us into our next stage of development. I and the Board are grateful for Daisy's leadership during her time as CEO. She leaves a strong legacy from which Anita can build"
Million Minutes’ launches its Celebrating Young People Awards 2022
We are thrilled to announce that our popular Celebrating Young People Awards 2022 nominations are now live! These social action awards comprise six awards recognising children and young people specifically (inspired by each of the values of Catholic Social Teaching), one recognising youth workers, and one new award recognising religious and clergy. Applicants will have until mid May to nominate a young person doing amazing social action work or someone working on behalf of young people, and Award recipients and nominees will be announced at an event held in the Palace of Westminster in July 2022, in an event hosted by Siobhain McDonagh MP with special guests in attendance.
We are also proud to announce the launch of a new Award, in collaboration with The Jesuits in Britain, which celebrates clergy and religious who are committed to social action and parish transformation in their communities that is inclusive of young people. The Rutilio Grande & Companions Award will be part of the well-established Celebrating Young People Awards suite.
This Awards suite features six awards that specifically recognise the actions of young people in support of Catholic Social Teaching (The Jimmy Mizen Award for peace, The Dorothy Day Award for community service, The Barbara Ward Award for care for creation, the Josephine Bakhita Award for protecting human dignity, The Cardinal Hume award for living out the option of the poor, and the Joseph Cardijn Award for protecting dignity of labour presented with the Young Christian Workers movement), and an additional award, alongside the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation, which recognises exceptional youth ministry.
To date, almost one thousand young people have been nominated for Million Minutes Celebrating Young People Awards, giving Catholic schools, retreat centres and parishes a means by which to recognise and celebrate young people, as the next generation of social action leaders. Previous award winners have included 18 year old Shanea Oldham from Newham, who won the Jimmy Mizen Award in 2019 for her reconciliation efforts in her community, Jehanut Bari who won the Dorothy Day Award in 2019 for her work in facilitating inter-religious dialogue in Brentwood, and 18 year old Harry Wale in Wigan who won the Cardinal Hume Award for his community work with those facing financial crisis. You can survey our full list of previous award winners from 2019 here.
CEO of Million Minutes, Daisy Srblin, said: ‘We are so excited that after two whole years of uncertainty, we can relaunch our ground-breaking Celebrating Young People Awards for 2022. Young people have been at the forefront of social action during the pandemic, organising food banks and caring for the vulnerable, despite being some of the worst-affected economically, educationally and socially by the last two years. We cannot wait to read and share stories of amazing young people who have been serving their community, to give young people the recognition they deserve. We are also very proud to continue hosting the CYMFED Award, celebrating a youth worker or chaplain working with young people in open and inclusive ways, and the new Rutilio Grande & Companions Award, hosted with the Jesuits in Britain, celebrating members of religious orders and clergy who work for the common good in a way that is proactively inclusive of all young people. We encourage teachers, parishioners, priests, religious, youth ministers, catechists and all those who work with young people in a Catholic setting to consider nominating today.’
We encourage all those who have met inspiring young people or those working with young people, in Catholic settings, to consider submitting an application. Young nominees do not need to be Catholic to be nominated and recognised – and you can access a full list of FAQs here. Young nominees will also have the chance to be considered for a small youth social action grant to continue and strengthen their community work.
Applications for the 2022 Celebrating Young People Awards are open! Visit https://millionminutes.org/national-awards to nominate
Please get in touch with the team with any questions on awards@millionminutes.org
Beth shares her experience of Silence
“My experience of SiLENT goes so much further than these 24 hours – this reflection can be carried through the rest of Lent and beyond. Taking time in conversation to hold my own tongue, and instead, consciously take the time and effort to listen to the voices of those who are not heard loudly enough, or frequently enough.”
At the beginning of March, I spent 24 hours without my voice to be in solidarity with young people around the world whose voices are not heard, raising sponsorship for the work of Million Minutes.
Those 24 hours have given me space to reflect and be an active listener to those around me. It has been a very real challenge for me, and a challenge that I haven’t battled easily. With only one or two minor slip-ups, each interaction with other people presented me with a choice. A choice of whether I would put the energy and effort into playing charades to communicate with them, or if I would just pass up the opportunity to communicate entirely.
Those who know me, especially my family, were fairly skeptical if I would ‘survive’ the full 24 hours – they thought that I wouldn’t be able to last without sharing my opinion with at least one other person at some point in the day. This was my first point of reflection – do I speak more than I listen? Am I always quick to share my own thoughts before waiting and listening to the voice of others?
I made a conscious effort that my silence wouldn’t silence others – rather I would listen to them speak – but this was difficult when I couldn’t begin a conversation with them. But my experience of SiLENT goes so much further than these 24 hours – this reflection can be carried through the rest of Lent and beyond. Taking time in conversation to hold my own tongue, and instead, consciously take the time and effort to listen to the voices of those who are not heard loudly enough, or frequently enough.
While having dinner with my fiancé on Monday evening, he essentially had a one-sided conversation, sharing with me about his day. He asked about mine, and I went to some great effort playing charades for him to guess how my day had been spent – which was nothing exciting or out of the ordinary – but it turned into this huge game. Through the means of waving my arms around and pointing at things, I only focused on the physical actions I had taken, rather than how I was feeling – if I had focused on that, my actions would not have been as funny or wild. A mere twelve hours into my silence, I was feeling quite alone and isolated. While I know that my silence will end soon, this was the first time that I wasn’t able to share how I feel with the person that I am closest to. In these days where the world is terrifying and heart-breaking, leaning on someone that you love makes the weight of anxiety easier to bear. I feel for the people in the world, especially those in Ukraine, who are terrified, anxious, and alone.
Increasingly, we are becoming aware of the severity of our own mental wellbeing and the effect that a lack of self-care can have on our personal welfare. It can be difficult to reach out for support when we need it, as sometimes being vulnerable affects us in a much greater way. My time in silence this week brought back memories of a time when I couldn’t bring myself to share my thoughts and feelings. It was a stark reminder of how far I had come, and those who had helped me reach this point in my growth. Having this gentle reminder has brought to the forefront how crucial it is to check in with those around me who may be struggling, reaching out that hand of support, to let them know that there is a safe support system around them whenever they may need it.
This Lent, in fact, this year, I urge each person that reads this reflection takes a moment to consider how important your role is within this world. Understand the impact that your voice has; on yourself, on the people around you, in the Church, and in the world.
Columban Missionaries announce young 'Changemaker' winners
The winners of the Columban Missionaries’ ‘Changemaker’ media competition have been announced. Young people aged 13 to 18 years old from around the UK were invited to submit articles and images exploring the subject: ‘Anyone can make a difference: 21st Century Changemakers’. Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, young people were encouraged to reflect on who in the world today is doing something about inequality, injustice, exclusion and environmental degradation, and what can they teach us about our own situations.
The Columbans received hundreds of submissions which were judged by a panel including Ruth Gledhill (Multi-Media Editor at The Tablet), Josephine Siedlecka (Founder and Editor of Independent Catholic News), Daisy Srblin, (CEO of Million Minutes) and James Trewby (Columban Education Worker).
Reflecting on her reading of the images and articles from the competition, Daisy said: ‘It’s clear that young people have a real appreciation for the world’s changemakers, and it is wonderful to see their thoughtfulness and reflection around themes including racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ justice and climate justice, all inspired by the values of Catholic Social Teaching’.
Elijah Gilbert of Richard Challoner School, New Malden won first prize in the images section for his collage of people of inspiration. Second place went to Katherine Fawole of St Paul’s Academy in London for her Gouache painting of Greta Thunberg. Oliver Lafite of Richard Challoner School and Paulette De Jose of Holy Cross School in New Malden came joint third, for their depictions of Marcus Rashford and Amanda Gorman (racial justice activist) / Molly Burhans (environmental activist) / Jamie Margolin (LGBTQ+ rights activist)/ Jaclyn Friedman (feminist campaigner) respectively.
Have a look at the winning images here and below:
Article winners (clockwise R-L) Jessica Saxon, Mahi Sikan, Ella Bothwell and Scarlett Peart-Lapidge
In Britain, Jessica Saxon of St George’s College in Weybridge wrote the winning article about US politician and human rights campaigner Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while Mahi Sikan of Thomas More School in Bedford, wrote about an Afghani woman on a mission to improve the healthcare of her community in very difficult circumstances, and came a close second. Ella Bothwell of St Richard Gwyn in Flint (who wrote a great piece about David Attenborough) and Scarlett Peart-Lapidge of Bishop Thomas Grant in London (who wrote about the Mizen family and their tireless campaigning for peace) were joint third.
Have a read of the winning articles here.
You can find out more about the Columban Missionaries School media competition, and all runners up, here.
All images and information courtesy of the Columban Missionaries’ Changemaker media competition
Million Minutes & Columban Missionaries publish youth synod findings
This month Million Minutes and the Columban Missionaries have published a report reflecting the views of young people, in response to the questions of the Global Synod.
The Synod 2021-23 journey proposes a wonderful opportunity to recognise individuals within our Church community. Million Minutes is dedicated to advocating for the voice of young people across England and Wales. The Columbans are committed to dialogue, justice, and peace. The synodal process is a good opportunity for us to listen to and amplify the voices of young adults. In particular, we are keen to capture the voices of young people who might not have had the opportunity or felt able, to feed into the synod process via other means, because, for example, of feeling ‘in between’ dioceses or having some level of discomfort with participating in local conversations.
This report is a collation of responses from the small group that was gathered together on Zoom on Monday 17th January 2022. This group represents a diverse range of young Catholics from different backgrounds and cultures, aged 17 to 25 years old, and from six dioceses (East Anglia, Westminster, Birmingham, Southwark, Leeds, and Portsmouth). The group was convened by both Million Minutes and the Columban Missionaries, and breakout groups were facilitated by James Trewby, Beth Warren, and Daisy Srblin.
You can download the report here, or using the link below.
Download our Synod report here
2021: A Year in Review
As we reach the end of 2021, here is our review of the year, including a message from Daisy (CEO) and Danny (Founder), a summary of our key achievements over the past 12 months, and a look forward to plans for 2022.
A Message from Daisy (CEO) and Danny (Founder)
Dear Friends,
What a 12 months it has been! Despite the news of growing Omicron cases, it feels important to remember how far we have come since December 2020. Just 12 months ago we were yet to receive vaccinations, and we were facing a Christmas where we knew for sure we wouldn't be able to see our loved ones. And young people were in the thick of a very difficult time: virtual studies leading to an exposure of both digital and food poverty. This Christmas, while still uncertain, feels a great deal more hopeful than this time last year.
Young people face a difficult future, now more than ever. They remain the age group most likely to be adversely affected by job cuts as a result of the pandemic, and psychological difficulty as a result of the tremendous upheaval they have faced. The economic outlook for young people remains uncertain.
For Million Minutes' part, we are so very grateful to every person who has supported our work. Whether through a donation, or by volunteering your time in our Beacon Parish Scheme; whether by nominating young people for an award in recognition of social action in your community, or engaging in our trainings and webinars; whether you joined us in our 10 year anniversary celebrations; or engaged with SiLENT 2021, raising money for our social action grants; whether encouraging young people to apply for one of our social action grants, volunteering your time as part of our nation-wide accompaniment research or sharing news of our work on social media; you have all, in one way or another, supported the cause of getting young people noticed and appreciated, both in our Church and in society.
We know now more than ever that our work is needed. As schools seek to make sense of the difficult world young people are facing, sharing the universal principles of Catholic Social Teaching and recognition of young people's efforts has never felt more relevant. At a time when parishes wonder who will return in a 'Covid-normal' world, and how best to serve a society facing significant upheaval, youth-centered parish renewal efforts which actively place young people at the heart of communities is crucial. And, as our Church enters into synodal conversations, our questions asking who feels welcome in Catholic communities and who does not feels more important than ever, as we seek a future for the Church that is hopeful, optimistic and full of all of the diverse gifts our community has. We are very proud of the work Million Minutes has achieved in the last 12 months, which is summarised below.
We conclude with the words of the Holy Father in his encyclical Christus Vivit:
Dear young people, my joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you, outstripping all those who are slow or fearful. Keep running ... May the Holy Spirit urge you on as you run this race. The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.
May our young people keep supporting us with all their momentum, intuitions and faith, and may we continue to trust all the wonderful gifts they bring.
We hope you enjoy our short summary of our work - and if you like what you see, and feel able to do so, perhaps you might consider a small donation to keep our work on track.
With every blessing for a peaceful Christmas and a hopeful New Year,
Daisy Srblin, CEO, & Danny Curtin, Founder
Million Minutes’ Key Achievements in 2021
Celebrating Ten Years!
We kicked off the year celebrating our ten year anniversary on the Feast of St John Bosco. To celebrate our launch ten years ago, our founders gathered online to host a lockdown-special celebration.
Launch of the 'Beacon Parish Scheme'
We have designed, recruited for, and have started delivering a model of what we believe will be the 'gold standard' of Catholic youth ministry in parish settings in England and Wales - a programme that puts the people of the parish and the community of youth at the forefront of its growth, and keeps in mind the community outside the restrictions of parish walls.
Six parishes have signed up in 2021 across Liverpool, East Anglia, Clifton, Leeds and Shrewsbury Dioceses, and at least two more have signed up for 2022!
The Difference Grant-Giving Makes
During SiLENT 2021, our supporters, including schools and retreat centres raised almost £5000 to go directly back into the youth social action grant-giving arm of our work, funding genuine youth-led projects. Those sponsored silence fundraisers also helped create space for us all to reflect on silenced young people around the country.
Supporting Young People to Grow as Local Catholic Leaders
We have a group of 13 young adult 'alumni' (previous CYPA winners) who met eight times over 2020 and 2021, to discuss contemporary issues of importance such as racial inequality and child food poverty.
Since December 2020, we have issued eight youth-led grants, and and 10 'Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati' Local Awards, recognising the incredible work of young people during the pandemic. We look forward to re-establishing the Celebrating Young People Award sin Spring / Summer 2022.
Exploring the Perceived 'Peripheries' of the Church
We have made a mark on some important perceived 'peripheries' for the Church, including pastoral accompaniment to LGBT+ young adults in Catholic settings.
In December 2021, we organised a webinar exploring the experiences of young women in the Catholic Church, and the way in which the Church can better minister to them and the challenges in their lives. Dr Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ led a keynote on the topic, with further discussion from four more guest speakers, including young women themselves.
Sharing our Vision
We continue to promote and expand awareness of the Christus Vivit mission across England and Wales, and at all levels of Catholic hierarchies, and even beyond Catholic communities. We have developed concrete means of Catholic communities developing youth ministry, including through self-directing resources, multimedia outputs, and training.
This has included:
Over 70 attendees from over 30 parishes across England and Wales attending our 'Beacon Parish' open day in January 2021
Over 70 participants signing up to our Spring 2021 training
40 participants signing up for our Autumn conversations
Over 150 members joining the Million Minutes / Catholic Youth Ministry Federation Facebook group for Catholic Youth Ministers in England and Wales
A number of invitations to Catechists Days, Diocesan presentations, Caritas meetings, Justice & Peace fora, and other external events (if you'd like Million Minutes to visit your community, drop us a line!)
Speaking Up for Youth Ministry & Young People
We have been working to strengthen Million Minutes so that our work may continue for years to come. To this end, Million Minutes has joined both the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation in England and Wales (CYMFed) and the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), which has helped to widen the remit of our work at a national scale.
In Summer 2021, we welcomed Beth Warren as our new Senior Parish Engagement Officer, and over the course of 2021 we have welcomed four Trustees on to our Board.
Our social media profile continues to grow. Over 2021, we have had over 200 new Twitter followers, 100+ new Facebook likes, 150+ Instagram followers, and 200+ LinkedIn followers. Our website has received almost 10,000 unique visitors this year alone, and over 26,000 page views.
Proximity: A Research Project on Accompaniment
Accompaniment is the central pastoral strategy offered by Pope Francis. It has also been at the heart of Million Minutes' approach for the last decade. So we were delighted to launch Proximity, a process of learning and development into the art of accompaniment. This project enjoys support from the Benedictines, the Jesuits, and dioceses and organisations.
2022 and Beyond!
Applications Open for a New Team Member!
We are very excited to be welcoming applications for a new post Project Worker (Catholic Social Teaching) - more info here. Deadline is the first week of January, and the role may suit young adults who are at the start of their professional journeys!
This new team member will be able to work directly with schools, partly to promote our Awards, but also to promote awareness of and engagement with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We are very much looking forward to being able to accompany schools more closely next year.
Continuing to Grow our Work
Our Beacon Parish Scheme will enter another year, with an additional five parishes (at least) will be selected to join the programme, free of charge.
We hope to continue our suite of external events, exploring racial justice and the important role that people of colour play in the Catholic Church.
We hope to raise a significant amount in SiLENT 2022, to further develop our grant-giving arm. We will also finally be hosting an in person Celebrating Young People Awards for the first time in three years.
Our work promoting the vision of an open youth ministry at every level throughout the Church will continue apace: including through our submission to the synodal process, which will be compiled by gathering a group of young people with whom we work, and exploring the key synod questions with them in January 2022. If you'd like to join this young adults synod group, do email us on info@millionminutes.org
Donate to our Work, if you're able
This is just a flavour of the work we've done this year - get in touch with us on info@millionminutes.org if you'd like some more detail.
And if you're able and willing, perhaps you might consider donating to our work to allow us to continue reaching communities that need it in 2022
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year,
from all the team at Million Minutes
Exploring the experiences of young women in the Catholic Church: My journey away from Dumbledore
This week Million Minutes hosted a webinar exploring the experiences of young women in the Catholic Church. As part of this event, we heard from Catherine Bridgwood.
Catherine is 24 years old and lives in Birmingham. She currently coordinates a befriending project of Birmingham Churches Together aiming to welcome refugees and asylum seekers in the city. Catherine is interested in engaging with diversity in Birmingham and exploring what we can learn from encounters with difference, particularly across faith. She is involved with her local Catholic parish community as well as with the Columban Missionaries.
Catherine’s contribution is published below.
Good evening! What a privilege it is to be part of this panel this evening, such an important conversation. Initially I was unsure if I had anything particularly profound to add to the discussion but then ultimately, I am a young woman in the Catholic Church so all I can do is share a small part of my own experience. So what I’d like to share with you briefly this evening is what I’m giving the catchy title…
‘My journey away from Dumbledore’
I am extremely thankful for the spaces that I’ve had as I’ve grown up to explore and question faith and church. I think especially, as a teenager when you’re forming stronger opinions and a sense of self and identity, these spaces are crucial. As a 24 year old, they continue to be crucial.
I was lucky enough to have a parish youth discussion group, so between the ages of about 15 and 18, we’d meet every couple of weeks on a Sunday evening to unpack all this churchy stuff, it was totally liberating.
I have a particular memory, about a conversation we had about our images of God. I remember repeatedly saying that my image of God was a Dumbledore type character.
Old white man, long white beard, long robe. No questions asked.
It’s interesting because looking back, I think I have always felt somewhat frustrated, excluded from and not quite accepting of all the goings on in this institution. I’m quick to criticise, I’m angry with the way things have been done and the exclusion of not just women in church leadership but so many groups from the church as a whole. But I have also found great joy within the church, great peace, I have felt listened to, encouraged, inspired to take action and built meaningful relationships. So it’s safe to say, it has been at times, a confusing space to be in.
But I think, as of course should be at the heart of all this is a relationship with God…
So this Dumbledore character…. I suppose he’s a wise and loving father type figure, he’s powerful and knowing. But he’s a he.
The language to describe God, as well as the non-inclusive language used in the Mass shaped so much of my early understanding of who God is. And whilst early on, it’s easy to accept that. I think, certainly in my experience as a young woman, there comes a point where that is uncomfortable. If I am made in the image and likeness of God, where do I fit into this?
I’m sure that is not the experience of every young woman, but it is certainly mine. And I think without the spaces to question, to criticise and to develop my own relationship with God, I would have quite probably walked away from it all.
I have come to know that God is so much more than this image of a figure in my mind shaped by the language used in Catholic worship. God is who I experience through encounters with other people.
I am privileged enough to have encountered and walked alongside many people who find themselves on the margins of society. In my current role, for an ecumenical organisation, I work with refugees and asylum seekers, people who have been trafficked into slavery, those who have experienced domestic violence. And it is in encounters I have with these women, that I realise how far from the Dumbledore image of God I have travelled. God is truly on the margins, in the face of those who suffer. And whilst that is deeply challenging, as a young woman of the church, a church that can be I think, so restrictive and inward looking it has been hugely life-giving to become aware of that.
So, you ask me what my experience of being a young woman in the Catholic church is? I think it’s one where I’ve wandered away from what I imagine to be a church epicentre… does this really exist?
But maybe I’ve found a real epicentre over here. And perhaps my imagined epicentre needs to come and have a look at what I’ve found? Perhaps there are thousands of these scattered around the church...let’s be open to looking at where young women have wandered to. They may still see themselves very much part of the church. I would challenge us not to seek to bring people ‘back’. To see real change, we need to explore where people are living out church. Being a young woman in society full stop has it’s challenges - forgive us if we don’t have all the answers, but maybe this has asked some questions!
Thank you so much for listening.
Black History Month 2021
This Black History Month 2021, Destiny Odogiyan, aged 17 from the Diocese of Salford, reflects on what the month means to her, and the ways in which Catholicism implores us to treat every person with dignity.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a room for you?” John 14:2
There seems to be this common misconception at times that Catholicism is a religion for white people in the UK.
But this is wrong. Catholicism is a religion for all types of people. Most of the people in the Bible (including Jesus himself) were not white.
This is the reason why I titled this blog with John 14:2 because I think it shares the most important message for all Catholics. This message makes clear that God does not discriminate. We are all God’s children, no matter our culture, ethnicity, race, sexuality or background. We are all loved unconditionally by God.
Especially as it is Black History Month this October, I want to remind people that Catholicism is universal and includes everybody. It hurts me to see that there are people who believe that Christianity is a religion that hates more than it loves.
For some reason people seem to find being Black and Catholic an oxymoron. This is because it sometimes feels that when we look around in society the representation of Catholicism seems to be mostly white people and this is wrong because it goes against a prominent part of Catholicism which is diversity and inclusion. If you go to any Catholic parish, you will find a real diversity of backgrounds in the pews.
Catholicism grew at a time of social injustice. Jesus was a social revolutionary: he healed society in many ways. There are many stories in the Bible of God giving the oppressed support to fight for their rights and freedom such as when Moses freed the Israelites.
Whenever we are faced with problems and call upon God, we are speaking up and fighting for what we believe in. Prayer is a form of campaign. Dr Martin Luther King Jr was a civil rights activist who also used Christianity as a foundation for his activism. Dr Martin Luther King Jr preached for peace and love whilst fighting for justice. He based his whole movement on peaceful protest, he never used violence as a tactic. In the end he achieved so much with his faith-based ministry and activism.
Catholicism is a religion for everybody and anybody who says otherwise is not practicing Catholicism properly. Throughout the Bible the continuous message spread is love, the main thing God wants all Catholics to learn is love because at the end of the day we are all God’s creation no matter our differences and we all have a purpose.
This is why we should treat each other with love by treating each other with dignity and respect because that is a basic right. Black History Month reminds us of that right.
Destiny Odogiyan, aged 17, Diocese of Salford
Students from St James' Catholic High School Barnet win the Blessed Pier Giorgio Award 2021
A group of four students from the Art and Chaplaincy Club at St James’ Catholic High School Barnet in Colindale have received Million Minutes’ Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award, in recognition of their hard work promoting the common good in their community.
Victoria (aged 12), Rebeca-Elena (aged 13), Jade (aged 14) and Clara (aged 14) were all nominated by their teacher Miss Lucy Gardener for their extra-curricular work as part of the Art & Chaplaincy Club. This group of young women have been actively involved in the running of our School's Foodbank, by creating posters and speaking in assemblies to promote awareness of the need of families in our community particularly during the pandemic.
The girls have also been using their talents to design tote bags to sell to friends and families to raise money for the school's Cameroon Project (raising money and awareness for a sister school in Cameroon). They have also been involved in the rebuilding of our School's Peace Garden which provides students within our school an area in which they can go to for quiet reflection. These young women have also shown great initiative, approaching teachers with the idea of setting up a school foodbank and establishing the different community projects.
In making the application for the award, their teacher Miss Gardener said: ‘Rebeca-Elena, Jade, Clara and Victoria are are constantly working and thinking of others selflessly and living by our school mission statement "I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full". It would also mean a lot to the School's wider community when it would highlight the hard work that they have done and the Christian ethos behind it.’
The nominees themselves have said: "I enjoy coming to our club because I like drawing and showing my creativity. I have also participated in many projects to help raise money for charity for those who are less fortunate in our community. At the moment we are designing bags to sell to raise money for our School's Cameroon project. I have also done some building in the peace garden. I really enjoyed doing all of those activities."
Another winner added: "I enjoy coming to our club because you can share ideas and express yourself freely without judgement. I also use my artistic skills in order to help others such as the less fortunate in our school community."
Million Minutes launched the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award in 2020, to recognise the work of young people during the pandemic specifically, and is endorsed by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
Like all of Million Minutes’ work, the Award was established to attempt to heed the Holy Father’s call for the Catholic Church to better minister and empower young people. In the words of Pope Francis in Christus Vivit #299:
‘Dear young people, my joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you, outstripping all those who are slow or fearful. Keep running, attracted by the face of Christ, whom we love so much, whom we adore in the Holy Eucharist and acknowledge in the flesh of our suffering brothers and sisters. May the Holy Spirit urge you on as you run this race. The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.’
Huge congratulations to Victoria, Jade, Clara and Rebeca-Elena for their hard work. May they continue to be inspired to serve their community!
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To find out more about the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award, and to nominate a young person or a group of young people for their social action service, visit our dedicated page here.
Million Minutes expands
Please join us in welcoming the two newest members of the Million Minutes’ team: Beth Warren who joins us in the role of Senior Parish Engagement Officer, and George White who joins us in a voluntary capacity on our Board of Trustees.
Beth Warren, Senior Parish Engagement Officer
Beth grew up in the Diocese of Brentwood. Between 2015 and 2018 she worked as Parish Youth Coordinator and School Chaplain for the Parish and three of the Catholic Schools in Basildon. Beth joins us from Walsingham House in Brentwood where she worked as Assistant Manager. Beth has served as a volunteer group leader with HCPT (Hosanna House & Children’s Pilgrimage Trust) for the last four years. Beth holds a BA degree in Theology and Religious Studies at St Mary’s University, and will shortly be completing her Master’s degree in Charity Management.
In this new post, Beth will be leading Million Minutes’ ground-breaking beacon parish project along with the organisation’s direct engagements with Catholic parishes, schools and communities.
George White, Trustee
George is a transgender and Catholic teacher of Religious Education at a Catholic secondary school in Leicester. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Theology from Heythrop College, an MA in Global Ethics and Human Values from King's College London and a Secondary PGCE in Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge. He is particularly interested in LGBT Inclusion in Catholic Schools and works with school leaders, national education unions, Catholic organisations and dioceses to provide support and training sessions to improve pastoral care for LGBT staff and pupils within Catholic education.
George says: 'As a young person, I was encouraged by Million Minutes to actively participate in my church community. Now, as an educator of young people, I am inspired by their work and commitment to empowering the young to have a voice. It is a privilege to be joining the board of trustees and to support the facilitation of young people in living out their call to action.'
Speaking of these new additions, Million Minutes’ Chair of Trustees, Ewan Day-Collins, said: 'I am delighted to welcome both George and Beth to the Million Minutes team. We are blessed to have such talented and committed young people as advocates for our mission. I look forward to working alongside them in service of young people and our church. Please do pray for them and for all of us at Million Minutes.'
Daisy Srblin, CEO of Million Minutes, added: ‘The appointment of both Beth and George marks a very exciting chapter for Million Minutes, as we grow from our ten year history and explore new opportunities and projects. I have every confidence that both Beth and George will offer unique contributions in creating the ‘Church with open doors… with a heart for all young people’ which Pope Francis calls on us to implement.’
31,000 minutes and 3,500 pounds
Over this season of Lent, we have created 31,380 minutes of silence and a staggering £3,500 and counting. Individuals, parishes, schools, and youth groups joined with thousands of others, to speak up for young people who are often overlooked and silenced in today’s world. The money they raised will help to transform young people’s lives across the country including young people like Tom, Shanea, and Carl.
Over the course of the last three months, we have been inspired by the digital content that has been produced by our participants, whether that has been tweets, pictures, videos, prayers, or reflections. They have allowed us to raise awareness of our work and show solidarity with generation Z at this time of need.
Thank you especially to:
· The Catholic Parish of the Durham Martyrs – Diocese of Durham
· St John the Baptist School – Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
· Brentwood Youth Service – Diocese of Brentwood
· Holy Family Catholic School, Walthamstow – Diocese of Brentwood
· Phoenix Youth Group – Diocese of Birmingham
· The Columbans UK – Diocese of Birmingham
· St John Vianney RC School – Diocese of Salford
· Young Christian Workers – Diocese of Salford
· St Hilda’s Catholic Chaplaincy – Archdiocese of Southwark
· Institute of our Lady of Mercy – Diocese of Leeds
Some of our favourite content includes:
Sr Margaret’s Lenten Thanksgiving Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzVWge164VQ
St John Tamworth’s TikTok video: https://www.tiktok.com/@stjohnscctamworth/video/6941102984864599301?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v3
Daisy Srblin, Director of Million Minutes says “In my first year at Million Minutes I have been so inspired by our participants’ time, energy, and creativity during this time. Their efforts give us all hope, as we head into the spring and we return to a different type of “normal”. Across the country, we’ve seen young people, students, teachers, parish priests, youth workers, chaplains, parents and many more, from across England and Wales, staying silent in solidarity with young people, and raising money for youth-led grants.
Our collaboration with Brentwood Youth Services particularly stands out for me, with Joseph Beattie and the team organising 40 days of Instagram content over on BCYS’s social media pages. It was also a pleasure to use our platforms together to contribute to Radio Maria. As we look to the spring and summer 2021, I am excited to continue our good work.”
Funds raised in SiLENT go straight into our grants scheme, which is open on a rolling basis, for a genuinely youth-led social action grant. We support young people as they change their world inspired by our Catholic social teaching principles. For more information, see: millionminutes.org/grants
Supporting a young activist
SiLENT is empowering Tom to use his voice and speak up for justice. Like many students, Tom took to the streets of Leeds to demand change regarding the grading of school examinations over the course of the summer. He hadn’t been able to sit his exams and didn’t meet his predicted grades the first time round. Upset and unsure of what to do, he started seeing coverage on the news and social media which gave him a bit of hope. Then when young people started to walk the streets of his hometown, he knew he needed to join them. It reminded him that he was not the only one suffering and change was possible. Their message was heard. After a few stressful phone calls and back to back emails, his grades were more fairly assessed, and he secured his first-place University choice. Tom was thrilled. He now has hope for the future.
In 2021 Million Minutes is supporting Tom to continue using his voice to enact positive change through the creation of his own podcast series: Project Noise. Tom’s hope is to inspire social action across our local Catholic communities through sharing the stories of inspirational young people.
Tom is a former recipient of Million Minutes’ Celebrating Young People Awards. Since 2019 Tom has engaged himself in the Alumni network of the awards attending a retreat and online conversations over the course of lockdown.
Supporting young gardeners find community
Carl faces prejudice and challenges every day – but he has a huge heart and he wants to make the world a better place. siLENT is supporting him and his fellow students with learning difficulties at St John Bosco College. They are dedicating themselves to inspiring their peers to care for their common home.
With love and commitment Carl and his fellow peers have revamped a once ignored patch of the school playground into a wildlife haven for plants and wildlife to flourish. The community garden project is the first of its kind at the school, and has become an integral part of the students’ daily school life.
Despite a lack of resources and funding, the group have welcomed donations of seeds and materials from generous friends and parents and have repaid the generosity with not just devotion to the gardening club but also persistence, determination and humour when faced with the infuriating problems of slugs and squirrels. Rather than get disheartened, the Year 7s have sought innovative ways to protect their plants as well as seek advice from professionals and are enthusiastic when they see new shoots.
In 2019 their hard work and passion saw them receive the ‘Barbara Ward Conserving the Environment Award’ at Million Minutes’ Celebrating Young People Awards. For Carl and Anna (founding members of the club) the nomination came as a complete surprise. Anna said, “I didn’t think we’d get nominated for something outside of our school, it made us believe in ourselves and we hope our work inspires others to care for our common home in the process. My favourite thing to plant was strawberries last summer…when they were ready, we were able to eat them with ice cream and chocolate cake, it was delicious!”.
For many of the kids the gardening club is a rare moment to get outside. Carl adds, “I live over an hour away from school, in an apartment block, I don’t have any access to a garden. This club is my chance to spend more time outside.”
Those who attend the club find it to be a safe space to come to after a long day. A teacher who oversees the group said “…many of our attendees have learning difficulties, these aren’t the kids who will sign themselves up for the football or sports club afterschool. The club is a space where they are respected and can be themselves. The transformation of these kids when they first arrived to now has been massive, and the gardening club has been instrumental in that.”
The groups parting message to others like themselves who are caring for the earth is to keep going. Doing something big or small is important, Carl adds, “…our gardening feels like we are making an impact and we want to do our part to protect the things we love. You really don’t know what kind of impact you can have!”
Sadly when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the club had to partially close, much to the disappointment of the gardening members, but in the new year the club will be supported by Million Minutes with new resources to continue their amazing efforts.
Shanea the changemaker
Shanea, aged 18, is using her voice to bring peace to her local community of Newham. SiLENT is supporting her to engage with young people who are in need of support at this time.
For Shanea the issue of knife crime and violence is personal. When she was younger, Shanea witnessed a young teenager being stabbed in her neighbourhood. At first all Shanea could hear from her kitchen window was someone screaming, and her first thought was to run outside and see if she could help. Shanea was the first responder on the scene. Unsure as to what to do, she took the young man’s hand and began to talk to him. She recognised the boy as a local lad. Soon after she was joined by her neighbour who was first aid trained and an ambulance was soon on the scene. Luckily the boy survived but the experience is something that Shanea says “will stay with me forever.”
Initially angry and frustrated by the incident, Shanea eventually saw it as an opportunity to make real change in her community. Taking a holistic approach to the issue of youth safety and knife crime, Shanea decided on a range of actions going forward. This included brining in first-aid training to her entire sixth form at St Bonaventure’s school. As a result of Shanea’s efforts, all pupils were taught how to deal with stab injuries, which could potentially save someone’s life. Shanea has also used her creativity to create a social enterprise initiative titled “Your Life, More Life” bringing young artists, creatives, and academics together who share a vision of peace and unity in their community.
Prior to the lockdowns, Shanea also spent her time going out into her community attending talks, workshops, and conferences to further educate herself on the issue of Youth Violence, and share her important experience and insight. She adds “Newham has been labelled the murder capital, of the murder capital. It became important to me that I educated myself on violence, why there was so much violence on my streets, what violence is, what the root causes are, and how we can heal our communities and move forward.”
The project, which was set to launch over the summer of 2020, was cancelled due to COVID-19. But with lockdowns taking place, the young in her community were increasingly feeling targeted – and seemed to be suffering most as a result of unemployment and poverty. They needed more support than ever.
With Million Minutes’ help Shanea was able to adapt quickly and meet young people where they were at, through the creation of online communities. She has brought young people together to research issues impacting their community and these groups are now starting to find solutions. Shanea is also working closely with her local council to create their first ever Youth Advisory group. What was once seen as a massive set-back, has now been a blessing to Shanea, who says: “This year has allowed me to sit back, reflect and plan more. It’s also allowed me the time to connect with others and join in with other campaigns and movements that are committed to bringing peace, change and justice to our communities locally and globally.”
Her passion to make a change saw Shanea receive the 2019 Jimmy Mizen ‘Promoting Solidarity and Peace’ award at Million Minutes’ Celebrating Young People Awards.
Lenten Thanksgiving Prayer
A short Lenten Prayer from Sr Margaret Ochigbo from the Order Holy Child Jesus, they are a missionary congregation, their apostolates are; education, medical, pastoral, and missions.
Million Minutes is featured on ‘Padre’s Hour’ on Radio Maria England
Last week, Fr Sam Randall, Director of Radio Maria England, based in the Diocese of East Anglia, interviewed Million Minutes’ Director, Daisy Srblin as part of his weekly ‘Padre’s Hour’, for broadcast in Holy Week, in a special interview focused on Youth Engagement.
In the interview, Daisy and Fr Sam explored a whole range of different issues, exploring the ways in which Catholic parishes can improve their offers to young people via youth ministry, with a particular emphasis on engaging young people beyond the ‘visible’ Catholic community, including non-Catholics, lapsed Catholics and others. Daisy also spoke of some of the challenges young people currently face, with a particular focus on the impact of the pandemic.
Fr Sam and Daisy were also joined by Joe Beattie from Brentwood Catholic Youth Services, who discussed BCYS’s participation in Million Minutes’ annual SiLENT 2021 campaign, their motivations for joining, and where the money raised would be going.
Daisy also provided an overview for listeners of Million Minutes’ work, including our Awards, our annual fundraising, our grants, and our events and training.
You can read more about the interview here: Padre’s Hour: Spotlight on Youth Engagement in Brentwood – Radio Maria England.
And you can listen in to the interview here: https://anchor.fm/padres-hour-rme/episodes/Padres-Hour---Episode-46---Youth-Ministry-in-Brentwood-etkg68/a-a52o6hp
Please get in touch with the team on info@millionminutes.org if you’re interested in discussing anything mentioned in the conversation – and look out for Million Minutes alumni on Radio Maria England over the next few months!
Radio Maria England is a non-commercial private initiative within the Catholic Church, which seeks to offer its listeners an opportunity to pray, to learn, and to celebrate with the Church. Each day the station broadcasts the daily Church liturgy, the Mass, and the Holy Rosary. The station also provides teaching and catechesis covering faith and social issues, programmes focusing on human and social development, and news from across the world.
To find out more about Million Minutes work head to our website: millionminutes.org
Christus Vivit two year's on…
March 2021 marks the second anniversary of Pope Francis’s letter to all young people . Christus Vivit (‘Christ is Alive’) was ground-breaking on its publication, the first Papal encyclical of its kind, to address young people specifically.
In the encyclical, the Holy Father made a series of radical and powerful statements, including imploring us to build ‘a Church with open doors’ with a ‘heart for all young people’. Christus Vivit has been inspiring our work at Million Minutes ever since. It also serves as the grounding behind our pioneering ‘beacon parish’ scheme, launched in 2021.
The Pope’s message rings out a fresh invitation one year on from the start of COVID-19, where young people are facing unprecedented economic, educational, and social challenges, including an unstable future.
In Christus Vivit, as accompaniers of young people, we are reminded that “The community has an important role in the accompaniment of young people; it should feel collectively responsible for accepting, motivating, encouraging, and challenging them. All should regard young people with understanding, appreciation and affection, and avoid constantly judging them or demanding of them a perfection beyond their years.” (CV 243).
The framework used for building this relationship is the story of the Road to Emmaus. It is that same story we use at Million Minutes when referencing our foundations. When walking the streets, when listening to young people, we ask ourselves: How are we supporting their faith and wellbeing? How are we ensuring that marginalised voices are heard? How are we enabling them to become the leaders of tomorrow?
It is these sentiments that speak into our expression of Lent – siLENT. Over the 40 days of Lent 42 participants from across the country join us to create a deafening silence as an act of solidarity with young people
How do we reach the most vulnerable and support them and their families? How do we share our faith and support the well-being of our young people? How do we ensure their voices are heard as the world considers the longer-term view? How do we ensure that young people are the means of ‘light and hope’ that we know them to be?
Let us hope and pray as we near Holy Week and Easter Week that the lessons of Christus Vivit are not forgotten, and that they be applied more fully throughout our Church.
Kate Eastmond
Million Minutes welcomes two new Trustees!
Million Minutes is delighted to welcome Nina Mattiello Azadeh and Fr Ryan Service to its Board of Trustees, with both Nina and Fr Ryan joining in March 2021 after a competitive round of recruitment.
Daisy Srblin, Director of Million Minutes says: ‘Fr Ryan and Nina are two wonderful new appointments to the Board of Trustees, bringing a wealth of experience with them. Young people now face a significant juncture, as society slowly moves out of the pandemic, and so Fr Ryan and Nina join us at a critical time. Their commitment and passion to the gifts of Catholic Social Teaching is clear, and I know they bring with them wisdom and knowledge as we enter the next decade of our organisation.’
Ewan Day-Collins, the newly appointed Chair of Trustees, says 'We are delighted to welcome both Nina and Fr Ryan to the Board of Million Minutes, their experience and commitment to young people will be such an asset as we continue to advance the vision of Christus Vivit to place all young people at the heart of the Church.'
You can find out more about our newest trustees below, and find out about our existing Board members here.
Fr Ryan Service
Fr Ryan is an ordained Priest, serving in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. He also has a Licence in Catholic Social Teaching and Public Ethics from at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Fr Ryan brings with him a wealth of experience, especially in regards to accompanying young people in the church and he is excited to get to work with Million Minutes in providing a platform for young people in their discernment along the path of Christian discipleship.
Nina Mattiello Azadeh
Nina joined the Trustee board in March 2021. She has worked in media for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and is now a content producer at the Royal Opera House. She continues to serve catholic communities, charities and groups as a freelance media consultant. She has written for publications such as Christian Today and The Tablet. She aims to work towards empowering young people to speak and act with confidence in Catholic and community spaces, and is particularly passionate about promoting the voices of women and people of colour.
Zoom youth sessions
Over the last 12 months, I have been lucky to run 2-3 youth clubs online a week with an amazing team of volunteers. Safe to say I have a love-hate relationship with Zoom now! But I wanted to share some zoom session ideas that are easy to try for your youth groups. I have split them into 3 different groups, “All about the fun”, “Educational” and “Spiritual development”. If you have your own ideas add them in the comments below!
All about the fun:
1. “Dan’s Quirky Quiz”
We have all been on quizzes over Zoom during lockdown, but I loved to go past the traditional question and answer. Instead, I focus on making “quirky fun and creative rounds”. For example, in one quiz the young people were asked to make up a sea shanty. In another quiz, raps were made to the soundtrack of SpongeBob SquarePants. Anything fun that is a little different I have found to be popular! These quizzes became so popular, I ended up running for all family, weekly they can have anything up to 20 or so families a week!
2. Games nights
Around once a month I run a simple games night. Here I ask the young people to plan games for the whole group, although the often favorites are:
· Pictionary (simply share a whiteboard screen and take it in turns to draw on it),
· Scattergories, this is an easy to plan game with a group, the following website is great for facilitating the game: https://scattergoriesonline.net/
· Two truths one lie, the classic game, very easy to play online!
· Scavenger hunt, give a simple list of 10-20 items which can be found around the house, see who can find them all first
· One-word stories, each person says one word taking turns to make a story
3. Your area has talent!
A simple talent show is incredibly easy to run online, I found it was a great way for young people to be proud of their skills they don’t often get to share.
Educational:
1. Debate nights
A simple idea, come along and debate two different views. For instance, in our youth group, we had members debate over the Black Lives Matter movement, how Churches should respond to the LGBTQIA+ community etc.
2. Minecraft nights
If you have the skills to play Minecraft it can be a great online experience in playing games together, but it also allows the youth group to learn about history (by building ancient objects together), the Bible (by recreating biblical stories), and how to work as a team.
3. Home arts and crafts
If people live in the local area you can drop arts and crafts equipment off at the young people’s houses, then together lead an arts and crafts activity together. I have heard baking works great like this too!
4. Guest Speakers
Guest speakers are always great. With the internet being so accessible, it’s easier than ever to have someone from the other side of the world giving a talk to your youth group. Take advantage of this!
Spiritual development:
1. Bible study sessions
Bible study does feel a little odd online but it is very easy to adapt to be virtual. I have found it to be great fun to ask young people to act our Bible stories etc, then we can share the biblical story, etc.
2. Youth Alpha
The Alpha program is a very simple program where as a group you watch a video, then talk about different views and opinions. Online it really is that simple! But it is a great program to encourage the young people to think about their own views and opinions while reflecting on the bigger questions in life. It is the most simple and resourced program I have run over Zoom: https://www.alpha.org/youth/
3. Sycamore
I personally have not used the Sycamore program just yet, however many of my friends have and report how great it is. It is another program to explore the bigger questions in life.
What is the key?
The most helpful bit of advice I can give right now, is just have fun. It sounds so simple, but there are so many pressures in the world. We are all being challenged in a new virtual youth work world, but it is something we can enjoy. It is a time to try new things and use our creativity to support young people in new ways. All good youth work is centered in the relationship, focus on that and enjoy the journey of accompaniment into this new world together.
