NAVIGATE LEADING

A digital handbook for working with young people in the West Cheltenham Parish

Introduction

Hi and welcome to the West Cheltenham Parish Youth leader handbook.

First things first, Thank You!!!

We really mean that. If you’re reading this it means you have volunteered some of your time to invest in the lives of young people. It might not seem like it now but every second of your time will make a difference to the young people you meet, and influence who they will grow up to be. It is a very difficult world to be in if you’re a young person today. There are so many influences and voices pulling them in every direction and a mountain of expectations from friends, family, teachers and wider society, their world isn’t easy. But just by volunteering some of your time to be there for them you are one more person in their corner, one more voice telling them that they are amazing and one more finger pointing them to the father who loves them more than anything. Please know that we are so grateful for you and that you are making a real difference. We will go on to talk about some of the roles and responsibilities of a youth leader later in this handbook. But for now, I want to start this handbook with 3 things. Karen Swanson is the national team leader for Fusion USA (An international student ministry organisation) and recently she shared that there are 3 things that everyone should do to reach the next generation:

1.      Listened to without judgement

Often we can dismiss young peoples ideas, worldview or behaviour believing that we have all the answers or know better. To reach the next generation we need to stop any judgement or negativity towards young people and genuinely and with curiosity listen to what they have to say.

2.      Meet them where they’re at

We should treat young people with the same dignity that we extend to adults. We need to meet the young people in our parish where they are at and walk with them as they journey through life, not assuming anything but getting to know them in their world.

3.      Encourage them in who they are and who they can be

We shouldn’t be disappointed or unhappy that young people are who they are. We should encourage them in who they are and who they can be. We are to love them as they are, not loving some possible future version of them.

It is such a privilege to work with the next generation of human beings. Young people are creative, passionate and have lots to say about our world. Working with young people will allow you to learn from them just as much as they learn from you. Jesus loves young people, Jesus wants to be in relationship with young people, Jesus cares about young people, and we get the amazing privilege of walking with them on their journey. This Handbook will take you through many different aspects of working with young people. First we will see some of the different work the parish does with young people.

Parish Youth Work Overview

There are a number of different Youth work projects run by the parish these are run in order to both develop and disciple the young people who already attend a parish church as well as to reach out to young people in our parish who have not got their own relationship with Jesus. We aim to reach young people with the gospel and to disciple them in their relationship with Jesus.

GRID

On alternate Sundays from 6:30PM until 8PM we put on a group for those in school years 6 – 11. This group usually takes place at St Marks church. The vision behind grid is to be a safe welcoming place where young people can have fun, build a community of friends and fellow Christian young people and in this community explore the Christian faith. Grid is often themed around an activity or game and provides structured activities for the young people. Through these activities we aim to help the young people build a community amongst themselves. We want the young people who attend Grid to be comfortable walking their faith journey with the other young people at Grid. The Exploration of faith at Grid is done through a variety of methods, it could be through special guests, big questions, attending events or more.

SMY

On a 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month the young people have their own group on a Sunday morning. This is called Sunday morning youth. The point of a Sunday morning is to help young people explore the Christian faith. Typically, the session will start with snacks and a game before exploring a topic on a theme. The youth tend to follow their own curriculum apart from the main church. This takes place in the St Marks youth room, a dedicated space for young people in the St Marks Hall building.

348

348 is a youth bible study that takes place on a Tuesday night, from 6:30 – 7:45. This group is for those in year 8 and above. The point of the 348 bible study is to create a relaxed, hub group style community where older young people can explore the Christian faith in more depth. This Group takes place at the home of the parish youth worker. The desire for this group is to lead young people into a owned and personal faith in Jesus.

All Saints Academy

The Parish has a strong relationship with All Saints Academy. One day a week the parish youth worker spends the day at the academy and works alongside the chaplaincy team. The Parish has a presence at many academy events i.e. the year 7 retreat days. On a Thursday afternoon we run an after school’s club called alpha. This has become a community group with no regular Faith input. However, we do use this group to signpost to other explicitly Christian events and resources. 

NAVIGATE

Navigate is the West Cheltenham Parish’s online platform. This Platform has been designed for young people to be able to engage with appropriate resources that will help them grow on their faith journey. These resources include music, videos, websites and apps. This website is accessible through the Navigate page in the connect tab of the parish website.    

Resources

Depending on your role in the West Cheltenham Parish Youth team there may be times when you are asked to lead a session in your particular group. Below are some online resources to help you plan appropriate sessions for your group. We believe strongly in teamwork in the West Cheltenham parish and so if you ever need assistance with planning a session then please don’t hesitate to contact others in the team.

= great places to start

The West Cheltenham Parish also have a number of written or physical resources that you can access like games or books.

Guidelines and practices

There are lots of different kinds of youth work and youth ministry, each with its own sets of guidelines and practices. Here are a few dos and don’ts for Church youth ministry. This is not the same as the rules for safeguarding which you will find elsewhere in this handbook.  These dos and don’ts relay the type of behaviour expected from a youth volunteer.

There are 3 things to remember when leading a group of young people. The first thing is that its all about them. The young people come first in everything we do. Every decision we make as leaders should be for the good of the young people and their personal and spiritual journeys. Secondly is that we are there to be a supporters and encouragers for the young people who attend our groups. We want them to feel loved, supported and safe to be able to explore faith in a positive and friendly community. Thirdly is the responsibility of reflecting Jesus to the young people in our care. We are here to point them towards the God who loves them. We should try to reflect who Jesus is in every word we say and every action we take.

If you have any questions about youth leader do’s and don’ts then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Safeguarding

What is safeguarding? 

Safeguarding is the action you take to promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and protect them from harm. Safeguarding means:

  • protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from abuse and maltreatment

  • preventing harm to children's, young people’s and vulnerable adult’s health and development

  • providing support to meet children's, young people’s and vulnerable adult’s needs when problems emerge

  • ensuring children and young people grow up with safe and effective care, within their family where possible

Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone in the church. Not just those working with children and young people.

KEY CONTACT - Parish Safeguarding Officer

Josh Denley

safeguarding@westchelt.org.uk

01242 655650

IMPORTANT

It is mandatory that every person working with children or young people in West Cheltenham parish undertake the required safeguarding training.

To complete the required training follow the steps below:

  1. click on the link above (the underlined and purple “safeguarding training” above)

  2. click on “create new account”

  3. Fill in the new account section

  4. Click the “Online courses” button

  5. Please complete the courses entitled: “Basic Awareness”, “Foundations” and “Raising awareness of domestic abuse”

  6. When you complete these forms it should give you the option to forward the certificate to your organisation, please enter: Office@westchelt.org.uk . If not please download and email your certificate to the same email address.

Safeguarding Reporting & Do’s & Don’ts

1) Something is disclosed to you which doesn’t feel right and makes you concerned for their wellbeing.

IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS AN IMMINENT OR IMMEDIATE RISK, CALL 999

2) Make a detailed note of the conversation as soon as possible afterwards, including the time, date and context.

3) Contact a member of the Parish Safeguarding Team

(PSO, clergy and Wardens) ASAP:

safeguarding@westchelt.org.uk

01242 655650 (leave a message and someone will call you back)

The parish team will take it from here and involve the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. You should not expect to get updates once you have reported the concern.

If the concern raised involves a member of the clergy, contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer on

Here is a link to the parish Safeguarding Policy

If you have information about a safeguarding situation where a child or adult is in immediate danger or requires medical attention, call the emergency services on 999

For non urgent local safeguarding enquiries you can either email safeguarding@westchelt.org.uk or call either our lead vicar Rod Paterson on 07853 632 675 or the West Cheltenham Parish Safeguarding number on 01242 655650.

You can also contact the diocesan safeguarding team on 01452 835516 and the Gloucestershire Adult Social Care helpdesk on 01452 426868. The Diocese of Gloucester provides further information on their website, including contact details and how to report a concern via the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor.

Development Centre

We think you’re great. The fact that you’re willing to give up your time to serve the young people of our parish is something we are so grateful for. We want to support you as best we can in your work with young people. Below we have listed a number of videos and resources on a whole host of areas related to youth work for you to use however you wish. If there are areas that we have not covered below that you would like to develop them please just let us know and we will support you however we can. once again thank you. You are making differences in the lives of young people that will stay with them till their old and grey.

Kids These Days: Understanding the next generation

Karen Swanson: Working with the next generation

Follow this link to some research about changes in teens behaviour over the last few years

What people in the UK think of Jesus, Christians and evangelism

Engaging with teenagers

The NHS Talks Tactics for Engaging with teenagers. (They are speaking about the parent chid relationships but there are certainly transferable ideas for youth leaders)

The Youthscape Podcast is an amazing resource. Funny, professional, and engaging youth workers with years of experience talking about Christian youth work in the UK Today.

Inspiration

The Words of this beautiful poem are written on the door of our youth room

What’s Coming Up