We love our Youthworker

To encourage churches to enable the best possible youthwork, Youthwork the Partnership and Amaze have put together a campaign fronted by cartoons from the fantastic Dave Walker.



You can see the launch of the campaign at Spring Harvest or head on over to the Schoolswork site to see the cartoons.



I also have a hanfdul of each cartoon postcard which I will be giving away at the children and youth leaders training event INSPIRE on Saturday 7th February.

Spring Harvest 09

Spring Harvest runs three different weeks at two different venues (Skegness & Minehead). This year they are:

Week 1: Saturday 4 - Thursday 9 April 09

Week 2: Thursday 9 - Tuesday 14 April 09

Week 3: Tuesday 14 - Sunday 19 April 09

There are various ways to book for Spring Harvest

Most exciting for peopel involved in youth minsitry this year will be the launch of the new WE LOVE OUR YOUTHWORKER innitiative at each week at both venues.

Do let me know if you're taking a group and I can try and put you in touch with other groups from the diocese who are going the same week as you.

Conferences coming up

If you're working with young people in a rural parish there are a couple of things on the horizon that might be of interest. Firstly there's a conference run by the Rural Youth Network on 'Young people making a difference - the social inclusion of rural youth' on the 25th September 2008 at the Novotel Hotel East Midlands. This has been sponsored by the Commission for Rural Communities, is due to take place.

There is also a day in January with Canon Martyn percy from Ripon College Cuddesdon which Gloucester diocese are hosting called the Multiparish Benefice Conference The Art of the Possible which includes sessions on children's and youth work.

If you're working more in a detached setting why not check out the Annual Conference for The Federation for Detached Youth Work at the Britannia Hotel in Standish, Wigan from Thursday 13th - Saturday 15th November. They will be looking at 'Detached Youth Work in a Multi-Agency integrated setting - a brave new World?' It's a little pricey at £300 members and £350 non-members. If you want to know more you can e-mail the FDYW .