Young people from across the diocese met at Adventure Plus in Clanfield for the annual diocesan youth weekend.
From 12 to 14 July, a group of teenagers came together at Adventure Plus, an 80-acre activity centre in west Oxfordshire. From wide games to zorbing, and an intense game of human Hungy Hippos, the weekend is structured around community and Christ, encouraging strong relationships between all present.
The group comprised wonderful mix of young people from around the diocese coming from different traditions and backgrounds, either coming along in their youth group, in a small group from their church, or joining entirely on their own. By Friday evening there was a great sense of community; some had remembered each other from last year, and there was 'an ease about the young people'.
Be 'Gniyllub'
The theology programme looks at inclusion, promoting a counter-cultural attitude to friendship and community. One of the young people described their first worship meeting;
"In the meetings we’ve talked about ‘Gniyllub’. It's ‘bullying’ backwards, so it's saying be ‘gniyllub’, be the opposite of bullying. That’s been a helpful thing to talk about."
The young people are offered the chance to lead sung worship and develop their gifts in a safe space. Discipleship Enabler and Yellow Braces leader Kathryn Aboud said;
"There was a great sense of growing confidence in these young people, and Yellow Braces was a safe place to try their skills and gifts."
"The young people engaged so well with everything. The main highlight for me (apart from the hilarious flashlight game in the dark) was the inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in the worship band."
"Friday we had two leaders and one young person in the worship band, on Saturday morning we had two leaders and three young people, and by Sunday we had two leaders and five young people in the worship band."
A sense of togetherness
Yellow Braces is a valuable oppurtunity for young people to share their faith with others their own age. With many of the young people professing to being in a minority at school as a Christian, the time away was a chance to make relationships that will outlive the weekend itself, building a foundation on which their faith at home can strengthen. The leaders attested to how the 'sense of community and unity was evident there from when the children first arrived'.
One teenager described how having places where you can meet Christians around the same age helps them "not feel like the odd one out.”
Head of Discipleship the Revd Joanna Gallant said;
"I was most struck by how the young people were so at ease in themselves as they enjoyed a weekend of faith, fun and friendship. They listened and encouraged each other as they shared what they had noticed in times of prayer and dwelling in scripture, and it was a delight to have them participate in the worship band."
Finding stillness
Part of the programme included practices from the diocesan Contemplative Toolkit, a mechanism for slowing down in our busy times, drawn from ancient Christian traditions. With mental wellbeing at crisis levels among young people today, the time to be still and quiet resonated with those present.
The teenagers spend time in stillness, filling bottles with dirt and water and watching as the murky waters settled, a powerful analogy for the impact stresses and worries can have on our day-to-day lives. One young person described how calming the process was, remarking that it was the only time across the whole weekend that her and her bunk-mates weren't talking!
Looking ahead
Plans are already in motion for the 2025 offering for young people in school years 7 to 11, as the diocesan youth weekend away returns to Adventure Plus. Check out the full antics from this year in our Facebook gallery, and stay tuned for details of how to book 2025.
Children and young people are growing up in an ever-changing environment, and mental health in young people is reaching crisis point. Now more than ever, we need to hear directly from our children and young people. Amplify seeks to do exactly that - actively listening to the voices of children and young people and partnering with them to transform their concerns, dreams, and aspirations into concrete actions. Find out more.