Loss
Koko, a multi-award winning blog for teenage girls, has launched three new films exploring issues surrounding loss. The spoken word films Lost: someone, Lost: family and Lost: me look at the issues surrounding loss of identity, bereavement, and parental separation. Koko project co-ordinator Meg Cannon said: ‘The words of these films are the genuine stories of people we interviewed about experiencing loss. The films are stories of great pain but also of honesty and hope.’ Check out the films at thekokostory.com.
Youth work week 2016
Youth Work Week provides an opportunity for youth organisations, youth workers and young people to celebrate their achievements and the impact of their work. It is an annual initiative by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Youth Work Week 2016 will run from 7-13th November and its theme is ‘Empowering young people through sport and arts.’ To find out more, visit thecommonwealth.org.
Soul survivor move
After 24 summers at the Bath and West Showground in Somerset, Soul Survivor will be moving summer weeks B and C to the East of England Showground in Peterborough from 2017. Week A will continue to be held at the Stafford Showground with Soul Survivor Scotland taking place at the Scripture Union venue, Lendrick Muir in Kinross. Mike Pilavachi, founder and director of Soul Survivor said: ‘We have had many wonderful summers in Somerset but we’re thrilled to be starting a new chapter at the East of England Showground.’
Youth groups and ofsted
The government has dropped its plans which would have required church Sunday schools and youth clubs to register with Ofsted. Any group caring for young people for more than six hours a week could have faced inspection under the new counter extremism policy. Some Christian charities still remain concerned that Ofsted will retain the right to inspect youth groups.
Golddigger trust’s new home
Sheffield-based Golddigger Trust, which helps young people to gain the confidence and skills to make positive choices for themselves, has moved into a new building which will provide more space to support young people. Partnering with the Salvation Army, who own the property, the building will become The Golddigger Trust Centre for Young People.
Vulnerable young people
YoungMinds has launched a new report focusing on the needs of vulnerable young people. The ‘Beyond Adversity’ report suggests that schools, social workers, police and NHS staff may be inadvertently re-traumatising vulnerable children because of fundamental misunderstandings about their behaviour. Sarah Brennan, chief executive of YoungMinds, said, ‘Across the board, services need to focus less on “correcting” behaviour, and more on identifying and addressing the underlying causes of childhood trauma.’ To read the full report, visit youngminds.org.uk.
Emotional wellbeing conference
The South East training round table is partnering with numerous other youth charities to host a one-day conference exploring emotional resilience and spiritual well-being in under 18’s. The conference will be held on 11th October at the Emmanuel Centre, London. Visit separtnership.org.uk/boost for more information.
Youth evangelism officer
Jimmy Dale has been appointed the Church of England’s first national youth evangelism officer in response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s focus on evangelism. Jimmy will take up the role in October and, in collaboration with dioceses across the country, Jimmy will develop, pilot and evaluate effective models of youth evangelism. Speaking after his appointment, Jimmy said: ‘I am really looking forward to working alongside people across the country, dreaming together of new ways to reach young people with the gospel.’
Monthly Crunch
The Department for Education has published a report about year 10 students living in England. It compares current teenagers with those surveyed in 2005
2005 | 2016 | |
Truanting | 23% | 13% |
Those expecting to study A Levels | 29% | 65% |
Those expect to apply for university | 60% | 71% |
Those partaking in risky behaviour (smoking, drinking, vandalising, fighting) | 44% | 20% |
Young people describing their health as ‘fairly good’ | 52% | 47% |
Young people describing their health as ‘not very good’ | 3% | 5% |
Nailed it, Failed it
NAILED IT
OFFICE OLYMPICS
Obviously the best thing about the once-every-four-years-Olympic-extravaganza is becoming experts in sports such as fencing, diving and archery for a couple of weeks. But the real fun comes in transferring these sports to the Premier Youthwork office. To date, archery broke four computer screens, and diving sent one undisclosed team member out of the window (but while achieving a triple somersault with pike).
FAILED IT
NAKED ATTRACTION
The problem with Channel 4’s new (naked) dating show isn’t the presence of willies on TV, it’s that it seems to suggest that another person’s nude body is enough to make a wise dating decision.
