The DL of the Youthscape Essentials leaders course 

This month, I thought I’d share my experience of the YSE course I did earlier this year (I know  - look at me doing training). This was an opportunity that Hannah thought would really encourage my growth as a leader and better my understanding of different subjects within youth leadership. We went through a range of topics, including mental health, the digital world, and adolescent development. It also provided a space for leaders to chat and seek advice from one another.

The first thing I noticed when I did this course was its structure. It always started with some light conversation leading into our opening prayer. We would then have an ‘insight’ from a young person introducing our topic, followed by a video from Youthscape leaders providing a deeper understanding and points of conversation. There would then be opportunities for discussion with other leaders. We would then do a ‘skill’; this is where we would try new Youthscape sources that will help us either practice how to approach conversations or look at tools we can bring back to our teams to help with growing as leaders. The last segment of the session would be dedicated to our own walk with Christ. It was a chance for us to be spiritually fed and reflect on how God is calling us to lead. This was also a really good chance to decompress after the session before unwinding in the evening. Having your own quiet but guided time that related to the session was a great way to encourage reflection.

 Throughout the session, there were breakout rooms where youth leaders could go through the conversation points together. This allowed us to discuss our contexts in a more informal setting, and we all had the opportunity to share. Not having a leader in the breakout room also allowed us to go on small tangents and make room for wider conversations that also seemed important. We would then be brought back into the main room with opportunities to share what we had spoken about. Being able to speak to roughly the same people week to week allowed for strong connections and the opportunity to check in on one another about what their church and young people are going through.

The course covered a range of topics. This has broadened my understanding of how young people work, especially looking at the new generation Alpha that is coming up into our youth groups. Spending a session on their characteristics and shared passions has opened new ways to relate to them and build relationships based on what Gen-A connects with. We also looked at things such as family life; how this can be a challenging topic for some young people as their contexts may be more complex, and how, as leaders, we can approach their conversations without being upset and providing support. We also looked at teams, how, as leaders, the team is important and looking out for others in it. We looked at a skill that was a great opportunity to use in our vision and celebration email. It was a source where team members could input their skills by putting ‘tasks’ in different levels of their capabilities. This was then compiled all together, which allowed us to see where our team's strengths are and where we may need more people with certain skill sets.

Overall, doing this course has broadened my knowledge and better prepared me to face differing topics that might arise in youth ministry. There is so much more that I could talk about, but then this would be far too long for a supposed ‘quick-read’ blog. However, I would recommend this course if you are on the youth team or working with young people. 

This month's prayer guidance is to continue to grow our youth team. For people who may be considering joining, but also to grow the individuals who are already doing such amazing things. We ask for continued guidance within our youth ministry, that we will continue to teach things our young people need to hear and that the Lord will carry the messages through us into their hearts. We also keep in mind those who will do exams at this time, that they will continue to feel God's peace in these stressful times.

 

In case you missed them, here are our old editions:
Apr - So... what's the plan? Chatting with Hannah
Mar - Youth Café
Feb - 2025 wrapped
Dec - Christmas memories
Nov - What is youth alpha?
Oct - Our youth weekend away