What Youth Think...

Anyone who was interested in finding out “what youth think” was in for a treat on Thursday evening, as Step and Churches Together in St Albans hosted their first ever joint event addressing this very issue!

Over fifty people from the local churches turned up to Verso (formally Vineyard Church) to listen to videos and soundbites from some of the amazing young people who Step have the privilege of working with. The young people spoke candidly about the challenges of social media, how they sometimes find the church a tricky place to be for a variety of reasons, and their struggles with the ever-changing world they are living in.  

Peter Berners Lee who led the evening, then allowed for plenty of small group discussions where people shared their reactions to the young people’s words. This was followed by three powerful and punchy speeches from those working on the frontline with young people.

Our very own Chris Birch Evan substantiated the young people’s voices, by sharing some of Youthscape’s recent research on the world young people are living in now (follow the link here if you are interested: https://www.youthscape.co.uk/research/translating-god/home ).

Claire Banham then explained why she set up The Haven and how it is helping young people find a safe space to come and be. And finally, Declan Linnane, Headteacher at Nicholas Breakspear School, gave a rousing clarion call to action, telling stories of how for too long the church has silenced young people and that now it is time to let the young people find their voice.

It was a thought-provoking evening and great to see everyone engaged, making notes of the things they were hearing and in deep discussion with each other about what to do next.  The night ended with Mike Palin from 267 sharing about the next hugely exciting gathering for young people at St Albans Cathedral. https://illuminateyouth.co.uk/event/cathedral. I can’t think of a better event to invite your young people to!

Overall, it was a hugely encouraging evening and hopefully it has helped to build further connections between local churches and, perhaps more importantly,  bridge the gap between our young people and those of us from a different generation to them! Let's keep our hearts soft and our ears open, so we can keep listening to what our youth think...

Amy :)