YWS11 Postscript

An awesome postscript to youth work Summit 2011; http://dayinthelife-juliadj.blogspot.com/2011/10/it-all-comes-from-here.html

YWS11

This weekend I went up to Manchester for Youth Work Summit 2011, in summary it was amazing. To read a bit more about the summit, and what it was about read this post http://www.easyrew.com/yws11/ , which just about sums it all up nicely [although I didn't attend the retreat day]. The liturgy / poem that is reproduced there, and spoken collectively encapsulates so much of what it means to be a Christian youth worker.

I have been reflecting on what I think made the summit work, and I think there are three things that made it such a successful day.

1. The passion, commitment and enthusiasm of the summit leadership team, and the speakers was evident throughout the day [and at the YWSFunHouse].
2. It was also evident that the organisers have an excellent cultural awareness of those attending the summit. Presumably because they too are youth workers. This led to them including numerous elements that were so appropriate, they made attendees feel so at home and a part of all that was going on, making the day so enjoyable. this was shown most evidently through the mix of humour and seriousness that flowed throughout the day.
3. Attention to detail. Informed by the cultural awareness, there was such attention to detail at so many levels its impossible to describe.

But most of all God was clearly at work and speaking through what was said and going on.

There was so much to take in through out the day that it is hard to process it all, so I eagerly await videos of the various talks being uploaded so that I can go through each one once again and full absorb all of the excellent teaching. [And will no doubt blog about those, more for my benefit than for anyone else.]

If you are a youth worker and did not go, then make sure you keep 19th May 2012 clear for the 2012 Youth Work Summit. As a sample this is how YWS11 started…

And this is how the day ended…