PICK OF THE MONTH: Youth Work from Scratch
Martin Saunders Monarch Books | £12.99
This is not the first ‘recover your youth work’ book I have come across, but I have to say it is probably the best of its kind. Youth work from scratch stands apart because all the other books of this sort provide you with one model and a very clear set of instructions. They also come with a caveat: if you do not follow this model your youth work will fail. It’s the kind of sentence that can make me put a book down.
This book does not do that. It starts by very pointedly and intentionally directing the reader toward God, and then ensuring that the work you do is not based around the author’s model but around the needs and wants of the community you are working in.
That’s not to say this book does not suggest models, structures, or best working practices – it does, but in a humble non-aggressive way, and always with the preceding comment of, ‘don’t feel you have to do it this way – if it won’t work, don’t do it’. This book doesn’t force itself upon you; it doesn’t assume anything about your working style, the state or condition of your youth work or all the other variables that may affect your work. The models that are suggested are clearly well thought through and easy to understand and adapt to your own situation.
What it does do, in eight chapters, is provide a very helpful framework and structure which any youth worker, at any stage of their work, can pick up and use. British books about youth work are few and far between. There are massive cultural differences between each side of the Atlantic that can sometimes make American youth work books hard to translate, and so it is a joy to read one so easily accessible.
This is not a book that you can just read and put down - it is a book you have to work through and do stuff with. It is written very well, in the author’s traditional humour-filled, accessible, yet also challenging, theologically thorough and surprisingly deep style. It is also filled with tools to help your work - from identifying needs and evaluating practices to providing appraisal frameworks and problem- solving flow-charts. It also includes a very handy FAQ section at the end with a variety of questions supplied by youth workers which help cover a good range of ‘what if’ scenarios.
This book is suitable for both the new youth worker and the seasoned old-hand. It is packed full of helpful links, additional material and useful side - thoughts from other youth workers. It is both encouraging and challenging and definitely worth the price.
Nick Francis is a full-time youth worker in a Baptist, Methodist, URC Church in Buckingham.
Pioneer Youth Ministry
Jo Dolby and Richard Passmore Grove | £3.95
In an emerging culture of pioneering in youth work, this booklet was well overdue! Both short and accessible, it packs a lot into 27 pages, taking the reader through the theory and theology of pioneering youth ministry, to models, nitty-gritty practicalities and inspiring stories.
In Pioneer Youth Ministry there is something for everyone. For the youth worker, there’s some challenging thinking around how and why we should engage with the ‘99’. For the pioneer, there’s comfort in knowing you’re not the only one with that trait / weakness, and for the line manager or co-worker of either of these there are brilliant sections on how to understand and support. For those who want to know more about pioneering, or for those who don’t have a clue, the opening sections explain why they do what they do: debunking the myths of pioneers just doing ‘their own thing’ and affirming why pioneering is important.
Overall, this a great read. Perhaps inevitably, this book holds a bit of jargon to describe new concepts, but a real effort has been made to explain and make clear what is meant. My copy is already on my vicar’s desk!
Laura Whitmarsh works for Christ Church in Bayston Hill as a pioneer youth minister.
Fruitfull
Suzi Stock Kevin Mayhew Publications | £14.99
Every youth worker should have a resource like Fruitfull at their fingertips. Suzi has questioned the lack of appropriate provision and relevant teaching on the fruit of the spirit for the younger teenagers and answered with a resource that acts as a catalyst for young people to receive and walk with the Holy Spirit. In ten weekly sessions, the material encourages expression and journeying through the characteristics of a Holy Spirit-led lifestyle.
Each session journeys through a particular characteristic and includes games, discussion and dramas to cater for a host of learning styles. I was delighted to find the art of Charlie Mackesy included as well as contributions from Pip Wilson and Paul Judson, which together contribute to the variety and flavour contained within the resource.
Fruitfull would require significant tailoring to appease the palate of older youth or if delivered in a non-church setting. However, what Suzi has produced is of considerable merit and is ideal for younger youth groups (11-14’s). Although rather drama-dependent, this is a tool which I would be more than happy to employ in my own professional workings and recommend to others.
William Lee works for Nottingham Youth for Christ.
Every Picture Tells a Story (2013 Edition)
Online resource The Youth Cartel $25
In 2002 youth work veteran Mark Oestreicher smashed through the wall of predictability with the ground-breaking visual resource Every Picture Tells a Story. Fully revised and updated - it’s back, and this time it’s digital.
Packed with 48 high quality, evocative black-and-white photographs, ‘EPTAS’ will inspire creative thought and encourage young people to explore the presence of God within their own experience and context. A giant leap from structured study it invites contemplative meditation and a journey of open-ended exploration as students look beyond the photograph to seek God’s voice.
If the concept of such a reflective resource causes tiny beads of sweat to collect above your brow, then fear not, as the 18 suggested activities included in the leader’s guide provides clear direction for even the most creatively challenged youth worker.
Although marketed as a resource for young people, EPTAS lends itself to a far broader audience, suiting individuals and small groups of all ages and Christian experience. In fact, why not show it to your church leader, and save on your youth work budget!
Jo Royal is an associate pastor in Basingstoke, with over 20 years of youth work experience.
About Time
DIRECTOR : RICHARD CURTIS
STARRING: Rachel McAdams , Domhnall Gleeson , Bill Nighy
I’m going to go ahead and just admit it – I love a good chick flick. I’m particularly keen on feel-good, romantic comedies where everything turns out swimmingly and everyone has a good laugh. I don’t, however, like science-fiction so wasn’t looking forward to having to suspend reality and embrace About Time’s time travel. A
bout Time follows the story of Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) who, like his father (Bill Nighy) and the other men in their family, has the ability to relive (and change) his past. Tim decides to use this ‘power’ to win Mary’s (Rachel McAdams) heart but discovers that there are certain things that cannot be changed.
The film is written and directed by chickflick expert Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Four Weddings And a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary) and stars a gaggle of talented actors including Rev’s Tom Hollander who plays a drunk genius playwright.
Although clearly ridiculous, I was pleasantly surprised at how seamlessly the fantastical time travel elements morphed into the more ‘realistic’ components of the film. They also provided much of the (genuinely hilarious) comedy. The relationship between Tim and his father is humorous, witty and jovial for the most part, but there is also an underlying tenderness to their relationship, which becomes deeply moving towards the end of the film.
About Time celebrates life’s little joys – walking along the picturesque Cornish coast, re-reading books, letting your son beat you at table tennis. But it also deals honestly and warmly with ideas of letting go and moving on – Tim has to learn to embrace the present, even the difficult bits. I was a bit unnerved by Tim’s ‘puppet-master’ antics but was encouraged to see that as the film progresses, his decisions move from using his gift for selfish desires to more noble purposes.
The film is shot beautifully and contains a number of suitably romantic (if somewhat cheesy) montages including a lovely portrayal of time passing in a tube station with forever- cheery buskers! About Time is a great chick flick with an interesting (if unbelievable and slightly flawed) plot but it’s merit lies less in the storyline than in the central message of the film. It’s not your average feelgood chick-flick – at times, it is downright sad – but the message itself is a feel-good one that also challenges: if you could go back and re-live part of your life, what would you do differently?
About Time may frustrate in places but it’s a beautiful portrayal of love – not just romantic but between family and friends and at times, we even see painful glimpses of self-sacrificial love. It will make you laugh and probably cry but About Time is a great opportunity to explore important questions with your youth group:
• What would you do if someone offered you a second chance?
• What if someone already has? (John 10:10)
Perhaps you could hold a film night with related games and nibbles or go on a cinema trip, leaving time for reflection. Look at Jesus’ sacrifice and his offer of new life and think of practical ways that we, like Tim, can ‘live every day as if it was the final day of (our) extraordinary ordinary life.’
About Time is out now.
Ruth Jackson moved from CBBC to help start a media unit at the OCCA. She’s been involved in youth work for over ten years.
