Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Youth Ministry Team

The Diocesan Youth Ministry Team (YMT) was set up at the request of Bishop Ambrose Griffiths back in 1995. The main purpose is to communicate the Gospel using various creative means to the young. We gather young people from all over the world to live a community lifestyle for a 10-month volunteer programme, which includes training in various ways of communicating the Gospel. Each team member receives full board, accommodation and monthly allowance along with training in creative evangelisation such as drama, mime and effective communication.

We are a new, radical and prophetic organisation working with young people. With the use of drama, mime, music and up-to-date multimedia equipment we present the Gospel in a lively and effective way. We are also involved in retreat and area development work and are committed to implementing a fully integrated strategy that brings young people through a process of evangelisation to a place of "belonging" and "Church".

We begin this process through initial proclamation, whereby, the team carry out various activities such as school missions, outreaches, and monthly events. It is in these activities that we present the Gospel in an interesting and radical way, through drama, dance, music, and multimedia – a language that is most effective and appealing in today’s youth culture. Recognizing evangelisation as a process, we follow-up the initial proclamation with Retreats, Summer Schools, Youth Camps, and other regular events. These then will enable the young people to share common faith experiences, grow in faith together, and develop relationships with God and each other. The strength of our strategy not only lies with our capacity to reach out to young people but also to those involved in youth ministry. It is in the third stage of our strategy that we gather them together to belonging and Church. This is achieved through development and support of local groups (parish, pastoral area, and deanery), regular contact, and responding through ministry and service.

YMT carry out a number of school missions throughout the academic year. Our major aim is not simply to impart information but to encourage an experience of the joy and peace that the Spirit brings. This is something that is commented on in all schools we have visited. It is not so much the message that is preached, but the atmosphere created by the message lived which makes the greatest impact. Each mission reflects upon the basic gospel message, presenting in a lively, modern and interesting way the God of Love whose desire is that all of us reach our full potential. We proclaim and announce God who accepts us where we are and loves us so much that he challenges us to grow and experience the fullness of life (Jn 10:10).

We present the person of Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross enables anyone, at anytime, anywhere in the world to have a new beginning. We also announce the Holy Spirit, the powerful love of God present and made available to us here and now. YMT is well-known for its continuous development of new and creative ways of communicating the Gospel. We use a variety of means to present the good news, such as; drama, small group work, music, movement, multimedia (large 14 ft. screen with video projection, and impressive sound), and preaching. All our sessions with young people are interactive. This enables them to respond actively, not feeling preached at, but journeyed with as we explore and unravel the mysteries of God and life.

Recognising evangelisation as a process, the role of retreat coordinator was developed as part of the holistic approach undertaken to serve young people in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Since its opening in September 2005, the Youth Village has proved extremely popular. YMT has already conducted a number of retreats, on numerous different themes, such as Advent, Confirmation, and the relevance of the Mass for young people; various groups from both schools and parishes within the Diocese have already enjoyed making use of the excellent facilities at the Village, and going deeper in their faith.The feedback to these days has been extremely positive, and many further day retreats are booked.

The retreats/follow-up aspect of YMT is built on the work put in by the Schools Team in the Diocesan schools. This enable young people to experience a retreat and to grow in their faith in an environment where they will feel comfortable and relaxed. YMT strongly believes that Retreats are a very important part of the faith journey of our young people and is essential to our work in evangelisation.

The Youth Village now offers day retreats, and opportunities for groups to use the facilities for specific purposes.
If you are interested with services offered by YMT or use the Youth Village, please download the Diocesan Village Booking Form and post it.

AREA-DEVELOPMENT

Area Development aims to encourage and help parishes and pastoral areas to develop a vision and programme for youth ministry. We hope that, through the support of parish or pastoral area groups, young people can experience a sense of belonging and be enabled to grow as members of the Church community in faith and service. The training and support of adults is an important part of this process. Although young people are the best people to evangelise their peers, they need the encouragement and help of older people. All those in the parishes who are involved in ministering to young people are invited to come together for networking and support.

'Time Out’ Conference - In 2002 David Wells, who had led a diocesan consultation on youth ministry in March 2001, returned to the diocese to facilitate what had now become our annual conference.

‘Sign of Hope’ Conference – A conference attended by more than 150 youth ministers from all over the diocese. It was held at La Sagesse High School on Saturday 4th October 2003. The day began with a keynote speech by Fr Timothy Radcliffe, OP.

'Gen Y' Conference - The 2004 Conference, held on 2nd October, looked at the challenges and opportunities offered to the Church by today's generation, sometimes known as 'Gen Y'. Dr David Wilkinson was the inspiring keynote speaker and the 200+ participants were also addressed by Bishop Kevin Dunn.

Exploring Youth Ministry – They came together to explore Youth Alpha and how its methods can help us to communicate the Gospel in a way that is relevant to young people today.

Put Out into the Deep - a training weekend for all those working with young people at parish and deanery level took place for the first time in February 2004. The weekend explores how to offer a 'holistic' programme to young people offering opportunities for them to grow in 'Faith', 'Service' and 'Belonging'.

Youth Ministry Co-ordinators - There is a growing awareness in our diocese of the need to reach out to young people and to encourage youth ministry to develop both in and out of school. Most of our secondary schools now have a School Chaplain and this part of our diocesan youth ministry is continuing to develop. Diocesan Guidelines have been prepared which aim to help the process involved in such appointments and to enable an effective network with a common vision to operate throughout the diocese. They also address the need to develop good employment practice and to ensure the provision of on-going development and support for those employed.

YMT is a new radical and prophetic organisation working with young people. With its use of drama, mime, music and up to date multimedia equipment it presents the gospel in a lively and effective way. The presentation incorporates simple group builders, chat show dramas, video and music clips and even a video link up with Declan Donnelly from the Ant & Dec duo, television personalities.

Young people from all over the globe gather together each September to be part of YMT's Schools and Retreat Teams. Each team member receives full board, accommodation and monthly allowance along with training in creative evangelisation such as drama, mime and effective communication. If you are between 18-30 and are interested in growing in your relationship with God, learning more about your faith, learning and creating new ways of communicating the Gospel, and helping other young people in their relationship with God.

E-mail the YMT Administrator and ask for an Application Form.

Members get Certificate in Theology and Youth Ministry

All team members undergo training before setting out on the Schools Mission programme and now we offer the opportunity to convert this training into a recognised qualification, a Certificate in Theology and Youth Ministry accredited by the University of Wales, Lampeter. The course is taught as separate modules throughout the year and includes An Introduction to the Old Testament, to the New Testament and to Theology; Worship and Liturgy; Evangelisation and Mission; Ethics and Social Justice and Ecclesiology.

We also invest heavily in two Youth Ministry modules which are taught from both a theoretical and a practical viewpoint. For those who are not used to academic study, or are simply out of practice, the course is supported by a Study Skills module which runs concurrently throughout the year. Furthermore, the modules are taught by a diverse team of experts who are all approachable and available in both person and on-line.