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| Youthwork Summit 2011 |
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| Over 600 youth workers and volunteers descended on Manchester for 36 hours of inspiration, challenge, refreshment and fun - this was the 2011 Youthwork Summit |
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Last October, the Youthwork Summit – a concept dreamt up by Martin Saunders (Youthwork magazine), Chris Curtis (Youthscape) and Matt Summerfield (Urban Saints) – made its bow with around 500 people gathering at a church in Central London. The format was a one-day, TED-style multi-speaker conference full of fresh ideas, provoking teaching, free coffee and good humour. But as all good movie fans know, the sequel can never be as good as the original, right?!
For 2011, the Summit moved up north to Manchester and added an extra day. Friday started with an Ignatian-style “urban retreat” led by the awe-inspiring Mark Yaconelli in a beautiful, city-centre church. The evening featured a free movie screening (of current American number one movie, ‘The Help’) and then curry and karaoke at the local youth hostel, booked out for the event and dubbed the “YWS Funhouse”. Nearly 130 youth workers chatted, ate, sang and partied until the early hours…
Then Saturday was the Summit itself – at the brand new Audacious Church in Salford. The day, packed with 22 speakers as well as music, drama, Q&As, networking and copious amounts of free Starbucks coffee, kicked off with the wonderful Rend Collective Experiment leading us in worship. Short, snappy, bitesize talks on subjects as diverse as advertising, gang culture, people trafficking, the Olympics, the digital world, youth work grandparents and rat worship(!) came thick and fast before Mark Yaconelli finished the day with a beautiful message about slowing down to appreciate what’s God doing in the quiet. The finale was something to savour for months to come as a childhood story became a full-blown party, complete with “dancing”, seventies shirts and a disco-ball. It has to be-seen-to-be-believed (and you can see it on the Summit youtube page if you don’t know what I’m talking about!), rounding off a truly beautiful and mind-blowing Summit in fine style.
During the day, the date for 2012 was announced so get May 19th in your diaries for another superb day of youth work challenge and inspiration in London. Tickets are available on the Summit website now but don’t dawdle as 100 people booked their 2012 ticket on the day… We’ll see you there! |
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The Youthwork Summit website
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Check out the Summit Facebook page
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Follow the Summit on Twitter
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The Youthwork Summit YouTube channel
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Urban Saints is the operating name of The Crusaders' Union, a registered charity in England and Wales (223798) and Scotland (SCO39313) |
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