The Diocese Children, Youth and Families Team have launched a new ‘Catalyst’ training programme for volunteer and paid children and youth and workers, The course is part of a national church initiative to equip 30k new children and youth workers to help the church meet its vision of becoming younger and more diverse.
Jonathan Richardson, Children, Youth and Families Development Officer said: “As part of our vision to equip lay and paid workers to help the local church engage more missionally with children and young people in schools and the community, we are excited to have been selected as one of the pilot dioceses for the Catalyst programme. The course is a fantastic opportunity for those with a heart for youth and children’s work to develop their skills, explore their calling and engage academically”.
The Catalyst programme is a free course that runs from March to October and includes five sessions of locally held learning groups, self-led study and a three-day conference, covering topics related to children and young peoples learning, relationships, culture, discipleship, groups and inclusion. There is an option to complete an assignment and gain 20 credits at level 4 qualification (certificate/first year of a degree) which can be taken forward to further academic study if desired.