No slowdown in lockdown!
Tim Burns is Down and Dromore's brilliant Youth Development Officer. he describes how lockdown has been a real learning curve for youth ministries across the diocese and for DDYC. Lockdown definitely has not meant slowdown!
The initial phases of lockdown included writing and sharing resources and material that could be used to support young people and youth groups as they stopped being able to physically meet.
The initial flurry of activity around this slowed as groups began to find their rhythm and the things that worked for them. Throughout lockdown we have continued to regularly update our Facebook page with resources as they become available, as well as sending a weekly email to ministers and youth contacts with news, resources and events.
Lockdown has meant producing new materials which have included some Easter resources and 10 Days of Prayer materials as well as producing a weekly series of talks called ‘Reflections from the Woodpile’ which explore the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s gospel. Alongside these are reflective questions and small group discussion notes.
I set up a WhatsApp Diocesan Youth Workers Group which has been significant in resource sharing, encouraging each other and general support. We have also had a weekly Zoom call, to maintain connections with each other and share ideas, support and help each other process things that have been coming up within youth ministry.
We moved Saturday Night Live online which has been a brilliant way of continuing to offer something familiar with familiar faces and format and allowed us to connect with young people and groups across the diocese.
Creative
The ministers, youth workers and volunteers across the diocese have been using technology in very creative ways to maintain engagement with young people and families from regular Zoom bible studies to quizzes and creative uses of social media and online gaming. These have been invaluable ways of maintaining contact with young people, encouraging them and being able to engage with them when they are perhaps struggling with lockdown life.
We now host a Down and Dromore Minecraft Realm which young people from across the diocese have engaged with. This has been great and provides an alternative way of connecting with them.
I have just released a questionnaire to gather young people’s and youth leaders’ reflections on lockdown. I am hoping that this will give us some insight into their experiences as well as provide opportunities to learn and develop new resources and ways to support people in the future. You can find the questionnaire here.
Coming up on Friday 26 June is the Big DDYC Camp Out. As we can’t do SUMMER MADNESS this year, we’re bringing it to our young people. Find out more on this page.
Unfortunately, earlier this month we had to take the difficult decision to cancel our Kilbroney Adventure Camps. This was a blow, however, at around the time camps where to happen we hope to, depending on government guidelines, bring young people together for activity days.