The Kenelm Youth Trust is committed to providing life changing opportunities for young people, helping each person to reflect upon their life of faith, and how they respond to the call of Jesus Christ in their lives.
We are particularly thankful to our dedicated and talented Kenelm staff who facilitate the high quality opportunities described in these pages and much more. In particular we are very proud of the mission teams at Soli and Alton Castle who tirelessly serve young people and the Church.
We must dare to be different, to point to ideals other than this world, testifying to the beauty of generosity, service, purity, perseverance, forgiveness, fidelity to our personal vocation, prayer, the pursuit of justice and the common good, love for the poor, and social friendship.’ (36 Christus Vivit Pope Francis )
We have continued to respond to and recover from the demands of COVID 19; both the financial challenges and managing restrictions and risks It is pleasing that, so far, thanks to our ongoing supporters and COVID Recovery grants we have successfully reopened all areas of the work and embedded new ideas and learning throughout the Trust During this period the Trust was able to carry out planned refurbishment works at Alton Castle. The challenges logistically, financially and resourcing are still ongoing, but it is pleasing that we are emerging with a strong base of support, particularly from school leaders and staff who have worked hard to re establish their Retreat programmes.
There has been a huge effort to support parishes to reconnect with their young people through a series of Re connect events run by BCYS staff and very well supported by volunteer youth leaders. These have been very well attended and many were oversubscribed a sign of real hope as we welcome back our
young people.
School Chaplaincy in many ways bounced back first with the need for hybrid models and online learning opportunities. This has been greatly enhanced by the large bank of online resources created by Kenelm for School Chaplaincies
Since September 2021 the Trust has facilitated the re start of Youth Groups, Sports Events, Camping Trips, Summer Camp, Training events and local social action projects all underpinned by the amazing commitment and loyalty of Parish Youth Work volunteers and young adults who generously give of their time, energy, and talent
Sharing the ongoing work of the 2018 SYNOD with Clergy, Young People, Youth Leaders, and Chaplains and starting to look towards the 2023 SYNOD and engaging young people in the process. There has again been a huge interaction with Kenelm in schools, parishes and with young adults enabling the listening exercises to shape our work and priorities.
Developing the faith formation programme for all involved in youth ministry
New programmes at Soli including both leadership development and well being retreats
We look ahead with ongoing work to address and aim at reducing our carbon footprint and working towards a sustainable future We aim to be NetZero by 2030.
Extending the summer programme to reach more young people.
Developing the business potential of utilising the Centre to sell rooms outside of the school term to youth organisations, and families for tourism and conferences
Our next major capital projects are the works needed on the roof and windows of the Guildhall, part of the building of St John’s Hospital adjacent to Alton Castle. Additionally new elements for team challenges such as a Jacobs ladder! We are currently raising funds towards these projects
All too often there is a tendency to provide pre packaged answers and readymade solutions, without allowing the real questions of young adults to emerge and facing the challenges they pose
Christus Vivit Pope Francis)
Our grateful thanks to all the supporters, schools, school chaplaincies, families and parish volunteers from across the Archdiocese and beyond who continue to enable the mission of the Trust to draw young people closer to the person of Jesus Christ through parish activities, events, retreats and outreach and chaplaincies.
Our gratitude to our benefactors for all their support especially during COVID.
Our full report and set of financial accounts are
The Trust has benefitted from the government support over lockdowns when the retreat centres were forced to close.
Almost 5000 students came on retreat to the Castle or were ministered to on outreach 81 schools visited the Castle
11 Dioceses engaged with our servcies 50 punctures expertly repaired on our mountain bike trail! 10,000 marshmallows roasted while sharing stories around the fire!
Through a unique blend of outdoor adventurous activities and inspiring retreat experiences, Alton Castle promotes personal, social and spiritual development for Key Stage 2 and 3. Our enthusiastic team enable young people to encounter Christ through creation, challenging activities and community experience
As the global spotlight turns on Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, we hear that the city is the youngest in Europe with almost half of its population under 25 While our Diocese obviously extends beyond the bounds of Birmingham itself, this statistic alone illustrates the vital nature of our work.
Half of Birmingham’s current population is just over 1.3 million; while not all of those young people have been through our retreat centres this year, it certainly felt like it at times! We were blessed to be busy from the start of September right through to the end of July. Not only did we have more to do than usual because of the extra demands of keeping everything COVID secure, but there were less people to do it all.
After 16 wonderful years training teams and overseeing our outdoor adventurous activities, Dom, our legendary senior activity instructor moved on to pastures new This, coupled with a smaller than usual team and just one Castle programme leader for much of the year, served as a powerful reminder that the Lord really does provide [Phil 4:19] as our programmes consistently received “best retreat ever” kind of evaluation comments The refurbishments we reported on last year have been really well received, and the new low ropes course has proved a universal favourite
One silver lining from the last few challenging years is that the restrictions
of COVID have proved to be an opportunity for schools to appreciate more deeply the impact that a trip to the Castle makes it is definitely a case of absence makes the heart grows fonder We’re grateful that most of our loyal supporter schools have hurried back to the Castle, some of them bringing bigger, mixed year groups to make up for missed opportunities, or even coming on several trips to fit everybody in.
From the garden party in September to the gala dinner in July, we have had a great year remembering, celebrating and giving thanks for 25 years of fruitful youth ministry. We look ahead to a special Thanksgiving Mass with Archbishop Bernard on 18th September, and to the next 25 years.
"Coming here was just like COVID didn’t exist any more, but in a good wayyou had clearly taken care of everything and we could just relax and enjoy seeing our students bloom and grow!"
What have a cake sale, a penalty shootout, apple bobbing and a chocolate bouquet all got in common? They’re just a few of the creative ways the Castle’s 25 years in youth ministry was celebrated and hopefully extended!
Alton Castle first operated as a retreat centre during the academic year 1996 97, since then hundreds of thousands of young people, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, have stayed at the Castle, and had the time of their lives: growing in faith, discovering new skills, forging new friendships and developing their self-confidence
We have marked the momentous milestone of our Silver Jubilee in various ways, the most significant of which has been our Parable of the Talents Enterprise Project. Drawing our inspiration from Matthew 25:14 30 KYT trustees kindly gave £25 each to 25 schools right across the Diocese.
Participating schools were challenged to not only multiply the money, but also to use it in a way that blessed people, that showed them something of God’s love.
Aware of the very different demographics of our schools, from the outset, we were keen to emphasise it was not a competition about which one could raise the most, but encouraged each school to engage locally and to respond to needs in their own communities. For example, if there was a nursing home in their area that had previously enjoyed visits from the children that had been curtailed by the COVID pandemic, we suggested that providing afternoon tea for the residents alongside buying ingredients and making goodies for an ever popular playtime cake sale, would be a lovely boost to potentially lonely old people and remind them they had not been forgotten.
The range of ways to “grow” the money has been great: some schools gave £5 to 5 forms and had a friendly competition within the school
Others gave the whole amount to one class to start with, and then what they had grown was passed onto the next class for them to grow it further. Several schools did ‘Lenterprise’ style projects, and one even added some extra money from the PTA so that every student had £1 each to invest They then worked in groups to create stalls that the rest of the school paid to take part in.
While most schools gave the £25 to the year group coming to the Castle on residential, a few entrusted the amount to their School Council or Chaplaincy Team so that multiple year groups were involved. A couple of schools relied on their ‘Mini Vinnies’ SVP group who really rose to the occasion by raising funds for the Castle alongside making connections with those in need in the local community.
The classic raffle was given a new twist by investing in prizes from local businesses who had been hit hard by the pandemic and who had previously been generous to the school. One school even asked for extra time as they were having so much fun with consecutive events that they didn’t want to stop yet! A movie night led to a big cake sale that turned into raffle prizes the profit of which is funding a quiz night and multicultural evening for feeder primaries to help with transition into secondary school truly a range of talents being used very fruitfully for the good of the wider community, and the Castle benefitting financially is an added bonus.
As this annual report was going to print, we don’t yet have a final figure, but the early signs are healthy not only have schools
made about 1500% increase, but they have also worked hard to bless their local communities with the talents they have been given, praise God!
Each of the schools involved have been invited as guests of honour to our special Thanksgiving Mass with Archbishop Bernard at the start of the New Year, and we look forward to publishing a final collective amount then. All the money raised will directly impact what we offer going forwards, and will be used in various ways, from training team and developing activities, to replacing resources and creating new materials. Most significantly, 10% of the funds raised will go into boosting the Scahill Fund that was established in memory of Helen Scahill who led the very first team with Fr Michael White Her legacy continues by providing bursaries to enable disadvantaged young people who would otherwise miss out to enjoy the experience of a lifetime at Alton Castle.
"For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." Mt 25:29
"I joined KYT in May this year as a Programme Leader at Alton Castle. I had been on retreat here as a young person when I was in Year 5 and so I was aware of the Centre and how much it impacted me as a child, so was excited to have the opportunity to give back to other young people who visit here.
As a programme leader, the main aspect of my role is to lead programmes here at the Castle This gives me the opportunity to work closely with both the staff and the volunteer mission team which has been such a privilege
Growing up I did not know any other young Catholics and there was limited opportunity for me to engage with youth events, one reason why coming on retreat here was such a memorable event in my life. So, on beginning my work with KYT this is something that has had a real impact on me and my faith as I met so many other young Catholics from around the Birmingham Archdiocese and beyond I have met many children and young people on retreats who are absolutely grounded in their faith, and it has been an honour to encourage them through the ministry here, as well as introducing many others to the idea of Catholicism and giving them the experience here that shows their faith goes beyond the RE lessons they have at school.
Summer Camp this year has been a huge highlight for me as it introduced me to many other members of the KYT community as well as past staff and members of the mission team
It enabled me to serve directly alongside others all having the same shared goal and this was a huge inspiration, I’ve learnt a lot! This was, for me, a really great illustration of how KYT operates with all four projects working alongside each other with the same shared goal and I feel so blessed to be part of this organisation
It has been a priority of mine since arriving here to give other young people the same retreat experience I received, if not better! So having the opportunity to lead sessions and continually work to improve the inputs I give, and the Castle activities, has been a really exciting element of my time here so far, something which I look forward to continuing with future mission teams and the rest of the
here!"
Rebecca Le Count
"Alton Castle will have special memories for so many children. Those young people who volunteer there are an inspiration and real witnesses to their faith. Great that Holy Redeemer could contribute to keeping the cost down.
Climate conference 50 young activists empowered to commit to climate action plan for school community in light of Laudato Si 5225 young people worked with
digital conference facilities enabling hybrid meetings and workshops
new programmes delivered
permission approved for
Ladder high ropes!
Supports schools and parishes in offering life changing retreat and outreach opportunities for young people up to the age of 25. The Soli experience is tailor-made to support the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing of young people through deepening of relationships with each other and moments of encounter with Jesus led by a dynamic peer ministry team and experienced qualified staff.
A retreat at Soli is an opportunity for young people to step back from their busy, hyper-connected lives; a chance to connect deeply with those they come here with; space to uncover the person they are made to be and to encounter God in nature, in each other and in moments of prayer.
A Soli retreat has peer ministry and small group work at its heart, allowing young people to truly be themselves and openly share and ask questions about the things that really matter to them. All of our retreats have a rhythm of prayer and sacramental life, that young people are invited to participate in, contribute to and from which they draw life.
Our high quality retreat programmes are developed to meet the specific needs of your young people, with a focus on the development of the whole person: spiritual, personal, moral, cognitive and physical. This year we have written two new retreat programmes to help young people explore issues that are pertinent to current youth culture.
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain” Hebrews 6:19
Young people’s experience of life during the pandemic has been especially challenging and there is hangover effect of that in their lives. A future built on exam results, when exams are cancelled; maturity marked by long awaited coming of age moments, postponed; hope lost
Anchored was written to speak into this experience and to restore hope in Christ and in the fullness of life which is promised to us.
“We felt the team were very welcoming and professional… youth workers not teachers… there's a great balance, it's perfectly pitched”
At the start of Advent 2021 Soli took over Stuart Bathurst secondary school for their mission week! We worked with young people from Years 7 to 13 across the course of the whole week exploring the theme, Roar The theme explored finding your voice and place in the world again post COVID and daring to hope in the fullness of life promised to us by God. This week was a genuine highlight of the year for staff and team at Soli, the culmination of hard work and a lot of prayer.
Some highlights included Rise Theatre’s 'Happiness' presentation, the Columban's workshop on social justice and the climate COP. The session was led by young adults who had been at the COP in Glasgow Year 11 and the 6th form had the privilege of meeting refugees through a session led by the charity 'Stories of Hope and Home', a truly life changing encounter with inspiring people. Other groups explored mental health through a Catholic lens and others shared their experiences in “Make a Change”, a think tank
focusedonracismandtheexperiencesofthe youngpeopleintheschoolcommunity.
“TheHolySpiritmovedinsuchapowerfulway. Bytheendoftheweek,theschoolwas buzzing,youngpeoplewere"Roaring"and heartswereopened.Fromdayonetofive,the youngpeoplewereunrecognisableintheway theyrespondedtoeverything.”ImmyTeam 21/22
Theschoolcommunitywasinvitedintoa rhythmofprayerthroughcollectiveworshipin theirformgroupsandoptionalmomentsof encounter.Onesuchwas‘LightFever’when,at lunchtime,over80peoplecametotheschool ChapelformomentsofAdorationinthe busynessoftheschoolday.Wealsoled separateReconciliationServicesforeach wholeyeargroup.Thehugeschoolgymwas takenoverfortheSacramentofReconciliation withprayerstations,prayerministryand visitingpriests.Wethanktheprieststheir generosity.Formanyyoungpeopletheservice wasarealgracefilledhighlightThewholeweek culminatedinMass,whichduetoCovidwas oneyeargroupatatimeratherthanwhole schoolMass.Nevertheless,Massdidnotlose itsimpactasthesourceandsummittofthe entireweek
During the course of this year, I have been blessed to witness first hand the impact of truly Christ centred peer to peer youth ministry. From volunteering with year groups 9 to sixth form at Soli centre for youth ministry, to outreach in schools all across the Birmingham Archdiocese and leading retreats at Alton Castle from the ages of 7 to 13. Being a part of a team that gathered each morning for morning prayer of the church was so uplifting. The Kenelm Youth Trust is united in our mission to create a space for young people to meet Christ.
Throughout, I have grown in confidence in my identity as a child of God, been supported in my own prayer life, through the Sacraments and been able to work on my public speaking and group management skills. I shall be forever thankful for this opportunity.
The team of 2021-2022 were all challenged to stretch outside of our comfort zones to grow and support each other in our unique gifts and talents. These include music ministry and creatively leading prayer. I will take so many great memories as well as friendships that will last a lifetime.
I would recommend this opportunity to anyone who is open to a renewal of their prayer life, being enriched by liturgical worship, sharing their passion for their faith with young people and being immersed in leading activities in the great outdoors.
In response to the urgency of the Climate Crisis, this year Soli has developed a series of sessions that have been part of our Outreach and Mission programme and in January we delivered a Climate Conference day. The day was designed to support schools in developing their Live Simply action plan We had 5 schools in attendance with 50 young people plus staff, all of whom left with a clear understanding of how to complete the newly revamped CAFOD live Simply Action plan, 100’s of ideas and a draft of their plan to take back to school to present to SLT. We have lots of ideas to build on the great day we had this year, to empower and equip young people to be able to make a positive change in their community to tackle climate change.
“The secret to happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness ” St Gianna Molla
This year we developed the Headstrong residential retreat programme to support the development of peer to peer leadership in mental health Often mental health is secularised whereas Headstrong is a wholistic programme that supports young people to understand their mental health in the context of the whole person, body, soul and mind. This retreat helps young people to explore practical tools to support their own mental health in the context of our Catholic faith The programme is woven together to underpin the learning in each of the sessions with an experience which reinforces it Good food, movement, community, connection and meaningful experiences of prayer, all enable the retreatants to put into practice what they have learnt in the sessions.
“Gentle but powerful evangelisation” Headteacher
Over the year we have run 56 training sessions for parish volunteers. Our staff have trained volunteers in: Mental Health First Aid, Bethsaida, (the Diocesan parish youth ministry certificated course), JP11 and Faith in Action Award Leadership, Peer Mentoring and Alpha Leadership
350 hours on Comms
1 in 5 parishes (20%) currently have youth groups that have reengaged or started as a new initiative since the Covid pandemic throughout the year
over 500
Young People accompanied
405 hours delivering training opportunites
BCYS provides a highly experienced, qualified and ambitious team, ready to support your parish as you engage and serve young people. Let us do the hard work! We are here to inspire, recruit train and resource your volunteer parish youth ministers. It is going to be a rewarding journey – let’s get started!
Gathered’ is a new idea that we hope, with your support, will create a culture of community across parishes and clusters. We hope this will allow youth groups/initiatives to work together, grow together and support each other. In turn, we believe this will increase numbers, interest, turnout and hopefully aid in the longevity of groups and aid in the growth of the future of parishes in our Diocese.
A big part of this plan, is also to connect youth ministers, parish volunteers and those wanting to start a youth initiative, to each other. Creating a network of support, resources, knowledge and help to prevent burn out and isolation. The Kenelm Youth Trust, in partnership with the diocese, are creating a brand new Diocesan Parish Youth Leaders Network, 'Gathered' for all volunteers engaged in youth ministry, or looking to get started, or find out more.
We will also be launching the 'Gathered' private facebook page, to support parish youth leaders going forward. For more information and to receive the link to join us:
Email freya.scott@kenelmyouthtrust.org.uk or head to our website
This networking opportunity includes; meeting other youth leaders, sharing good practice, sharing resources and funding opportunities, praying together and exploring the KYT events calendar.
After 2 years of online Pilgrimage it was wonderful to finally be able to once again travel in person on the Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. For many of our schools, this was the first overseas trip to take place post pandemic and, therefore, was a great feat of courage and perseverance for over 50 young people to join us on pilgrimage as helpers for our assisted pilgrims. Though smaller in number our incredible young people brought great enthusiasm and joy to all of the liturgies, youth prayer, processions and many acts of service they participated in throughout the week One of the great highlights of the week for our young pilgrims was our youth social where we gathered together in community and celebration of faith with the many gifts and talents on display in our open mic night. We look forward to next year where many more schools in our diocesan family will be able to be with us once again.
Working with Chaplaincy and the Vocations Department, BCYS took part in visiting schools as part of an offering from KYT to facilitate listening sessions in secondary schools, having offered a similar exercise to schools for both the Youth SYNOD in 2018 as well as a Post Pandemic return to school session May schools quickly respond to the invitation
14 Young Adults came with us to Big Church Day Out in June It was a long but incredible day full of laughter, music and joy From discussions we are looking to set up a monthly event for Catholic Young Adults to meet, grow together and have fun. These young adults are vital and we'd love you to join us, if you are aged between 18 35. We would love to have you join us/our group chat to stay up to date with events
MAY
KYT, including BCYS joined the annual Birmingham Lourdes Pilgrimage for its return this year. We joined secondary schools from up and down the diocese for a week of prayer, reflection, joy and service
We start our preparations for World Youth Day in September.
If you ' re planning on joining us for WYD Lisbon 2023, it's not too late Head to our website to get the information pack, and sign up. For anyone aged 16 30 at the time of travel Our monthly preparation days allow us to grow and prepare for the pilgrimage together
Please see our seperate section on our new 'Gathered' youth leaders initiative, and make sure you get involved!
12TH AN EVENING @ ST CHADS WITH SARAH KROGER
29TH 3RD LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
15TH SYNOD MEETING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
THINKTANK SYNOD DAYS FOR SCHOOLS
4TH BIG CHURCH DAY OUT FOR YOUNG ADULTS
16TH WYD LAUNCH ZOOM FOR LEADERS
25TH 26TH IT'S A KNOCKOUT @ ROUGH CLOSE
12TH WORLD YOUTH DAY PREP MEETING
22ND DIOCESAN YOUTH LEADERS NETWORK
26TH LOURDES SCHOOL/PARISH LEADERS 7PM ZOOM
Visit our socials to see the video of all the fun from our weekend We were joined by over 100 young people and youth leaders for a great weekend!
If you are part of a youth group, make sure you join us next year for It's a Knockout 2023, we can't wait
Our annual Fearless retreat weekend at Alton Castle was blessed with lot's of sun, and a fully booked Castle! Our Fearless retreat is for young people in year 5 year 9, who attend parish youth groups. Our next one is in October, so make sure you ' re there, its going to be great!
Between January and July, we had 12 Parish Leaders/hopeful Parish Youth Leaders embark on our Bethsaida training course It's been a joy to meet with and train up parish leaders who feel the call to start up youth groups/youth initiatives in their parishes We repeat this training three times a year, so make sure to keep an eye out for our next round. Get involved with some other members of your parish!
'Proud 2 Profess' saw over 100 young people, young adults and youth leaders meet together to pray and grow We were joined by some of the seminarians and by Bishop Stephen who helped us run workshops and talks on the importance of young voices in the Church
The mission team for our retreat centres join together from August to July for a year of youth ministry, catechesis and community. There are always opportunities to join if you ' re aged 18 25, head to our website to find out more.
Our delayed annual Gala was a hit with over 100 attendees! We raised important money and awareness of the Trust, and had a blast together Make sure you join us for our next annual ball, for music, prizes, great food, and great company We thank everyone who joined us and our supporters We can't wait to celebrate together again next year
“We recall that the purpose of the Synod is not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands” Pope Francis 2018
As part of the Synod KYT offered facilitated sessions in secondary schools to listen to our young people and share what they had to say The sessions were extremely popular and we were able to speak to over 350 young people in intensive small group settings.
There were common themes in the thoughts, ideas and dreams shared They shared how having a good relationship with their priest helped them feel welcomed to and enjoy Mass more. They reflected on how much they missed the Sacrament of Reconciliation during lockdown. They talked about prayer in all its forms and how so many of them talked to God in their head or in an informal way rather than turning to traditional methods. They commented on how grandparents sharing the faith, time before the Blessed Sacrament and good quality music were important for themThey also spoke about the pain felt by their peers or indeed themselves when it came to LGBTQ+ young people not feeling as welcomed in church. They wished that they knew more about their faith and that they were more formed, many suggesting receiving
the Sacrament of Confirmation later so that they could attend the classes as teenagers. There was a perception that they had to be perfect to be Catholic and that many didn't feel worthy.
We were humbled by their honestly, convicted by their challenges but mostly we felt so much hope for the Church! The possibilities that these young people spelled out for us, providing us with a road map in how to ensure that they felt able to access the faith.
Fran, a Lay Chaplain in Oxford said, "Rye St Antony school was thrilled to welcome the Kenelm Youth Team to facilitate our Synod conversations in School. We gathered students from across the senior years to share their reflections and listen to each other on the questions and themes presented. All relished the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences, and all learned something new about the faith life of others in the school. Our younger students we struck by the impact not having access to the Sacraments over periods of lockdown had had on their faith, they missed going to Church receiving the Eucharist and especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our older students discovered a great commonality as they spoke of the importance of grandparents passing on faith and teaching them the traditional prayers of the church, often in their own language. With this in mind we have now incorporated prayers spoken in the many languages of our school community within acts of collective worship. The team created a space of welcome and openness, for all to be honest, to feel respected and listened to. Students at Rye St Antony were proud to do their part in contributing their young voices to that of the diocese offering to the Synodal conversation."
This year felt good really good! After things looking so different over the past two years, with Camp Online in 2020 and then a last minute spike in Covid cases causing a complete cancellation last year, we could not have been more excited to have young people back on site and God had big plans!
We had young people joining us from everywhere, big groups from Scotland and Northampton, a first time group from Leeds, young people from Westminster, Shrewsbury
and Southwark as well as a huge group of our own young people from Birmingham!
We explored the theme 'Always Forward' and Fr. Paschal Uche expertly led each talk sharing how we were not made for comfort but for greatness. His talks combined scripture, sharing his own story and even a moment of rap.... The young people said that they loved how practical his talks were, giving them concrete steps in how to grow in their faith and continuing that growth when they got home.
The week included rollercoasters, inflatables on lakes, biking, climbing and the infamous messy games! But the highlight for the majority of our young people was the time they were able to spend before the Blessed Sacrament, the powerful times of sung worship and making new friends who shared the same faith and desire to grow. One young person said that the week made her feel "safe" and another said it helped them feel "whole".
We can't wait to welcome even more young people next year for the Best Camp Ever!
It felt like such a gift to be able to once again, invite our student chaplaincy teams to attend our Commissioning Mass at the start of the year! Although it was very moving to be able to gather as Lay Chaplains for Mass deep in the time of restrictions last year, it felt all the more powerful to be gathered in a way that we had missed for 2 years!
Whilst there were still some restrictions at the Cathedral, the Church was as full as possible with Bishop Stephen presiding and Jo Boyce leading us in beautiful sung worship
Always a favourite part of the day getting photo's with the Bishop!
It doesn't feel like much good came from the pandemic, but the Chaplaincy project grew hugely as a result of some of the restrictions.
We gathered regularly online and this continued long as the restrictions had eased One of the new additions to the training offering is a once a month formation session on Zoom A time to pray together, catch up, share good practice and receive a short talk with time for breakouts after A small interruption to busy weeks often results in emails saying "that was exactly what I needed" or "I look forward to these every month".
With speakers ranging from Fr. Michael Dolman sharing on joy, Fr Marco Egawhary sharing on the Eucharist and Fr Chris Angel from the Diocese of Leeds sharing on the Resurrection, these moments of formation and reflection are essential in the lives of people who are constantly pouring into their communities.
"The zoom sessions are so inspiring and it's so helpful to chat with others in my role!"
Part of our response to the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocation Discernment was to commit to a yearly "think tank" opportunity for schools, where we would visit and take time to hear the voices of young people so that our work may be more regularly informed by them This year, with schools returning to normal post pandemic, we wanted to hear how the pandemic impacted on our young people, how did it affect their school lives, their relationships, their faith?
Ouroverwhelmingreflectiononthisopportunitywasthatthe youngpeoplereallyneededtotalk.That,withsomuch encouragementto,'getbacktonormal'therehadn'tbeenmuch chanceforthemtoshareaboutthetraumaofthepast18 months Onegroupofyear11studentssimplycriedforthehour sessionastheysharedtheirexperiences. Itwasimportanttonotethough,thatsomeyoungpeople thrivedduringlockdown withoutpeerpressure,beingableto decidetheirowntimetableandspendingmoretimewithfamily, someyoungpeoplestruggledtocomebacktoschool.
Themajoritynotedhowmuchchurchclosuresaffectedtheir familybutnotthempersonally.Butthosewithfaithsharedhow muchtheyfeltithadhelpedthemduringdarkmoments Itwasalsointerestingtonotethatmostoftheirmentalhealth knowledgecamefromsocialmedia,TikTokinparticular.
"It was so important to learn how and what young people are feeling post pandemic and how for many their mental health has been affected in different ways. It was as if they were coming to a realisation that they are not on their own and many friends have felt similar feelings." Hannah, Think Tank Listener
"I really enjoyed completing this course, it gave me a much better awareness of the different issues surrounding the pupils that I work with "
This year, Beccy and Maria each undertook a tough and thorough training programme. Having successfully passed the course they are now instructor members for Mental Health First Aid England. This great news means that KYT will be able to offer regular, accessible and affordable Mental Health First Aid courses for all those who work with young people.
This year alone, 6 courses have been run with over 50 people now trained up as Mental Health First Aiders The knowledge and materials gained through the course are invaluable and the moments of sharing experiences and stories amongst the candidates is often sited as a highlight. We will continue to offer the course with 3 course scheduled already this coming year.
"
It felt a safe and supportive group to learn with. I feel so much more confident now to deal with mental health issues that arise in my school now for both children and adults Thank you so much Would highly recommend!"
Our Catholic Mental Health and Wellbeing Program continues being launched in schools across the Archdiocese, with over 50 parishes and schools now using Quo Vadis.
The main feedback we have received from our secondary school colleagues is that they would now like a further resource that is less focused on the pandemic and could be used at any point with any young person.
As our initial secondary program was a Covid Response resource, we have taken this feedback on board and we are now in the process of developing our newest resource. This brand new program will launch in October 2022.
"Primary Quo Vadis has been invaluable for our students we love getting to know the lives of the Saints and placing God at the centre of the whole course!"
It is a great privilege to have been appointed as Spiritual Director to Kenelm Youth Trust by the Archbishop Having been a volunteer at Soli House back in 2001 2003 and involved in World Youth Day pilgrimages, Summer Camp and other events, I know how important the work of KYT is as it supports the faith formation of thousands of young people each year
In these past 10 months of being here at Alton it has been amazing to see the positive impact that our retreats are having on young people, at Soli, the Castle, and in schools. Also to see the great work of our Lay Chaplains in our schools.
I look forward to continuing my priestly ministry with KYT, supporting the work of the trust and its continued development, so that young people throughout our Archdiocese experience a life changing encounter with Christ and His Church.
The 200 Club is an amazing opportunity to support the Trust in its important work with children and young people. It also gives you the chance, each month, to win some cash.
The Prize Money will be 50% of the income each month. There will be 3 prizes monthly:
One prize of 25%
Two prizes of 12.5%
The remaining 50% goes to the Trust to support our work.
£2 a month gets you into the draw each month. Each additional £2 gives you more chances.
To join the club please visit kenelmyouthtrust.org.uk/200club
