Update

New Post from Lewis in Hong Kong. Check it out!

In the last 24 hours people have been reading the blog in the UK, Ukraine, USA, Sri Lanks, Australia. France, Germany, Egypt and Poland.

Cambodia!

After arriving in Hong Kong two weeks ago I havent actually spent much time here. From 23rd November to the 30th I was in Phnom Penh attending the Global Alternative Tourism forum. Also attending were many people from different places across Asia, and other countries with YMCA's that have a part in launching the project. The primary reason for this was to discuss what we hope to archive from Global Alternative Tourism, its structure and how we plan on getting it started. Im sure many readers would like me to go into more detail on Global Alternative Tourism but I think I will go into detail in a later post. Might be a decent way to keep my readers tuned in :)

Now about Cambodia, what can I say. The country is beautiful and the people are very polite and very welcoming, there was never and uncomfortable moment while being in their company. I am definitely going to visit again in the near future and look forward to hopefully working with them. The food needed some getting used to though, but after your 2nd/3rd upset stomach I would say mine was Cambodian proof.

Unfortunately the majority of my time spent in Cambodia was in the hotel photographing conferences, but the occasional free moment I had was spent exploring the Phnom Penh. Using a the very affordable "tuk tuk" to enjoy the sights and get around, $2 can get you quite far.

During my stay, we (the forum participants) did enjoy a pleasant visit to a small village to experience what Cambodia has to offer on community based tourism. This involved a light walk up a hill to view two waterfall. Unfortunately not all of the participants made it to the second waterfall but still a very nice experience nonetheless.

Above is the view from a tuk tuk, will probably miss those most.

Also is a picture of the waterfall at the community based tourism visit.

Now arriving back in Hong Kong I have alot to knuckle down and do as most of the ideas that were put forward involved the website which I manage.

I will try to keep you all updated on the how things are going shortly...

God Speed

Great first post Lewis, it is wonderful you are now on the move. I know the folks in Romford will miss you.

I trust that the experience you have will be significant for both you and the YMCA's across South East Asia. I have no doubt there are countless young people like yourself would love this opportunity.

Best wishes and we look forward to your regular updates.

The Beginning...

Morning all,

I'm Lewis Semper the Support Services Officer from the Romford YMCA. Recently I was chosen for a Young Professional position based in Hong Kong. Today at approximately 6.05pm is when my flight to humid Hong Kong departs. I'm quite excited about this opportunity but also a little scared. Although it's not my first visit to Hong Kong, this is much more than a 10 day business trip as I will be based there for 12 months while travelling to several locations in Asia. While in these locations I will be working closely with Jose Varghese (Executive Secretary of APAY) in organising and promoting Global Alternative Tourism.

I'm not entirely sure exactly what I should be expecting, I think we would all enjoy a limousine ride from the airport to a 5 star hotel but it might be best to start small. I'm going to go in with an open mind, and try to embrase this amazing opportunity as best I can, which summarises all of the helpful advice loved ones gave. Not that I couldn't have came to that conclusion independently, still I'm extremely grateful for all of the love and support particularly from my home YMCA. On my first visit the locals were very kind and helpful, I loved the food and the whether was a refreshing change so I think I'm off to a good start. I should be blogging every other week so be sure to keep your eyes open for the middle and end.

I would like to thank John Norely, Ken Montgomery, Dave Ball, Kerry Jones and Sidney Slaney for all of their guidance, support and help down to the final day.

Hong Kong here I come!

Everyone home safely

Well I believe I was the last to arrive home out of the posse of contributors to the blog, truly a month of wonderful experiences for some great people within the YMCA.

If you are a regular reader there is usually only contributions at the moment from people who are on Global Link events.

I will give you notice on the YMCA Page on Facebook when there is some activity pending.

We really hope you find the blog interesting.

Hope

Left the YMCA of the Rockies this morning and spent the rest of the day travelling to Chicago, arrived around 8.45pm.

Chatted briefly to a lovely woman on the flight who afeter hearing who I work for said what a wonderful organisation, her two children had growin up doing activities at the YMCA, and she said it is only the likes of the YMCA that we can take some hope for the future from.

One of the things which moves me is when I hear people, very often strangers tell me what an influence the YMCA has had on them.

Departing the Rockies

Just spent two days visiting the YMCA of The Rockies. It is a centre of some 800 acres situated in the Rockie Mountains in Colorado. The reason for my visit was two fold, 1, to do a reccy on the site to familiarise myself with the venue as it will host the next YMCA World Council in 2014, I suspect we will have a large delegation and 2, to explore employment opportunities for young people from the YMCA in England to come here to work for 3 or 12 months.

A truly fantastic opportunity.

Today will be spent travelling as I move on to Chicago to visit the Y USA Offices and to meet with staff to discuss future co-operation and potential partnerships before spending a day visiting two YMCA International Centres of Excellence.

Estes Park

As I said earlier I have checked into Estes Park this afternoon and went out for Dinner with Kent Myers and Betty his wife and Peter POstner and Gill, his wife.

Peter is the Joint Chair of the World Council planng group, with Courtney Joy Lawerence from Nashville and I listened in on the conversation between Kent and Peter....Sorry can't reveal any detail but just a little teaser, we will be in the USA on the 4th July 2014......

The potential programme sounds fantastic and the venue is simply stunning.

Here are some pics. If you are involved in the YMCA you really need to talk to your National YMCA and begin planning to attend.... it is likely to be awasome.

Next YMCA World Council Venue

Just checked into the YMCA of the Rockies. WOW!

Will say more larter and add some photographs.

Where to start

Let me begin by putting this post in context. It is 6.00am in San Francisco.

For the keen followers of the Display saga, you will be disappointed to hear that it is over. It arrived at the venue last night and the Conference finishes at 11.30am this morning ;)

I attended a very interesting session yesterday afternoon on Image & Impact. The work that has been done in the Latin American and Caribbean YMCA Area is superb. The global work is also progressing well. The key themes coming out are that we are primarily a Global Youth Movement, Yes we also work with Children, Adults and Families but to acknowledge our core, we are a Young People Global Youth Movement.

An interesting comment from LACA was that the move in Latin America is away from what I will call parochialising the National Movements. As far as public profile is concerned, they are no longer Mexico YMCA or Brazil YMCA, nor do they translate the name of Young Men's Christian Association into their own language and use those initials, they are all simply the YMCA. Very interesting, you may notice the strap line just under the Logo on this blog. It is 'Together we are YMCA'. There is a growing frequency in England to refer to the YMCA as a Global Youth Movement working in England.

As I said earlier, this is the final day of the conference which has been a very full 3 Days. We will finish this morning with a Keynote talk from the Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCA's a very good friend of mine and the English Movement Johan Vilhelm Eltvik.

One of the things I will be taking away with me is the tremendous opportunities facing us. With saying that we also have a very clear challenge before us, we need quality research on our impact, and not least if we are making statements about the empowerment of youth people we need to be able to clearly demonstrate that and for it to be part of every action and breath that we take.

I feel enriched as a result of the YMCA's collective contribution to the people and communities across the world.

Best Day EVER!!!!

Greetings,

Another day and another eye opening experience in Sweden. It's strange how every day just seems to get better and better here in Sweden.

Today we went on several study visits to explore the work YMCA Umea do in their community and it has been mindblowing to say the least. YMCA Umea have an amazing building complete with a hostel, music studio, climbing room, and much more. This is not the only building they work from as they also have revenue generating projects such as a Restaurant, Garage, Handicraft production and vocational training which all involve young people working on the front line, with the public, to gain training, experience and qualifications. An amazing day which has provided so much inspiration and ideas to take back to England.

We also visited Norbyskarr, a beautiful Island which is now run by YMCA to provide summer camps for young people, but on which used to live a planned comunity of wood processers. The Island has a rich history and provides a varied range of activities and camps for young people.

I have been impressed with the revenue generating side of YMCA Umea but am even more impressed with the way volunteers are used to run the majority of these projects. Youth Work in England is a recognised profession but in many parts of Europe the majority of Youth Work activites are still run mainly by volunteers. Many of our friends from Nederlands and Sweden are volunteers and their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm are inspiring.

We will be back in England soon but i don't want to leave. There is so much more for us to see and learn from YMCA Sweden that it is a shame we can't stay longer. Tomorrow is the Swedish AGM and we will be running our own seminars to give a perspective of youth work in our country. I am a little nervous but also very excited to be able to contribute to the amaxing work taking place in Sweden.

Tej doa

Shabz

Public Policy

Just attended an excellent workshop on Public Policy faciliated by Ian Green, YMCA England CEO and Jason Stacey Head of Public Policy with YMCA England.

Seemed to be really weil recieved by all who attended, good job men.

Hello! Anna checking in here! Well... we have travelled by plane, we have travelled by train, we have travelled by metro, by foot, by bus, by car and by boat! Everyday there is something new and surprises around every corner.

I have learnt so much over the past few days about YMCA'S and youth work in Sweden but also in Ireland and Holland as I chat to the delegates from those coutries.

Today we learnt about the centres in Umeo in the North of Sweden and I was inspired about what they are doing here with refugees and at their summer camps. We also visited a garage where young adults work on apprentiships during the day and where youth can go to in the evening and have workshops.

Tomorrow we are doing a presentation about some of our projects in England. We feel that we have a lot to offer on integraton and how we work with vunerable young people.

We will also find out some more about the World Youth Festival here in 2014 which I am really excited about. If this trip is anything to go by it will be an amazing fesitval.

I'm going to check out now and hang out with my new european friends before I go to bed! Goodnight!

Youthwork Conference Sweden

Today (Friday) has been my most enjoyable day of the conference so far. Having caught the night train up to Umao on Wednesday night, we went to a conference yesterday, and today we went to visit many of the YMCA projects taking place here, including an amazing campsite on a local island. Inspirational!

What's been so amazing for me has been the range of projects being undertaken by the YMCA here in Sweden, from working with refugees to basketball teams to summer camps and many other projects. So many ideas and dreams to take back to the UK with me.

Thank you for an amazing experience so far. Here's to another amazing day tomorrow,

God Bless

Jon Buckley

Youth Engagement & Global Citizenship

Really good speakers this morning on Youth Engagement from Canada. Emphasis on meaningful engagement and being present in Head, Heart, Feet and Soul.

Went on then to contribute to a workshop on Global Citizenship. Not surprising it means very different things to people across the Global Movement.

Breakfast with the Boss (s)

The cultural evening yesterday was excellent with young performers from the YMCA in San Francisco and Brazil.

I am participating on a panel in a workshop this morning on Global citizenship. The panel is being moderated by the Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Alliance of YMCA's, my additional panel members are two young women, one from Canada and one from Japan, Wonderful people.

First off, it is currentley 6.30am here and I have a breakfast meeting at 7.30 with the CEO of the English movement, Ian Green and no less than the President of the World Allinace of YMCA's, Ken Colloton.

An update on the English special display created by Ben (England Brand Manager) for the conference. Spoke to KLM yesterday and a very helpful woman said it was being dispatched from San Francisco at 4.00pm in the afternoon to my Hotel. It had not arrived by 5.00pm when we headed our on the Cultural evening.

At 9.00pm when I returned, it still had not been delivered. Another helpful woman at KLM said it had not yet arrived in San Francisco! My sincere apologies to that woman?

Unfortunately due to the tone of the ensuing conversation we may never see the display again.

Off to breakfast.

Umea-Sweden

Greetings from Sweden,

We have now started our second day in Umea and i cant believe we will be back n england in a couple of days.

Yesterday was a very thought provoking day. The conference took place in a beautiful culture house and i was particularly intrigued by professor forkbys lecture which focussed on the history of youth work in Sweden. The way we work in the UK has many similarities with Sweden but the perspective has many differences. Young people being victims of commercialism is a very interesting point of view which i have never heard in England.

We also had dinner with many senior members of YMCA Sweden, including Patrick Schroder (general secretary) and gustav (ymca umea ceo) who were very interested in the work we did and using us as a resource.

An interesting day which has given me a lot to think about.

Tej doa

Shabs

First morning in Umea

YMCA Asset Building with Parents

This afternoon we witnessed the stories told by three young mothers who moved to the USA as immigrants and how they have benefited from their involvement through a YMCA Project called 'Cornerstone' in Silicone Valley. One was a young mum who fled Vietnam after the fall of Siagon in what becames known as 'the Boat People'. Very moving, great YMCA Programme.

Interviewing Locals in San Francisco

As part of our late morning session today we were charged with going out onto the streets of San Francisco to interview locals about their views on Teenagers.


I joined Pete from Melbourne and Pete from Texas for this endeavour. Generally, with the exceptions of the comments from one guy who we percieve to ben heavily into drugs the feedback was very positive.

Capitialst System for Social gain

Enjoyed the company at Breakfast with Patricia Pelton, the Chair of the Global committe for YMCA Imadge and Brand.

Then into a session with the keynote speaker being a former Diplomate from Mexico to Spain. The key theme of his talk was investing donated money in Capitial Investments and using the returns for social gain.

Earthquake in San Francisco

Yep, you read that right. Was woken this morning at 5.30am by an odd sound and the bed feeling like it was floating on water. Minor earthquake.

Greetings from Sweden!

Greetings All!

Well, it’s been 5 days since we arrived in Sweden for the Swedish Youth Work Conference and it’s been a fantastic experience so far. Due to a packed schedule and limited internet access this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and write about it so I won’t bore you with the finer details but instead let you know what my best buts and ‘not-so-best’ bits are so far:

Best Bits

M -Meeting the other 20 members of our international group (made up of English, Swedish, Dutch and Irish) and realising that although we work on different youth projects in different countries that are miles apart from each other, it’s nice to know that we all still have the same values and passion when it comes to youth work.

· - Sharing of ideas/games/knowledge

· - Site seeing in Stockholm, Orebro and Umea

· - Learning about Disc-Golf which is a Frisbee based sport they play in Sweden, and wanting to start up a team when I go back to England!

Not-so-best Bits

· - Travelling from the airport to our accommodation on the first day and getting on the right bus, then half an hour later realising we were going in the wrong direction!

· - Feeling guilty that I don’t speak any other languages when the Swedes and the Dutch in our group are making such an effort to speak English, and most of the time speaking it better than me!

We’re spending the next couple of days in Umea then catching the night train back to Stockholm on Saturday night (and hopefully getting a little more sleep than we managed on the night train up here!).

Watch this space: further updates coming soon.............

Marie J

Introducing Global Commuunity

Aware thet is if 07.30 here and 15.30 in UK.

Met some wonderful people last evening and hooked up with people from YMCA Camp Counsellors Programme, YMCA Spain, Kosovo,Singapore, Colombia, Rockies and many others about possible partnerships.

Recieved a welcome and greetings from the YMCA of San Francisco and USA.

Heard from the YMCA of Japan about the work that has been going on since the Eartquake earlier this year and an expression of gratitude for the help and support delivered to Japan since then.

Some really powerful and humbling stuff.

The keynote talk was from a young woman from San Francisco YMCA on the inpact of Global Community on the live of four young Americans. Inspiring, and a reflection on what is happening within the global YMCA.

Off this morning to see some of the work of San Francisco YMCA.

Body clock still not quite adjusted.

Time for breakfast, catch y'all later

Arrived in Umea

Hej Hej,

We have just arrived in Umea (pronounced Emu) and checked in at the YMCA hostel after a 12 hour night train which was delayed by 3 hours. A quick shower and breakfast and then it is off to the conference which started about an hour ago.

The night train journey was a unique experience, sharing a tiny cabin with 6 other people, very cosy. I've never been on a night train before but i loved spending an evening with the guys from holland, ireland and England. We spent more time getting to know each other, sharing ideas, joking and laughing.

The last 24 hours has probably been my favourite time here. Unfortunately, the conference at Jonkoping was cancelled, so we spent another day in Stockholm. Awesome. It was still a busy day but much more relaxed and we all re-energised. We spent the day doing workshops and sharing techniques and ideas through a concept called market place. I learned more about team building and motivation techniques from Philip (Swedish) and then looked at building tree houses with Joost from Holland. I learned so much in one day, sharing with the other guys from Europe. There were also other workshops on faith and spirituality and volunteer managment, all run and delivered by the participants.

Have to go to the conference now, but we have wireless in Umea, so keep watching for further posts and pictures (if i can get someone to translate the swedish on this page for me).

Hej

Shabs

Long Haul

I set out this morning at 4.30am BST and arrived in San Francisco at 11.30am US time (7.30BST).

As I said in an earlier post, I am attending a conference of Building Global Coommunity. Ben, our Brand Manager in YMCA England produced this fantastic light weight display for use in promoting our YMCA Global Link at the coonference..... what happens, checked in a Durham Tees Valley, doesn't arrive in San Francisco.

I am told it will arrive tomorrow afternoon! Watch this space.

Today I have already bumped into friends from Latin America, the US and Canada. Really looking forward to potential new partnership leads.

Feeling shattered at the moment, 2.45pm, need to freshen up for a reception and opening Dinner commencing at 5.30pm.

Todays Reader

You may be interested to know that, today, people were reading the blog in the UK, USA, Lebanon, Netherlands, Brazil, Latvia and Mexico.

Good evening. Anna checking in from Stockholm here!

Stockholm is our first venue but we have been to Orebro today for a conference and in a couple of days we take the night train to Umea for another conference. Today was very interesting, talking to people from different perspectives about Youth Work and learning from each other and yesterday we had a study visit at a youth venue called The Freezer as it used to be a warehouse for freezing meat. It was a very inspiring visit hearing about the programmes that they run to help intergrate people in their society.

The group we are with are very welcoming, very good at English (phew!) and a lot of fun.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to having a day just with the group learning about their different areas of youth work. I hope to come home with many news ideas and inspired. Tomorrow evening we travel to Umea on the night-train. I'm looking forward to Umea but not the night-train as I don't think I will get much sleep!

Tejdoa!

Hi all,

The England contingent are sat together, all tired - yet contented - after the first couple of days of the Swedish Youthwork Conference. Shabeb has outlined in (great) detail our adventures so far. It has been a great adventure - and thoroughly enjoyable.

On a personal level it's been great to be able to be on my first YMCA overseas adventure. It's been great finding out more about the YMCA's work here in Sweden and in other parts of the world. Really looking forward to getting involved in the YMCA's work in Yorkshire in further depth over the coming weeks, months and years.

Loads of love,

Jon Buckley

Planes,Trains and Automobiles

Hello from Sweden,

We are just at the end of our third day in Sweden and it has been an interesting experience. This is the first time i have had a chance to blog (thanks to Arber and his amazing iphone). We are staying on a campsite of sorts (swedish campsites are very different to ours) and the wireless network can only be found at certain points and even then it is really slow. Not to mention the extremely long days we are having. A lot of people (especially my friends) think we are just here for a jolly but it is definitely hard work.

Things did not get off to the best start. After a long drive to Stanstead (via Rotherham) we landed in Sweden a little early but the coach did not leave for a couple of hours. Great we thought, have a coffee and relax. That was until the coffee cost £4.50!! (Nescafe) Crazy prices in Sweden!! England prices are cheap in comparison and i never thought i'd say that. A 2 hour coach journey was followed by an hour on the metro and the final leg on bus should have taken 20 minutes.

But things are never that simple. As it was a Sunday the bus we were supposed to catch was not running. No problem, there were other buses going to karsogarden. Catch the 177 i was told by the information desk, the stop is just outside Mcdonalds. We asked the bus driver if this was the right bus, he grunted and nodded. We asked him if he would tell us when we reached our stop, again he grunted and nodded. Great we thought, almost there!! That was until we reached the end of the line and the bus driver grunted something (body language said what are you still doing here?). We realised we found a bus driver who was probably the only person in Sweden who did not speak English. I got Vanessa (the conference organiser) on the phone, she spoke to him and then we were told to take our seats. Turns out i dont think he spoke Swedish either, because we ended up at the same stop we got on and then he grunted at us again!! haha. It was all fine though, we caught the most expensive taxi ever and finally got to the site at 10.30 (we were due at 8).

Thankfully, things have been very motivating and inspiring since then. The groups from Sweden, Holland and Ireland are all awesome and we are already like a big family.

We spent Monday visiting youth work centres in Stockholm and sat through a few lectures. We are supposed to be out here to try to help the Swedish develop and define youth work but they are already doing some inspiring work. We visited a world class youth centre called Fryshusset which has an indoor skate park, BMX park, basketball courts, dance studios, a free school, café etc. etc.as well as a number of unique projects. One was called Exit which helps to support right wing defectors, run by a former Nazi. Another was called United Sisters which works with and supports young girls. They also have a free school which has a unique problem based method of learning (especially interesting for me as I work in education), a professional basketball team and an amazing project which employs young people to patrol the city centre/train stations and work with young people st stop anti-social behaviour, graffiti etc.

We spent the evening cooking for each other and one group set-up an amazing Halloween themed dinner, complete with a ghost and pumpkin. It was a fantastic evening which ended with some presentations and a de-brief.

Unfortunately we did not get to bed till after midnight and were up for 5 am to get to the Conference in Orebro. Again, this was inspirational with some very knowledgeable speakers, particularly Philip from Belgium who talked about the history of youth work in Europe.

We also took part in something called an idea market, which was something new for most of us, but a very interesting way of sharing ideas and practices with other people. Orebro is a beautiful city and it was a shame we did not get any time to look around but we have a very busy schedule and there is not much time for anything else, even blogging.

Apologies for the long blog but we are travelling to Umea tomorrow and who knows when I will get a chance to blog again. Enjoy reading and keep checking for further blogs.

Hej doǺ

A very tired Shabs!!

Andre Wins YMCA Global Link Award

Had a great evening yesterday attending the YMCA National Youth Matters Awards at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on the Mall in London. Our Chief Guests were The Arch Bishop of York, Dr John Sentamu and Colin Williams the Great Great Great Grandson of our founder Sir George Williams.

The Awards are to recognise the work and achievements of local YMCA’s and Young People from within the English YMCA Movement.

One of our Blog Authors, reporting last week from Berlin, Andre Kpodonu from City YMCA London won the YMCA Global Links Award, absolutely fantastic, well done Andre, one of the other finalist was another Blog Author, Jack Ahern who blogged from the Czech Republic recently. Well Done guy. Congratulations also to Charlotte Mitchell from Chelmsford YMCA who was the other finalist.

I am spending today finalising plans for a visit to the USA. I will be attending the ‘Building Global Community Together’ in San Francisco over the next four days. This conference I organised by the National Movements from Mexico, USA and Canada.

I am looking forward to exploring the possibility for young people from England to enage with others across the Movement and I will keep you informed on how things are going during the course of my visit.

That’s all for now.

It's fun to stay at the YMCA

Well, I don't want to repeat anything that Andre and Kim have already written, it would make this a very boring read. However, I would like to agree with everything that they have said about the YMCA EU Youth Politics Seminar.

I cannot think of a better place to hold such a seminar. With Berlin's tormented political history, determined by external countries it showed everything we were learning, if you don't use your voice then nothing will change. The Berliners used theirs for change, now it is time for the YMCA to use ours for the young people that we support.

It was a mind blowing couple of days with an intense programme about EU politics and in particular, EU Youth Politics. If I learnt anything, it is that politicians like their acronyms; INGYOs, NGYOs, CoE, EVS, NYC, etc. There are loads, all of which give the YMCA (look, another acronym) the arena to have a voice and impact on the decision making process on a local, national and European level.

Do you know who sits on your local Youth Parliament? Do you know ways in which you can have your voice heard on a political platform? Do you know how the YMCA feeds into the National Youth Council? If not, and you want to have the young people's voice heard, I would urge you to find out. We, as the YMCA, have a powerful voice and we should use it!

As already mentioned, this is my second international experience with the YMCA and it just shows how big we are as an organisation, both experiences were fantastic and both extremely different.

Thank you to Ken and Tees Valley YMCA for sending me, thank you to the "trainers", Gerard, Pablo and Cees, thank you to YMCA Germany for doing a fantastic job of hosting us all and finally thank you to all of the fantastic participants, I learnt so much from you all and you made the trip a VERY enjoyable one! It really is fun to stay at the YMCA!

The World is Watching

As one group returns home from Berlin andother is packing for departure to Sweden.

This week so far we have had viewers in the UK, Germany, USA, Switzerland, Czech Republic, India, Russia, Canada, Lebanon, Sri Lanks and Mexico.

Together we are YMCA

Sweden here we come!

Hi, i'm shabz from YMCA Bradford. Only a few days left now till we fly off to Sweden to participate in a conference on Youth Work with YMCA friends from across Europe. I've hardly had time to think about it as YMCA Bradford are also in the process of moving to our new state of the art Youth Centre - Culture Fusion and it has been a hectic couple of weeks. But it is a privilige to be selected to represent both YMCA England and my local YMCA in Sweden and I am very excited and eagerly awaiting what promises to be a very interesting week. Many thanks to Ken Montgomery and YMCA Bradford for this opportunity.

This is not the first time i have participated in a YMCA Global event as i was also lucky enough to go to Bangladesh in July. Whilst this will be a very different experience i am certain it will be as eye opening and as wonderful as my trip to Bangladesh. I can't wait to once again meet and share ideas with YMCA friends and colleagues from different countries and contribute to another international YMCA event. This will be another fantastic learning opportunity with which to strengthen the work we do at my local YMCA and share our experiences with YMCA's across Europe.

Shabz

Sweden

Hello,

My name is Anna, I'm from the YMCA London South West and I will be joining 4 others from England to go to the Youth Work conference in Sweden. Looking at the itinerary, it looks to be an exciting week packed with visits to Swedish YMCA facilities and learning about how youth work is run both there and beyond, as we discuss youth work with people from across Europe.

I am excited about the people we will meet, the things that we will see and what we will learn. I expect it will be fun, tiring, interesting and at times a bit of an information overload! I look forward to being able to reflect on what I have learnt when I get back and take from the trip things that I can feed back into my own youth work and team that will enhance what we do. I also hope to be able to serve the Swedish YMCA well while we are there and hopefully input into what they do as we share how youth work works back here in England.

Watch this space for updates...

Anna MacShane

Beyond Berlin 2011

It's over. A four day intensive course on Europe, half a day or so exploring the city at leisure, and i was on my way home.

As with most subjects, having now gained a fuller understanding of the issues involved, the picture has gotten anything but clearer. We've learned about the EU, The CoE, YFJ, The CDEJ, and a long list of other subjects with untold combinations of letters for names. Unlike a lot of other subjects however, now I know more about EU Youth Politics, I feel I need to actually do more; especially because, we within the YMCA really do have the capability. From allowing our young people to access grate scemes, such as the European Volunteer Service, to implementing participatory models like that of structurd dialogue, it can be done. Crucially, to those completing work like we do in my local YMCA, it can be done, whilst actually strengthening our position.

I'll not ramble on about the details of the seminar any longer, for fear of alienating you from what is a really interesting topic. What i will do however, is urge you to find out a little about who's representing you in your National Youth Forum, or Youth Parliament, or if you're really interested in youth representation, in the European Youth Forum (YFJ). Many of us have meetings, forums, and consultations taking place on a local level. If we collectively dare, sharing a bit of information with these brilliant young people might allow us to contribute on levels we often fail to give any consideration, and help us together achieve some amazing things. Berlin in this sense, has always and will always been about what happens beyond it, about how we choose to contribute, once we know the methods out there.

I thought as a final part of my entry, I'd leave you with just one more photo I snapped. In a city as historical, and as awe inspiring as Berlin Berlin, it's impossible not to come into the contact with the legacy of human action, and inaction; both have led to misery and the destruction of lives at some point in its both beautiful and tortured history. For the members of a fellowship as old, vast, and diverse as the YMCA, exactly whose responsibility it is to act is not always clear when we meet challenges outside of our normal responsibilities. Our continued positive impact however, requires that we all contribute however possible, whenever the opportunity arises. We at the conference committed ourselves to pushing for decision makers to actively consider young people when forming policy that affects them. These are the faces of some of the people from the 13 national movements that took part and made that commitment. I hope upon seeing the faces of strangers joined despite difference for the good of their fellows, you will also commit to helping the people that matter get their voice heard, where it matters.

Berlin & the Bundestag - Day 3!

Yesterday, we had an absolutely fantastic action-packed schedule!

We started off early with Question Time with Herr Zeller, a German MEP (Member of European Parliament). We posed our questions regarding the YMCA movement, young people & EU, amongst other subjects; leading to discussions of the topics above before he had to rush off to Brussels!We also had to dash... since we had an appointment with Maria Rotter, a personal assistant at the Bundenburg - Berlin's governmental offices. Maria gave us a wonderfully informative insight into the inner workings of the German & European parliament.

Andre & Kim outside the Reichstag

From here we were escorted through a futuristic underground tunnel, which presented Germany's history as you passed through. It connected us to the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building. Here we took to the the roof terrace, where not only could we peruse Berlin's beautiful skyline but we peer down through a glass dome seated on top of the Reichstag & watch a parliamentary session take place before our eyes. We then nipped back to YMCA Germany's HQ for a thought provoking workshop exploring how volunteering can shape our society.

Andre & Kim on the Reichstag viewing terrace

To finish the day off, we went for a tasty meal at YMCA restaurant & a walk along the riverbank with my Icelandic & Irish companions to view Berlin's Festival of Lights.....

I shall now leave you with this finally thought from Herr Zeller:-
"Politics is not just bureaucracy - it is life, it shapes the world we live...."

(& please excuse any typos - I've done it on my phone on the Bahnhof!!)

Berlin 2011 cont.

Hi everybody,

Rachel checking in here, we (Andre, Kim and I) have been here for 3 days now and I am really enjoying myself. Despite the hectic timescale and heavy subject (the EU is very complicated and is taking me a lot to getmy head around it all) it is very enjoyable. Like I have said previously, this is the first time for me and politics, I have to say, it is a lot more enjoyable than I first thought. Gerrard and Pablo have made it interesting and fun to parttake in and I am starting to see areas where we, on a local as well as national YMCA can get more involved and thebenefits this will bring to us as an organisation.

We have had the opportunity to meet some great, intertesting people from all over Europe and, as well as establishing links, making new friends. We have seen a little of Berlin and hope to see more, but this is not my first time here. We attended a church service this morning at Berlin Dom, amazing church and some very talented musicians as well as the service.

Internet is a little slow and uncertain here so will try to check in soon.

Danka, bye for now.

Rach

To Russia With Love

Just comming the the end of a two day meeting of the European Field Group for Russia. I have been very interested to hear about the exciting development of a Training Centre and Camp on the banks of the Volga River in Russia.

In addition I very much enjoyed spending time with people from Russia, Norway, Sweden, Germany and England, along with YMCA Staff from London, Prague and Geneva

Good morning!

Kim & Andre checking in here at the airport.... Ready to board & the excitement is building!!

We can't wait to meet up with Rachel & find out about what youth politics is all about! 

Must dash now...

On My Way

Task after task after task; at many points today (now yesterday) its felt like the list of things to do would never end. Finally however, with most of the prep out of the way, I can start to anticipate my trip to the EU Youth Strategy Conference in Berlin, Germany. In a few short hours, I and 2 others will depart, and quite quickly arrive at our destination. It being my second global YMCA event, I've some idea to expect; again I'll have the wonderful opportunity to network with our European counterparts, share our diverse experiences and reaffirm once again, that all our work in the community is but part of the collective effort; a finger or a toe on one of many limbs spanning the world.

Still, this time I can't help but feel something about this trip is a little different from my previous experience. When I attended the 17 world council in Honk Kong 2010, I could not escape the feeling that I was about to feed into something which was massive, and intimidatingly impressive. This time, the event feels more like one that will rely much more on us for its success ,which will for our respective national movements, be characterised by how we translate the lessons learned into a real difference on the ground... No pressure eh?!

Despite the frantic week ahead, I can't help but look forward to the interesting people, discussions and experiences awaiting me, and of course, sharing them all with you.

Until then, toodles.

Berlin 2011

When I first found out about Berlin, it seemed like ages away and here it is, one week to go! I orginally applied for the Sweden Youth Work conference but was very kindly asked if I would consider attending the Berlin Youth Politics conference instead. I was lucky enough to go to Bangladesh earlier in the year with YMCA England and so I know how much the YMCA does all over the world, this is just another aspect. So here I am. No where near ready, stomach full of emotions and I can NOT wait. I have always enjoyed learning new things and I believe very strongly that young people should be represented in areas where they will be directly affected however, I have never worked in or learnt about politics before so am unsure of what to expect. But, here goes...

Programmes during October

Looks like we are in for a busy month. I had a skype conference call with the organiser and delegation leaders for a conference in Sweden on Youth Work. There will be five young people from England attending. On Monday I had a meeting with a group of young people (three in total), who are making up the delegation from the English YMCA on a seminar on Youth Politics and YMCA European Youth Strategy. At the end of the Month I will be attending a conference on Global Connections in San Francisco. So likely to be lots of posts.

Swedish Youth Work Conference

Hi,

My name is Jonathan Buckley, a youth worker in the greatest place in the world - Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England! Over the weekend I was invited to attend the YMCA youth work conference in Sweden at the end of the month. I've experienced all sorts of emotions since then - humility, excitement, nervousness, weakness, pride - yet also the Grace of God in my life. I'm really looking forward to being a part of what God's got in store for the YMCA over the coming weeks, months and years.

God Bless

Jon Buckley

Key Values In YMCA Sports

Today we are discussing the key values that are important to have within YMCAs sports programmes. The main values that have been highlighted were: Equality, Respect & Teamwork.

There have been some really interesting and inspiring stories that have been shared about how these values are shown within individual YMCAs.

I would ask you to think about how you show these values and others back in your own YMCA. Because, this is what makes us different and unique as a YMCA and able to change and effect the lives of the young people we strive to serve.

Be back soon.

Rob
:-)

ESY Sports Seminar, National Presentations

Have just delivered a presentation about the varied sports activities and healthy living programs in England. Nerve wracking stuff but I think I gave enough information to let people know we are the biggest and leading organisation in the delivery in this area.

Just about to watch Finland, Germany and Denmark presentations. Informative stuff!

Still waiting for my first question to ask on your behalf people!

Rob
:-)

ESY Sports Seminar, Litomysl September 2011

After a very long day of traveling yesterday, by car, plane, bus and train, I'm very pleased to say I'm at the European YMCA Training Centre in Litomysl once again to take part in the European Sports YMCA Seminar. A truely beautiful place and I cant think of a better place to inspire work.

I'm hoping to keep you all up to date with any exciting ways in which you can engage in this fantastic european wide programme of sports. With five national YMCAs represented, I am also pleased to see I'm one of the oldest and so many young people are present.

Looking forward to a short presentation about Prague Festival 2013 and then later I'll hopefully be trying to compete in sports I've never experienced back in England.

Any questions you want asking, just comment below and I'll do my best to get you the answer!

Catch you later YMCA Bloggers!

Rob Cox
Northumberland YMCA, England

Hello from Darlington

Test Post

European TenSing Festival, August 2011

Ziegenhain. Never heard of it? Neither had I, yet this small German town became my home for a week in August, along with around 2,000 other young people. The larger area of Schwalmstadt, a combination of Ziegenhain, Treysa and a number of other small villages, consists of a population of around 20,000 people, a fraction of the amount I’m used to coming from Bristol, England, a city with a population of around 400,000 people. The town of Ziegenhain was very small yet very beautiful, the houses fronted with timber structures not dissimilar to the old Tudor-style houses found at home in England, and yet somehow still very German.


A timber-fronted building

Despite its small size, the local community of Ziegenhain was incredibly welcoming to us all. The local schools became the bases for all us young people, who are members of TenSing groups from 19 countries around the world. So what had brought us all to descend upon this town? The European TenSing Festival of course! The theme this year was ‘MOVin!’ and many had experienced long journeys before reaching the destination, the longest journey being made by our friends from Brazil! For myself and my Kingswood TenSing group, we had an incredibly long coach journey before meeting the rest of TenSing England, taking a ferry to France and continuing our coach journey through Belgium and Germany.
We arrived late at night on Saturday 30th July, set up camp in one of the local schools and got some well-needed rest. The next day we experienced a taste of the local culture as the town of Ziegenhain was holding a Church Festival, which was hosted by the school we were staying in. Here, we witnessed their celebrations and community spirit, and felt welcomed by the German people. Very few of us spoke German and those who did knew little, yet that did not affect the joyous atmosphere that day, and some of us even joined in singing the German hymns!


The school we stayed at

Once the main service had finished, Ziegenhain’s local TenSing started off a series of TenSing performances, with a beautiful concert that set the standard high. Following them was BusSing, a huge TenSing group from the Buskerud region in Norway. Their size and high-energy performances were impressive, leaving me and the other members of Kingswood a little nervous at following them. However, once on stage our nerves vanished, for the audience was great and the atmosphere was buzzing! After the concert, we were free to explore and interact with the local people, enjoy the baking sunshine and relax for a while.


BusSing performing

Kingswood TenSing performing

That evening we set off for the ETS Festival site, for the official opening of the festival itself. The site was quite large, being held in the ‘China-Messepark’ which was originally built to become a German-Chinese exhibition centre, but was never completed. Nonetheless, it provided an excellent location that could accommodate the needs of the ETS Festival, such as a large main hall that could hold 3,000 people plus a large main stage.

The outside of main stage

Other facilities included space for a number of dining hall marquees, a courtyard large enough for an additional concert stage outside, and a huge grass area suitable for workshops, sports activities and the Church and Lounge tents.
The Church tent was a huge hit with many participants, for it was a large circus tent that provided a space to take a step back and relax, reflect and pray, making it versatile and well needed during the hot, tiring days. The Lounge tent was somewhere for friends to hang out, with comfy sofas and games for all to enjoy. There were also tents set up for a number of workshops, which included a flashmob, bag and shoe decoration activity, advice for solo singers and other fun, diverse activities. Another hit with many was the Dance tent, which opened on the night and acted as a mini ‘rave’, with music pounding through the nights until the site closed, and giving the chance for anyone to let their hair down and show off. It was in many of these tents and activity areas that new friendships formed, with participants learning a little of other cultures and the world outside what they know.

The outside concert stage

Evening entertainment - lead singer on the main stage

In my experience, there were a number of things I learnt over the course of the week while in conversation with people from other countries. For example, I learnt about traditions that hunters in Denmark follow, and many of the reasons why Norway is not a part of the EU, both subjects I would not have had the opportunity to discuss in any other environment I’ve ever encountered. These are just two examples of the diversity that surrounded us at the Festival, and yet there was a feeling of unity that filled the site and those of us within it.
Lyrics taken from the Festival Song capture the atmosphere perfectly, with lines such as ‘we are one’ and ‘you and me, like sisters and brothers, TenSingers from everywhere’ highlighting the spirit and love we had, regardless of the fact many of those sharing it with us were strangers. I was once told that there is no such thing as a stranger, just a friend you haven’t met yet, and the ETS festival was true evidence of this! Every person had a friendly smile on their face and were really approachable, something not usually found in every day life in our home towns and cities. To help us break the ice, one day after the morning show everybody was given a piece of paper, which had a letter and number written on it, and our task was to find the person with a matching code. This was an excellent idea, as for the rest of the week we were all eagerly searching for our match, chatting to anyone and everyone who passed us on the site.


'Free Hugs'

The Wednesday was a different day for all, as every group were to eat breakfast at the site and then set off on excursions and activities away from the local area, leaving the site empty and quiet for the only time that week. TenSing England travelled to the nearby town of Kassel, which was very different to the traditional setting of Ziegenhain. Severely damaged during the Wars, the town had been rebuilt and pieced back together, creating a mishmash of modern buildings among the beautiful architecture which had stood and survived for hundreds of years.
Even in this large town, the German people extended their hospitable hand to us, offering us a large space to sing inside the Culture Centre after seeing us rehearse in the rain. This proved invaluable, for we were able to rehearse thoroughly in preparation for our performances of the Thursday and Friday, and still had enough free time to explore the town and its shops. It came as a surprise to us that many of the shops were identical to those in England! It felt a little bizarre to walk through aisles with their products advertised in German, yet have English songs playing in the background. It was interesting to witness the ways in which Kassel was both similar and different to Bristol.

TenSing England rehearsing in the Culture Centre

The next day was incredibly busy for everybody, as the performance that evening was the one we were all waiting for – United Colours of TenSing! In a nutshell, this show was unlike any other during the festival, as it consisted of a brief performance by nearly every TenSing group one after the other, linked together by the Festival hosts. Due to the fact so many groups were performing, it meant that it was almost guaranteed everybody would be watching, filling up the main hall. Those of us in TenSing England, however, were especially privileged as we were selected to perform twice, to both open and close the whole show! This meant we were rehearsing A LOT on Thursday, keen to impress and uphold our reputation. Our hard work paid off well, as on the night we sang our hearts out and got such a buzz after! The atmosphere radiating from the audience was incredible, dispelling our nerves and spreading the excitement we felt. It was great to then watch the other performers add their flare to the show, from a Ukrainian contemporary/ballet dance to a fast-paced song from the Czech Republic, a Brazilian dance reminiscent of the famous Carnivals and everything in between. Every person involved created an amazing show that many of us will never forget.


Audience in the main hall

Friday, the last whole day of the festival, was another hectic day for me and my group, as it was the day both Kingswood and England TenSing’s had our concerts on the outside stage. We spent another few hours rehearsing our sets, before having some down time to chill out and de-stress before our performances. 5pm came around quickly, meaning it was time for Kingswood to get up there and show the ETS what we could do. The show went without a hitch and once more the audience was wonderfully supportive, aiding our confidence to perform our best. As always, we came off stage with excitement and pride with what we had achieved, and still had our evening show as TenSing England with our Cambridge counterparts to look forward to! In preparation, we painted our faces with English flags, wore English colours and painted our arms and legs with the time of the concert – we became walking adverts! It proved to be a good tactic, as by the time we were starting our set at 9pm we had a large crowd waiting for us. The familiar mingle of nerves and excitement sparked throughout the group as we began, and once again we pulled off a great show, as judged by the audience’s reaction. Feeling closer than ever as a group, we left the stage to be greeted by the praises of those who had watched, evidence in itself of the friendships and support each and everyone of us experienced.



Ready for the TenSing England concert

Still on a high from our concert, we headed off to the Dance tent for the last time, celebrating each other and spending our last night with our new friends ahead of the goodbyes to come. The Dance tent had been transferred to one of the now-empty dining marquees, due to the flood of people out to have a good time. Even when the music had stopped and it was time to leave, the party continued with acapella singing and impromptu dancing, the routines of which we had picked up during the week.

It was then that many remembered that we had to leave the next day, and the realisation that the goodbyes we were avoiding were to come upon us soon. The next morning there were many tears, hugs and laughter as new friends parted, everyone packed and ready for the journeys home. For us in Kingswood TenSing, it was around 2am the next morning before we finally reached home, and I know for many others across Europe the journey was just as far and further.


I found my time at the Festival to be incredibly rewarding, and on reflection I realise that I have learnt a lot about other cultures and people, and about myself. In that small German town of Ziegenhain I discovered a lot more than I expected, and experienced things I would never have had the chance to take part in if it wasn’t for the European TenSing Festival.
Standing on a stage in front of so many people shows you a piece of yourself not found any other way, brings you closer to the people sharing the stage with you and displays a whole host of different people looking up and supporting you from the audience. It’s the moments like these, as well as those created with others around you, which show you the best bits of life. That one August week made me so much more confident, taught me ways to communicate with others and gave me new friends I hope to stay in contact with for many more years to come. I will hold the memories with me always, and will forever be grateful to the organisers and participants of the Festival. Thank you, ETS!

Toni,
Kingswood TenSing ♥

Sweden Youth Work

Hi Folks, just some advance notice, the next event which is likely to take place and be reported on the Blog is a Youth Work Conference which is being hosted by the YWCA-YMCA of Sweden.

Thankyou Tensingers

Hi Folks, Just to say a quick thank you to Luke for posting his daily diary after the festival. Such a shame there was no internet access available for participants during the festival. None the less, hope everyone had a great time.

Hello, me again!

Sadly there wasn't any internet access on the site or in the schools so I wasn't able to update. But I have made a diary of my stay at ETS2011.

Enjoy! :)

—————

Day One:

Today was fun and hot. The morning and afternoon consisted of choir practice and attending the Kreis-kirchentag, which is a sort of church event run the the churches in the Ziegenhain area.

The evening, however, blew my mind. The amount that was to offer was amazing. There was different TenSing groups performing and many different activities on offer, from trying to climb an inflatable "mountain" to just chillin' and talking in the Church Tent.

The only downside was that I lost 'The Game' countless times.

Day 2 is said to be even better!!

See you soon!
:)

—————

Day 2:

I didn't do much today, but it was great all the same. Made a few new friends, read a book and watched a few amazing concerts.

So far ETS has been great!! (Except for when I was rudely awakened by a certain someone when they tipped water in my ear.)

See you soon!!

—————

Day 3:

Devotion night tonight!! But first, the day was fun and I made a few new friends. Just a good day at ETS.

Devotion night was one of the best nights so far! There were many devotions to choose from, but I choose the 'Step by Step' devotion. There was much to do at the devotion and even though I just sat down and ate marshmallows and talked with a few other people around the campfire, it was very fun.

—————

Day 4:

MOVin Out day!

We went to the city of Kassel where we had choir practice and then free time to go and explore the city. I tried to visit the Brüder Grimm Museum with a few friends, but it was closed for renovation and we got lost trying to find the temporary exhibits. So we went shopping instead. All I bought was bottled water. (They only had sparkling on the site and the tap water made me feel ill.) When we got back to the festival site it was the usual late night stuff.

See you soon!

:D

—————

Day 5:

Once again the usual stuff during the day, watching groups performing, hanging out with friends, making new friends and attending workshops. The evening, however, was amazing! United Colours of TenSing! My group (Kingswood TenSing) Opened the show and sang the festival song at the end. The only downside is that we had to wait for about 2 and a half hours doing nothing just to perform for about 10 minutes, but it was worth it!

Last day tomorrow.

:(

—————

Day 6:

Final day. Usual stuff in the morning and evening. I didn't attend the Finale show however, as I was with friends and missed it, but it sounded awesome! You can see a video of the festival song from the Finale here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTUaU_3Lp6w

Well, this ends a great week in Germany. I'm going to miss all my new friends. :( Though I don't know about all the wasps and bread rolls! XD