Youth Council

From Left to right - Matt Lynch (Vice Chair), Lois Smith (Chair) & Helen

An Introduction from the Chair of the Bishop's Youth Council

The Bishop's Youth Council has been running since 2003 and we have been through so many different things, from a change in Bishop and Youth Advisor, to sleeping out in cardboard boxes for the St Basil's sleep out and going to Romania to work in a hospice. In our meetings we spend time together but also with God strengthening our faith and supporting each other through Christ.

Now the Bishop's Youth Council is developing and moving forward, in the way God is leading us with the diocese and church as a whole.

Joel 2: 28 says: "After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions."

This verse is inspiring us on the Bishop's Youth Council. It shows how the young and old can bring their dreams and visions together to make their churches grow in faith and strength. In the Bishop's Youth Council we try to encourage this by giving the young people of the Anglican churches in Birmingham a voice which can be very influential in the local churches and the Diocese.

The Bishop's Youth Council has many issues we address together with the Bishop. One central issue is to cross the inter-generational gap between the young people and adults in the church. There by seeking to stop young people feel isolated, and showing young people that the adults in their church really value them and appreciate all they do.

Because we are young people we sometimes don't see the grey
between the black and white and that means we dream without limits. Therefore as young people we can make a huge change to the youth work and church in Birmingham by giving the young people a chance to voice their opinions and also an opportunity to change and improve the things they are concerned about.

The Council also has chances to make an impact outside of Birmingham by having representatives on the Church of England Youth Council, doing work abroad like going to Romania, and supporting each other in gap years and other projects.

In 2009 several BYC members went out to Malawi as part of the 40 year Diocesan link with Malawi to work on a project and take young people who wouldn't normally have the chance to travel to Africa. We are hoping to make this a regular trip every couple of years.