I saw this in a poetry book called ‘Love’ by Donna Ashworth It epitomises what we’ve been trying to do as youthworkers, don’t you think? Stay close, when others run Listen , to all their sounds Show them care..and love. Something to reflect on….don’t you think? And….well done…keep going…you are making a difference ..read more

Hey Friends over here on my youthwork site, I just wanted to tell you that I have just set up a new site for all things relating to the progress and process of my book writing.  And I am pleased to say that this went live yesterday, and I would really appreciate it if you ..read more

Is there a different way? I dont know about you but I have always found something jarring about trying almost to ‘retrofit’ the kind of work that we do as youth and community workers; conversations, group work, project work, activities and specialised groups into the normative expectations of ‘Management culture’ – which has words like ..read more

Hey lovely subscriber and follower This is a tad awkward as I realise I haven’t written anything on here for over a year, and so this is a blog that’s a bit like a first contact with someone you haven’t seen for a long time and you don’t really know what to say. Like there ..read more

What was the happiest memory for you as a child?  Or, if you’re a parent; What was something you loved to do, really loved to do, that you don’t let your own children do? Was it out playing with your friends? Some of mine were kicking a ball around, scoring a goal, bmx’ing, wide games around the village until it was dark – but what about you? Did you go on adventures?, play make believe, create stories, hide and seek? I know when I stopped playing, it was when free play was sacrificed for ‘paid’ playing, and academic work at school took more focus, and even ‘fun’ stuff was in the supervision o ..read more

Two years ago I wrote a piece about why it’s likely there’s a Psychopath in a Church. This was on the back of, two high profile cases. As Thomas Eriksen writes; of the top 10 professions in the UK that a psychopath might be in, Spiritual Leader was one. In fact, Spiritual leader was 8th on the list. CEO and Media/Journalist was in there too -both places of power, with the power to criticise without question. So, let me ask a question, if the top professions are CEO (of any organisation) and Media/Journalist (of any media) – What are two of the predominant roles in the larger cultures of church ..read more

Jess is excited to start her new school and she soon makes friends. But it’s not long before one friendship makes her feel uncomfortable. Feeling trapped and alone, Jess isn’t happy. Can she figure out a way to ask for the help she needs? Funky Frecks, Jennifer Gilmour Fully crowdfunded, Funky Frecks is a children’s book for KS2 children and it follows the same ethos as Jennifers debut novel, educating through a form of entertainment. The aim is that they will carry what they learn forward in not only friendships but into their future romantic relationships, equipping them with the ability t ..read more

I was 18. It was 1996. A new summer festival was happening that was in its 2nd year. It was billed as a young person version of Spring Harvest.. and I had done Spring Harvest for 4 of the previous 8 years. I was enthusiastically evangelical. I had converted friends in high school. I had been one of the ‘few’ who kept going to local youth clubs and christian unions. I bought Christian music.. yes this was a thing in the 1990’s… I helped out at church worship events. I played the guitar. I had just signed up for Oasis’ Frontline teams. Inspired by a book about chocolate that killed brain cells ..read more

Over the last few months ive been intentionally out and back on the streets again. But not as a detached youth worker, instead going out with a camera and learning, slowly the art of street photography. And I love it. I love the interaction with people. I love the sense of the in between space. The context. I love what it brings out in me. I love observing. I love also how its given me a new way of seeing the world – or should I say, its given me an avenue to develop what I loved so much about doing detached youthwork. I want to share with you a few themes that are beginning to emerge for me ..read more

I make no apology for not writing as much on here recently, as what I have written about a lot of has been about my inner experiences, self discovery and learning, and whilst in the past I have written about some more personal things on this blog in the past, ive put all of this on my other blog which is linked here. The latest over there is about the futility of trying to be good..in order to be liked. This applies to youth/community work practice, as much as it does just being human. It made me realise that there is such a crossover between what Ive learned for ‘myself’ and how it applies in ..read more