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Vic Coster: Connect 2005

In July, 200 youth leaders from across the country decended upon Otaki for Connect 2005, the National Pressie Youth Leaders Conference. Check out the photos!

When I first got the message on my phone from Mo, asking me if I’d write this, my first thought was “Crap, that was ages ago! All I can remember is that we had really good coffee and played a really long game!”

Thank goodness I wrote notes!

Then it all came back to me – counting the mandarins and cake slices at the Pak n Save, [Mo roped Elizabeth Isbister and myself into helping with the shopping when they arrived early in Wellington, which included counting out 600 pieces of fruit for morning and afternoon teas…] the car ride out to Otaki in the rain playing I Spy (I was so proud when I guessed precipitation!), the burning bush on arrival, catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Connect. I felt like a sponge, soaking up inspired teaching from Justin Duckworth (the man’s a genius!), bopping along to the groovy and Godly tones of PIC Newtown, chatting with my small group over morning tea. I took away many things to ponder, one of which was to Go Deep, Not Wide (when you prune a tree it grows better). It is easy as a youth worker to think we are only doing the job well, if we are flat out and busy. Not true. In youth work, it can be hard to objectively measure how effective we are. Being comfortable to simply engage and journey with a young person, is vital.

Justin also examined the issue of social responsibility. There are simple and effective things we can do in our part of the world that have global impact. I sometimes face a bit of an inner struggle with what I am doing and what I’m not doing and why. I don’t run a church based youth group, I don’t run truckloads of huge events and it’s often not appropriate to even mention Jesus to the majority of my young people.

Connect encouraged me in what I am doing – motivating youth to look outwards, to follow the example of Jesus and his active compassion (even if they don’t know it yet!), building those crucial, long lasting relationships and journeying with my young people. Connect – awesome – I came away inspired, encouraged and excited about my call to community youth work – and connected, with others who feel the same!

Find out about Connect 2006 here