Joseph

I didn’t grow up going to church so starting into my teens my interest in Christianity was at a bare minimum, but by the time I was 18 I was suddenly starting into my first part time youth work job at my church!

There are many factors that caused this sudden change, but if I had to ask what made the difference, I’d credit it entirely to the approach my youth leaders took in guiding me through my development. 

My introduction to Christianity as a teenager was gentle, self-aware and holistic. I was invited to come to a local youth group when I was 15 and at the time I had a couple complex things going on in my life. If I was welcomed by a youth worker that came in hard and fast with theology and beliefs, there’s not a chance I would have shown up a second time. Even if they were “right”, it wouldn’t have mattered as I was in no place to understand and accept something as complicated as Christianity. Thankfully, the faith I was introduced to by these leaders waited for me to come to it. There was zero pressure to jump ahead or dive in, and I was allowed to let myself be won over by it all at a pace that was dictated by my genuine interest and desire to explore. Further down the road, I was mentored then by a few people who had backgrounds in therapy and psychology, and it was this intersection of faith and emotional maturity and health that I was entirely sold on. Having this combination of leadership is a privilege that I credit my entire faith to. 

This youth-first approach to developing me crossed into opportunities and decisions as well. It felt like my leaders never beat me to anything or ever funnelled me anywhere without my request. They definitely guided me away from dangers and towards the good, but it was much more through positively reinforcing the healthier ideas I had rather than shutting down bad ones. This seems like a small nuance to highlight, but this sort of development that oriented around my desires rather than their ideas led me to a strong reliance and trust in myself. I grew in confidence in my intuition due to the good things I fought for and prioritised, but at the same time when something went wrong, I was fully able to own up to my errors and learn from my own mistakes.  

I reflect a lot on how privileged I am to have had such brilliant leaders in my life who cared so much about me. I absolutely would not be where I am now without them. Youth work that puts the young person first is and always will be the most important thing in my life and I dearly hope I can continue this approach myself, and advocate for all young people to have the same privileges and opportunities that I was lucky enough to have.