Church Celebration and Youth Teachings

First event I have attended since the start of my course. I volunteered to help in the Youth section of the event as a young leader. The day started with some get to know you games, like 'never have I ever' and 'would you rather'. This then continued into a second game where the young people had to transfer beads from a cup to a bowl using only match sticks. The team with the most beads in the bowl won. The session continued with teachings about Daniel and the Lion's Den, emphasizing the devotion he had to his faith, and how the young people should reflect this in their own lives.

There was then a short break for cake and drinks, which led to the second session of the day, where upon more of the young people from the Church joined us. We began with another icebreaker game, and went onto an activity that discussed our fears. Listing 10 of our worst fears and then guessing the fears of others. The group was then split into two, where one half went to prayer spaces to contemplate the teachings they had received, and the other half made origami lions to remind them of the teachings, and to help them to pray. The two groups swapped round half way through the session.

The timetable plan for the event is shown below, along with a number of images. (Due to child protection issues I was unable to photograph any young people)

Overview of the event run on the Saturday.

Timetable of youth section - Page 1

Timetable of youth section - Page 2

Timetable of youth section - Page 3

Timetable of youth section - Page 4

Timetable of youth section - Page 5














Prayer space - World Map and Sticky Notes

Prayer space - Images and Sticky Notes

Half way though tidying up

Fellow young leader tidying up

< Left - Table with materials and equipment.







>Right - Box of resources packed away.

Group Photo of Me, two fellow leaders, and the Diocesan Youth Officer.

My part in the event ended, as the youth session was over, however, the overall event was to continue. The next session was a worship session for all the young people that attended. Two songs were sung, both of which had actions. I happily joined in with the actions, which also sparked conversation with other church members later in the day. This then led to the day's activities. Football, walking and craft were the options available, and being a creative person, I chose craft, along with a number of other people.

The craft was to create a form of pin cushion, using a choice of fabrics, card, and a number of other textiles equipment. Though it seems irrelevant to youth work, there were a few young people that decided to do the craft, and with me being new to the church, many conversations were started about where I am from and what I am doing. I used this opportunity to tell them about my Master's Degree, and the project I have chosen. Everyone I told responded enthusiastically about the idea, and they were eager to know more. This could possibly and hopefully lead to me running Games Design events within the church, as I have mentioned to some that it would be good to do. This would then further my research even more.

Photo of the craft session. (Me on the left hand side)


The item that we were making can be seen on the website below:

http://pennyshands.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/hexie-caddy-tutorial.html?m=1






The next activity consisted of a number of seminars, films and a juggling workshop. I here found the Young people seemed disinterested in any of the seminars, a 'Veggie-tales' film, or the juggling workshop, but being asked to go the juggling to increase the numbers in attendance, a few of us went. The workshop was quite a serious lesson on how to juggle, but we all seemed to have fun, and laughed at each other's failures.

Upon leaving this activity I found a number of young people were gathered together in a secluded area, and were playing on hand held consoles. I proceeded to play on my own hand held, and fit in with them almost instantly.

Next up was food, 'Hot Pot'. This was then followed by a Ceilidh, which continued until 9:00 pm. I joined in with enthusiasm, as did all the young people, children, and adults alike. The whole event was very enjoyable, and I have been invited to return to the church whenever I like.

Though the event may seem that I didn't learn much about my topic, I did learn a few things about Young People and Games.

1. Conversation starter - Talking about games generally triggers an in depth conversation about Video Games. Just as much as talking about football sparks a conversation. Obvious though it may be, triggering a conversation is key to connecting with young people. With a connection made, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say, and to take it in. This I learnt from my first conversation, sparking from their keen interest in Pokémon.

2. Interactive - Games need to be interactive and fun. If there is a group of young people, all of them need to have a form of task to keep them interested, so games should include everyone in some way. As with the game where the young people had to move beads with match sticks, half the team took part in the task, whilst the rest were told to cheer them on. Though cheering doesn't seem much, it kept them interested and focused on the task at hand. With any Games Design workshops I plan, I intend to give a job to all the young people in attendance, and ensure no-one is left out.

3. Competitive - Nothing builds team work like a bit of friendly competition. With young people that may not usually talk to each other, or if there are new people visiting, forming a team and playing a competitive game can spark friendship though a common interest, to win. The competitive aspect was also shown with a particular mobile game that some young people were playing, and were taking it in turns to get the highest score.

4. Want to be rewarded - This follows well from the previous point. Young people generally want to know if they are doing good work, and like to be rewarded for doing well. Whether this is through a simple 'Well done' or other compliment, or through prizes for doing well. Rewards at the end of a competition go down brilliantly. One particular person attempted to switch teams in order to gain a sweet at the end of a game.

5. Prevent Boredom - Though it's sad to admit it, young people can find church a little dull. This is why there are a number of youth groups and events which make it more interesting and fun for young people to partake. Games bring enjoyment, and a great number of people play them when they feel bored, or have nothing else to do. Therefore, games could naturally fit into youth meetings, relieving boredom if there is any, regaining the young person's attention and teaching them with a tool that many of them enjoy using in their day to day life. This I learnt from when I found the young people playing on hand held consoles together, while they waited for food.

6. Enjoy watching people play - Not only do young people enjoy playing games themselves, they also enjoy watching other people play games, and the outcomes of that person playing. Watching people play, laughing at their failures and their multiple attempts, wanting to try yourself to see if you can do better. This links both the competitive aspect, and also brings me to my next point.

7. Social - Games are social. They spark conversations and bring people together under a common interest. Discussions sparked about the various games that people had played, which console they have, which Pokémon they had, or which characters they had unlocked.

8. Keep in contact - I had never realized how prominent the friend codes on the Nintendo DS systems were, and how they could actually be used to keep in contact with someone, rather than jumping straight into befriending on Facebook or exchanging phone numbers. This I learnt when I was leaving the event, and the young people told me to wait so we could exchange friend codes. I myself knew of the friend codes, but only ever used them when I needed to. This has put the friend code aspect of the Nintendo hand held systems into a whole new light for me.

Conclusion - So, to conclude my wall of text, I have learnt 8 different points, some of which may have been obvious to start with, yet I have now have evidence to prove them. These points will be crucial for my university studies, as well as for any future youth events I may partake in.