Reflections on Ministry Among Young People, and Corrymeela
I have had some really interesting conversations and experiences while in Ireland particularly.
One of these was being driven back from Corrymeela to Belfast by Ivan Cross, a youth worker for Corrymeela in Belfast. We spent about two hours driving back down. He works with groups of young people helping them develop some basic life skills that they might begin to move out of a sectarian world view and have more options really.
One of my questions to him was what affect did he think Corrymeela had had over the last 40 years. His response was that that was hard to judge, and that it would be easy to think not much given the entrenched sectarian views on both sides, which seem to be entrenching even further given the results of the last election, where the UDP (Paisleys party) and the Sinn Fein both increased their vote and number of seats in the UK Parliament. However he thought it has played a huge role in making things as hopeful as they are. He noted the number of people who had been associated with Corrymeela who now were in significant leadership roles and who were working hard to bring about a just peace and to change the sectarian world view.
This made me think about our work among young people in New Zealand, and it made me realise what an opportunity, and what a responsibility we have. Sometimes I get the sense that within Tikanga pakeha we feel really guilty that we are not working with at risk youth, or doing great social work among young people. Even I have at times experienced that. But we do still work with good middle class young people, many/some of whom have the potential to play significant roles in our society and in our church. And we have the opportunity and responsibility, like Corrymeela, to form them in such a way that they will exercise those roles, well formed in the gospel, working for a just society where all are cared for. I also believe the Anglican Church with its particular structure and commitment to bicultural development has a particular responsibility in its work among young people. We have the potential to change our country profoundly, where past injustices are dealt with, where future injustices are averted, where the appalling statistics around Maori are seen as a point of great concern to all new Zealanders…. Well anyway, you get the point.
One of these was being driven back from Corrymeela to Belfast by Ivan Cross, a youth worker for Corrymeela in Belfast. We spent about two hours driving back down. He works with groups of young people helping them develop some basic life skills that they might begin to move out of a sectarian world view and have more options really.
One of my questions to him was what affect did he think Corrymeela had had over the last 40 years. His response was that that was hard to judge, and that it would be easy to think not much given the entrenched sectarian views on both sides, which seem to be entrenching even further given the results of the last election, where the UDP (Paisleys party) and the Sinn Fein both increased their vote and number of seats in the UK Parliament. However he thought it has played a huge role in making things as hopeful as they are. He noted the number of people who had been associated with Corrymeela who now were in significant leadership roles and who were working hard to bring about a just peace and to change the sectarian world view.
This made me think about our work among young people in New Zealand, and it made me realise what an opportunity, and what a responsibility we have. Sometimes I get the sense that within Tikanga pakeha we feel really guilty that we are not working with at risk youth, or doing great social work among young people. Even I have at times experienced that. But we do still work with good middle class young people, many/some of whom have the potential to play significant roles in our society and in our church. And we have the opportunity and responsibility, like Corrymeela, to form them in such a way that they will exercise those roles, well formed in the gospel, working for a just society where all are cared for. I also believe the Anglican Church with its particular structure and commitment to bicultural development has a particular responsibility in its work among young people. We have the potential to change our country profoundly, where past injustices are dealt with, where future injustices are averted, where the appalling statistics around Maori are seen as a point of great concern to all new Zealanders…. Well anyway, you get the point.
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