When I went to Australia YM last year the YFs were playing some getting to know you games, one of which was going round the circle saying what our 'addictions' were - the usual - chocolate, caffeine, shoes, shopping etc etc came up - mine? Well having just come from there (and really, really not wanted to leave) I said New Zealand!
I'm now beginning to think I may have another addiction - organising Quaker events! You'd think after WGYF I might have had enough for a while and yes, it has been great to have a break for a few months but now we have got started on planning the next Summer Gathering I'm realising how much I've actually missed it! Maybe it is also a case of doing something as a team again - most of my work here is decidedly solo, or with one other person. I'm not great at working on my own, I need to be able to throw ideas around not to mention having someone to say - have you done...? - especially when I haven't!
I've also said I'll take on trying to revitalise the local Quaker teenagers group - in theory something well within my capabilities and a chance to put some of the youthworker course stuff into practice again but I'm used to working with a team of people who've all gone through (or mostly anyway) the same pattern of events, had the same people train them, and who mostly have been Quaker teenagers themselves - oh so different from what I've got to work with here! Hmmm... should have tried harder to get Simon & Susie to consider emigrating! Ruth are you still planning to come over at Christmas? I'm doing the teenagers programme at Summer Gathering too!!!!
Hopefully I'll be able to round up some recruits at YF Camp at Easter - what is really needed here is to train up a core team who feel confident enough to organise stuff themselves for young people, and make sure we get some of the peer group involved too. It reminds me of sitting in Common Grounds (alas no more) with Simon, Roz and Luke planning Link Group weekends over endless pots of tea many years ago. Well if I can get bunch here to turn out as well as they did we'll be sorted! =)
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