This looks a really amazing piece of work - where do we get the details of how Jason used it? (not buying Youthwork enough, me) I think the idea of identity (in all the RE syllabuses of course) is a great one - working with this concept, faith becomes relevant to everyone, and 11-16s are spending their daily time thinking and acting out their answers to ‘who am I?’ questions. Jesus asked: ‘who do other people say that I am?’
In the run up to half term we ran a prayer room in one of the high schools I regularly work in in Leeds. We ran lessons for RE looking at prayer and spirituality and I was constantly overwelmed by the depth pupils were willing to share in front of a class of peers. Both staff and students commented on how much pupils had to deal with, having read their shared prayers. Their desire, a desperation even, for someone to be listening. I used the resources I found on schoolswork.co.uk with those in the 24-7 pack, which made the bringing together of activites much easier. God was in it all otherwise it just wouldn’t have happened, and I look forward to hearing the stories of answered prayer as I return to school this term. If you’re thinking of running a room, push some doors, talk to some people, visit a running prayer room in school, these guys at schoolswork and 24-7 are great support and there might even be someone doing the same local to you too!
What a great poem - James has summed up the feeling i know so well as somebody who has spent years doing Christian assemblies in both primary and secondary school…
“Well Done James”
Please don’t let your ink become dry as i am sure there are many more great odes in you that need to be put onto paper.
Rev Richard Pidgley
Discovery Church - Swindon
i work in a primary school as a TA, often there is conflict.
so my comment would be one aimed at children taking responsibility for their own actions-because it’s always someone elses fault.
“what could you do different towards someone that might prevent a falling out?”
“what good, kind or nice thing have you done today that has helped someone else?”
I never got a valentines card when I went to school. It didn’t bother me. I say its just harmless fun.
great encouragement in christian schools work. just shows how effective we can be without realising it !!!!
Sounds great. Nice one!
Amy your short course on assemblies was brilliant! My fav was the Russian doll assembly, its such a good idea
Thanks for letting us know Becky, sounds like a significant week for the school and makes all the prep you put in worthwhile! Look forward to hearing what happens from here!
I used this brilliant resource last year in the end of term services for several different year groups. I was able to use all of the resources (slightly adapted) and they provided a powerful and engaging framework for sharing the message of Easter. Thank you so much for producing this resource and the excellent value it represents. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone else.
How to blog
First, some explanation about how membership works on schoolswork.co.uk.
If you’re not a member, you can’t create a new post on the blog, but you can comment on an existing posting. However, your comment will need to be approved by one of the editors at schoolswork.co.uk before it shows up on the site. This can take anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours (or days if we’re really busy!). We do this to prevent inappropriate or offensive material being posted.
If you register as a member, you can comment on existing posts and create your own new posts, but they will need to be approved in the same way.
Members can be upgraded to authors at any time. Authors can post immediately on the site without waiting for approval. We are happy to upgrade members to authors if you’ve posted a couple of times or if you or your organisation are known to us. We hope you understand the need to have some restrictions to safeguard the site in this way.
To submit a blog entry click on ‘post to blog’, and to comment on an existing blog post simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and fill in your comment in the box.
Happy blogging!
Bite back
“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.”
Unfortunately this isn’t a joke for hundreds of thousands of people, many of them children, who die every year in Africa from Malaria, a disease spread by mosquitos. This is the issue being targeted by the Bite Back campaign from Compassion International and Youth Specialties.
Assemblets
The Assemblies Website has coined the term ‘assemblet’, which describes an essential feature of school assemblies. They are ‘short, snappy stories with a clear effective message’. I hadn’t come across this term before today, maybe I missed class that day, but it helps me to think again about collecting a bunch of ‘assemblets’ to have up my sleeve for when I’m asked to do an assembly at the last minute. Here’s one I liked…
Schoolswork conference
This conference is coming up in Surrey in June with, and this may or may not be good news, me doing some of the speaking. I’m looking forward to the chance to share some of the stuff we’ve been developing on the theology and practice of schoolswork. For twenty five quid it’s got to be bargain! More info here.
Blood, Sweat and T-shirts
A REALLY good resource to use when discussing consumerism and our effect on the wider world.
wellbeing
Did you know that the wellbeing of children in the UK is worse than in any other developed country, according to recent UNICEF research?
A survey out today shows that an increasing number of children and young people are less happy than their predecessors and suffer from depression and concerns about their health. Contributing factors include family breakdown, peer pressure, media influences and school work and have been identified as causes of poor mental health.
Read on for a bit more info and a great idea by The Children’s Society to gather childhood memories.
Body ...and Soul
There’s been loads in the news about obesity recently and I think it’s a great area to get involved in. Offer a club for all the pupils who struggle with weight, fitness or who hate PE and you’ll be the sports teachers best friend, not to mention having the chance to share some truths about what makes us who we are and living life to the full.
Letter From God
A Youtube video that can spark some big questions about how young people view God
The Wise and Foolish Farmers
The fourth in the series of the Farmer Andy parable videos. The video is a new version of the wise and foolish builders.
Films in education
A great site with films made in a south london school
Totally Wired?
Over the next few months, Urban Saints are running a series of events aound the UK looking at how the digital and online world is changing the world of young people…. and by implication the world of youth work and schools work.
