In a new piece of research, the team at SWYM have focused on ‘mapping the landscape’ of the south-west, the region they have served for the last 25 years. But for those of us reading from different parts of the country there are still many resonances. And from a research perspective, the following headlines confirm findings from a series of other reports from the last five years or so.i
- Finding and keeping volunteers is a key challenge, especially since the pandemic
- Smaller churches are less likely to have a paid worker and are more likely to rely on volunteers
- There is a growth in intergenerational/family-based ministry
- Relatively low value is placed on qualifications for youth workers
- Organisations are more likely than churches to be involved in outreach activities like detached work
- Churches are also less likely than organisations to be involved in partnerships
- Very few churches and organisations are working with children and young people in the most deprived areas of the region
Two things stood out to me as I read.
One is that ministry with and for young people is well supported when there is a diverse ecology of people, churches, organisations and activities taking part. For life to flourish in the natural world, there needs to be balance amongst interdependent parts. Thriving ministry with young people will probably mean there are paid and volunteer youth workers, age-specific and inter-generational models, and activities that serve young people within and beyond the church. For me, this report highlights once again the urgency of creating strategic partnerships and real investment to avoid losing the balance necessary for a thriving eco-system. There are real risks we could lose the paid workers needed to champion and train a new generation of volunteers.
The second finding that particularly stood out to me, was that the majority of both churches and organisations in the southwest report that less than 25% of the young people they work with come from small areas in the top 10% most deprived areas. On the one hand it’s not clear what this means. Does this reflect the percentage of young people who live in deprived areas in the region, or does this suggest that youth ministry needs to be re-balanced toward these areas of deprivation? Either way it is a reminder of the early findings from the NYA’s first Youth Census in 2021, which found that charities were more likely to operate in areas of higher deprivation compared to faith groups. In fact, while 75% of the most disadvantaged areas surveyed had open access youth groups, only 13% had faith-based provision outside a worship service. The census was not comprehensive, so more research may be needed. But it gives us pause for thought – where are churches and organsiations absent in the landscape, and what does that mean for the young people who live there?
Lucie Shuker is Director of The Youthscape Centre for Research at Youthscape.
i These include Losing Heart, The Care and Support of Salaried Children’s, Youth and Families workers, Faith in Young People and Growing Lives.