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The YCW was thrilled to be part of the Annual Day with Archbishop Bernard Longley for Ethnic Chaplaincies, Eparchies and Missions in the Archdiocese!
Image below by Con McHugh. Sourced, and others available, from Flickr.
The YCW is a Movement led by young people but is supported by a dedicated and committed base of supporters, many of whom were part of the YCW in their early years! We greatly appreciate any support they give, from financial support to being adult companions.
This Lenten season, you may wish to look at what you can give to support the vital work of our Movement. If you can help support us with a donation, please read below what that involves and how it will help.
Your contribution would help:
develop a new generation of YCW leaders equipped through the SEE, JUDGE and ACT method.
train and develop new “Companions”, the adults who accompany and support us
produce new resources
organise events across the country
To continue this vital and unique work we hope you can help support us financially.
Please download our standing order form to make a regular donation (including gift aid). Just fill it in and return to us at:
Young Christian Workers, St. Antony's House, Eleventh Street, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1JF
If you would like more details or to speak to us directly about our work, please contact us on 0161 872 6017.
Earlier this year we updated on the recent visit by YCW National President, Marc Besford, to Preston YCW Group for a catch up on their activity and plans over the coming 12 months.
During the meeting there was an update on the EmpowHER project. EmpowHER inspires young women and girls to lead change in their communities. Launched to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage, the youth programme encourages young women and girls to use their voices for positive change – just as their predecessors did 100 years ago.
This has led to a new opportunity with the British Red Cross. To embed the legacy of the EmpowHER programme at the Red Cross, we have developed a pilot programme to continue working with youth organisations to support young women to lead inclusive and meaningful social action opportunities.
Preston YCW Group was chosen as a delivery partner to work with Red Cross to build on the EmpowHER legacy of peer leadership in youth spaces. This pilot programme aimed to encourage EmpowHER graduates to become Red Cross Ambassadors and lead other young people in short-term social action, fundraising or campaigning activities on behalf of the Red Cross. The young people were supported locally by their youth workers and nationally by the British Red Cross EmpowHER team over ten weeks.
Marc said: “I look forward to hearing more about what the young leaders got up to on their programme and how this unique collaboration has helped further what they have learnt on the EmpowHER project.”
For more information on the EmpowHER project, click the link here.
The YCW has developed over the years to reach out to Catholic secondary schools who wish to start Impact groups as an extra-curricular activity. The rise in the number of lay chaplains in schools has led to a renewed level of energy in the pastoral care of students and an increase in charitable works and community outreach.
Many teachers and chaplains have come to understand that the methodology and mission of the Impact programme is an appropriate way of combining these two important principles.
With chaplaincy or accompaniment from a dedicated adult, an Impact group in a school enables young people grow in confidence and responsibility, deepen their faith and develop their interpersonal skills and talents.
One of the underlying principles of Impact is that it is run by young people for young people. However it usually requires an adult (teacher or chaplain) in the school to initiate the process and act as a guide and support.
Due to the specialist nature of working within a school environment, sometimes it is necessary to be more flexible with the structure of the group. There are a number of different models of Impact currently and it is important to discover which model will suit your school best.
We would love to hear from schools who are interested and may want to host a visit from our National Training and Development Team to discuss what we can support the young people to deliver.
Use of “contact us” section or email info@ycwimpact.com to get in touch about this exciting opportunity.
On Saturday 18 June, the trade union movement will be taking to the streets to demand action on the cost of living - a new deal for working people – and a pay rise for all workers.
Families across the country are bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living storm. Every worker – public and private sector – needs a real pay rise in 2022.
Back in 1891 the Catholic Church acknowledged the essential role of Trade Unions as the only reliable way to protect the rights, safety, and well-being of workers and their families. Pope Leo XIII used his encyclical Rerum novarum to depict the plight of the urban poor and condemn unrestricted capitalism. Chief among the remedies it prescribed were the formation of trade unions and the introduction of collective bargaining.
Unions would go on to successfully lobby for the creation of a five-day work week, eight-hour work day, pensions and benefits for families, living wages for workers, and safe working conditions.
Trade Unionism was also a driving force in the creation of the YCW. Our founder, Joseph Cardijn, originally called the growing movement in Belgium the “Young Trade Unionists” and it was the plight of workers that drew Cardijn to his lifelong mission of fighting for justice and the empowerment of young workers.
Pope Francis on Wednesday pronounced a special prayer for an end to the war in Ukraine this week. The prayer was originally composed by the Italian Archbishop of Naples, Domenico Battaglia, with Pope Francis contributing some lines himself.
Before reciting the prayer, Pope Francis invited Christians to “ask God for forgiveness and to grant peace” amid the pain of the war in Ukraine.
Here is a copy of the Pope’s prayer:
Forgive us for war, O Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners!
Lord Jesus, born in the shadows of bombs falling on Kyiv, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who died in a mother’s arms in a bunker in Kharkiv, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, a 20-year-old sent to the frontlines, have mercy on us!
Lord Jesus, who still behold armed hands in the shadow of your Cross, have mercy on us!
Forgive us, O Lord.
Forgive us, if we are not satisfied with the nails with which we crucified Your hands, as we continue to slate our thirst with the blood of those mauled by weapons.
Forgive us, if these hands which You created to tend have been transformed into instruments of death.
Forgive us, O Lord, if we continue to kill our brother;
Forgive us, if we continue like Cain to pick up the stones of our fields to kill Abel.
Forgive us, if we continue to justify our cruelty with our labors, if we legitimize the brutality of our actions with our pain.
Forgive us for war, O Lord. Forgive us for war, O Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, we implore You! Hold fast the hand of Cain!
Illumine our consciences;
May our will not be done;
Abandon us not to our own actions!
Stop us, O Lord, stop us!
And when you have held back the hand of Cain, care also for him. He is our brother.
O Lord, put a halt to the violence!
Stop us, O Lord!
Amen.
Marc Besford, National President, said: “The YCW in England and Wales stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and will commit to doing all we can to supporting efforts for peace. We will also encourage and support efforts to help those fleeing war and seeking refuge. In previous year, YCW Groups have led refugee sponsorship campaigns and hosted families from Syria. I am confident that our YCW young leaders will continue to do what they can across England and Wales to be of help.”
