REBOOT
RZIM’s youth apologetics day, Reboot, takes place in September. The event is aimed at both Christian and non-Christian young people and will focus on the big questions of life with speakers including Michael Ramsden and Amy Orr-Ewing, among others. Reboot is on September 27th at St Mary’s, Bryanston Square in London. You can submit questions in advance on Twitter via the @RebootQuestions account.
MICHAEL GOVE FINISHES EDUCATION
Michael Gove has been moved out of his role as Education Secretary as part of a government reshuffle. The Conservative MP angered some teachers with the measures he brought in, such as a reported ban on US authors and books such as
To Kill a Mockingbird. The move, which was welcomed by many teaching unions, will see Gove become Chief Whip. Nicky Morgan MP will move from the Treasury to take Gove’s role as Education Secretary.
PRINCES’ MESSAGE TO YOUNG PEOPLE
Prince William and Prince Harry took part in the first royal Google Hangout last month. The online Q & A was to launch the new ‘Queen’s Young Leaders’ programme, and saw the princes take questions from young leaders around the world, and even take a selfie. When asked for their message for young people, Prince William said: ‘All I would say is believe in yourself – you’ve got a lot more to say than you think. There are plenty of people out there who will listen and care.’ Prince Harry added, ‘Don’t give up – there are people out there who share your passion.’
YOUNG PEOPLE AND WORSHIP COURSE
London School of Theology has launched a two weekend-long worship course. The intensive programme will look at worship and young people and is led by
Premier Youthwork contributor Sam Hargreaves. Other contributors include Beth Croft, Phil Togwell (Prayer Spaces in Schools) and Jason Gardner. The course will take place in February and March 2015. For more information go to
lst.ac.uk/ youthandworship NEOS CONFERENCE
The first NEOS conference took place in June, at the Bethany Christian Centre in Houghton-le- Spring. The event, organised by the team behind Spring Harvest and Youthwork the Conference, saw Gavin Calver and Rob Parsons speak to over 250 attendees at a one-day conference aimed at those working with children and young people.
GANGS SUMMIT
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, hosted a summit at City Hall, setting out how he plans to tackle gang crime in London. The event brought together global gang experts, following a year in which teenage murders were down by more than 50 per cent since 2008. The Mayor said that focus should be on prevention as well as enforcement going forward. The summit revealed that there are 3,495 gang members in London in 224 gangs, and that 70 per cent of gang members are aged 17-23.
SENTAMU CELEBRATES 500 YOUNG LEADERS
The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, presented 500 students with the Archbishop of York Youth Trust Awards. The awards follow the completion of a Key Stage Three programme by these students over the last year. The award covers Key Stages Two, Three and Four and is offered in over 180 schools in the North of England.
DADS TOLD TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE
A poll has found that teenagers are rarely seen close to their parents. The survey for Clinton’s Cards showed that young people stay an average of 6.7 metres from their dads in public. The poll of more than 500 teenagers also showed that the average dad travels 627 ‘dad miles’ per year when ferrying teenagers around at weekends.
