Thank you for allowing us to inform you of the important opportunities offered by NAYC through the Emerging Leaders Programme. All of us here have been able to access this training as young leaders from different groups around the county.

The Emerging Leaders Programme, and the expedition to the Hebrides which we were lucky enough to do in August this year, have given us all a new perspective of youth work and of life in general.

The Hebrides trip gave us an opportunity to interact with people from a different community and backgrounds. Although we are separated by so many miles the thing that connected us is our faith.

The group that went was made up from young people across the county, as far apart as Kings Sutton in the south, to Oundle at the end of the county and everywhere in between. 11 young people aged between 15 to 18 made up our group, along with 4 leaders.

The impact it had on our youth work has been amazing, it’s given us a new range of skills to bring back to our communities and a better understanding of the world around us.

Our journey started out getting to Glasgow where we stayed at Robroyston Church of Scotland, where we were welcomed with open arms and plenty of doughnuts!!  After our ferry ride, we arrived at the Scaladale Centre to be greeted by Tom, who was equally welcoming. Little did we know that everyone we met would show us that same level of hospitality.

During this trip the focus was about community engagement, where we were lucky to enjoy a fantastic evening with Stornoway PHAB. This involved teams going out and exploring for treasure before some Scottish ceildhing (dancing) which was highly amusing to watch! Visiting the PHAB group was a great way to ignite the relationship that NAYC and PHAB had many years ago, and we hope to continue to build with the next lot to visit the Outer Hebrides.

Working with the North Harris Ranger, gave us an opportunity to learn about the local language and culture whilst also helping with a beach clean and shore watch. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any whales but the café had great chocolate cake!

During our stay we were delighted to be able to attend 2 different church services. The first at Kinloch Church of Scotland and the second we were welcomed at Martin’s Memorial Church. Both these services were very different but gave us an opportunity to see how the community come together again, united in faith.

During this expedition many friendships were forged and strengthened, creating a trust that will last beyond our youth years. Skills have been learnt that will help us develop during life to be able to serve our communities for many years to come.

We are extremely grateful to Steve, Sarah and Cameron who helped support Becky during this trip especially as they gave up their time voluntarily to make this happen.