Serving
Young People Around the World - Part 2
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a report by Servants
of the Word brothers
The
Servants of
the Word
is an
international
ecumenical
brotherhood of
men living
single for the
Lord. This
coming
September will
mark their
45th
anniversary as
a missionary
brotherhood in
the Sword of
the Spirit.
From its
beginnings,
the Servants
of the Word
have dedicated
themselves to
"evangelize
and disciple
young people"
to help them
grow in
Christian
maturity and
fruitful
service and
mission.
The following
articles from
the recent
Servants of
the Word
Newsletter
highlight two
particular
areas of
mission -
Youth
Initiatives in
Northern
Ireland and
Youth:Links in
London. If you
would like to
subscribe to
their free
Newsletter, signup
online here.
.
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Serving Young People in Northern
Ireland
An Interview with
Doug Smith,
Director of
Youth
Initiatives
(YI)
Why are Servants of the
Word involved in YI and what is their
unique contribution?
We are reaching young
people in great need and see
amazing transformations: this
is very rewarding, but it also
deeply impacts those who work
alongside us. So while this is
primarily a youth work and not
a Christian community, many of
those we have worked with have
gone on to discover
intentional community within
the Sword of the Spirit.
Given our experience and our
denominational make-up, we are
uniquely placed to work in YI.
And I think our life also
serves as a prophetic witness.
In a nutshell, what does Youth Initiatives
(YI) do?
As
our tagline says, we seek to “awaken
hope, inspire initiative and mobilize
youth” especially in areas of urban
poverty and social needs. We do that
by reaching out to young people who
are not connected to any youth clubs
or other parts of their local
community and getting them involved in
creative activities, be it sports,
arts or the like. Many of them then
get involved in our programs and
projects where we foster a positive
culture that allows them to flourish.
Once they turn 15 they can start
volunteering, thus giving back to
their community and becoming leaders
in their families, work places,
communities and churches.
Tell
us a bit more
about Belfast
and Northern
Ireland.
The
whole region
has a long
history of
“The Troubles”
(i.e.
religious and
paramilitary
conflict) and
even now that
the armed
conflict is
over, 90% of
people still
grow up in
segregated
areas. There
are 74 “peace
walls” in
Belfast alone,
separating
religious
communities.
Doing
ecumenical and
cross-community
youth work
remains
cutting edge
in what we do,
with some
people
appreciating
us, others
looking at us
suspiciously.
What
are the main
challenges and
the main joys
of your work?
Family and
natural
community
continue to
break down, with
devastating
effects. In the
90s, if a
teenage girl
became pregnant,
there was always
a grandparent to
help raise her
child; now the
grandparents are
only 31 years
old. Mental
health issues
are on the rise,
some putting the
number as high
as 20% of the
population.
Maybe because of
this backdrop,
personal and
social
transformation
stories are all
the more
poignant. And it
is satisfying to
see that we are
making a real
contribution in
Northern
Ireland.
What
are your
plans, hopes
and dreams?
Over
the years we
have learned a
lot and have
developed a
proven youth
work
methodology,
so we feel
that our time
has come and
we have
something to
offer. This is
why we would
like to
continue to
grow and
expand across
more centers
in Northern
Ireland. At
the same time
we want to
keep our ethos
clear and our
charism
strong.
 Doug
is a lifelong
committed brother in
The
Servants of
the Word.
He
lives in the
brotherhood house in
Belfast, Northern
Ireland. He is the
director of Youth
Initiatives, a
cross-community youth
ministry running 10
outreach youth
programs in Northern
Ireland. Doug is also
a coordinator in
Charis, an ecumenical
Christian community in
Northern Ireland.
Originally from Ohio,
USA, Doug is now
entering his 22nd year
serving in Belfast.
The
Servants of the Word Newsletter
is issued three times a year. If
you would like to subscribe to
the free Newsletter, signup
online here.
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