Many of you reading this may have heard that there is a noticeable rise in young adults attending church and reflecting on their own spirituality. I was a young adult when I first visited Iona as a volunteer and came into contact with the Iona Community and the principles and concerns that it stood for. My eight weeks as a volunteer had a profound effect on my life, not just because I met my husband here, but because of the way it provoked me to look at my values and beliefs. The core values that the Community stands for and the warmth and community I experienced here has influenced the way I have conducted myself my whole life. I feel privileged to be back on Iona working within a group of like-minded and inspirational people.
I know many current members, associates and friends started off their relationship with the community in a similar way. I feel that we need to enable the next generation of young people to experience what we did by giving much more practical help towards volunteering, allowing them the same growth opportunities. (Being older I am still growing, and not just because of all the delicious Abbey kitchen baking)! The young volunteers I have had working in the shop bring so much enthusiasm, creativity and ideas to the island, it is a joy to have them and also a challenge to rethink life time and again.
Financially it is much harder for young people to volunteer at a time when most students also have a term time job just to allow them to pay the rent and feed themselves. Spending a few weeks in the holidays volunteering is just not financially viable for them, when they could be earning money for the next term.
Young people in work or on benefits will find it equally hard to spend time away from work or risk losing benefit entitlement. Because of the change in the law that came about in 2001 volunteers are not allowed to receive ‘pocket money’ but only expenses for such things as travel.
Do you know a young person who may benefit from experiencing Iona or who would appreciate the chance to live in a caring community for a while? Do you belong to a family group who would be able to sponsor and support a young volunteer? As George Benson and Whitney Houston have both reminded us, the children are the future, and the Iona Community will not continue without them.
The three books I would like to recommend this month are:
Young, Woke and Christian editor Victoria Turner, words from a missing generation of young people, published by SCM press
Hope in Community, reflections and actions for Holy week and Easter, Editor Ruth Harvey and containing contributions from members of the Iona Communities young adult group, published by Wild Goose
The Book of Belonging, bible stories for kind and contemplative kids with words by Mariko Clark, published by Convergent.
Please get in touch if you have any book recommendations, or you have questions or ideas for encouraging young volunteers. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]
USA North East