by Jason-Lee from Namibia

In October, we spent a week leading the JuLeiCA advanced course in Essen at the St. Altfried Jugendhaus. Our team consisted of Jana, Laurenz, Katja, Fabrice, Simon and me, Jason. We arrived at St. Altfried with 27 children and young people and started with the introduction, room allocation and general organization.

After lunch, we had coffee and cake. We then went to the seminar room and gathered to discuss the upcoming program for the week.We gathered the team and the young participants for the evening closing and for the games we played after each break.
The topics of the training were very intense and fruitful for many, so they learned a lot and were able to work together on these topics. We also led many role plays and drama games on these topics. But of all these topics, DIVERSITY was the outstanding topic because many participants did not yet have a clear perspective on diversity. It was a very intense week.

During the service, we prayed and listened to touching gospel music. During the time of worship, you could feel the presence of love, happiness and connection, and that was a very special atmosphere for me. The youth participants are working in the churches and have the desire to be the best leaders for the next generation of churches. During this week, we reflected together and thought about what they want to implement with the next generation. Above all, we reflected together on the different types of methods that are possible in children’s and youth work.
At the end, all the participants thought together about what they had learned during the week and what they would take away with them. There was laughter and tears during this closing and we as a team were so proud to see how much we had all learned. On the last day we presented certificates and small gifts – the certificates allowed the participants to see that they had successfully completed the course. We as a team have left a footprint in the lives of these participants. The JuLeiCa course is a life-changing project.