No-Way it's Norway! #WorldYMCA

If I may, I will open up this blog with this....

EMPOWERED or what? (Yes a bit of chalk found under a table at 3am in the morning can produce something as artistic as this, also loving the Macbook's)

I am in Norway and nope I am not Norwegian as off yet but I do like the sound of breakfast and lunch being the same mostly everyday...Yummy can't get away from the slice of bread pure genius!

But there I go again rambling on....SO back to the EMPOWERMENT part! This video might do so, for that I am grateful to be a part if it because we are a movement that never stops in the eyes of many and will continue on doing so for years to come. We are the future of LEADERSHIP and a LINK to bind forever faith in global UNDERSTANDING and to IMPACT on LOCAL youth within YMCA England.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Let's go back to Norway now and the experiences I and many others have felt over the last 10 days, yes guys I did say TEN....These lucky ones nowadays exploring the worldwide movement and engaging with passion through their work, who can blame them!??? Ken M?

Me myself and the rude eye! 

Whilst being in Norway since the 20th-30th June through the "Change Agent's" project in connection with the "Global Week" and the "Global TT Festival" I HAVE BASICALLY EXPERIENCED SO FREAKING MUCH (So I do my best for you to digest images and the odd word or two from this blog, to get a insight to my excitement whilst being here and for how much I will takeaway.... =)

Norwegian lock (So exciting) 

And Unlocking all this is when you reflect...
Reflecting, being a part of 10 days that will impact my work life for the greater good and for me then to impact on others, creating a chain of motivation and driving them on to experiences for a better change!

10m what can go wrong? (Norwegian Lake after the Global RUN)

Norway is the wettest of places (maybe only on this experience) but it has so much to give and has such a strong Youth Movement. The power of the KFUK-KFUM (Ywca & Ymca) can be felt and the craze, the passion and the kids have for it is just pleasing on the eye and wonderful to hear!
The actual statement I am in need to make is, they have unlocked a potential that I hope we can, as YMCA England. Creating a focus on positivity and constantly patting them on the back until their cheeks do kill of smiling. Being a part of the Global TT Festival, this being a Young Persons festival as ages of 14-15 going onto having their confirmation and into their summer holidays. It just has the presence of FAITH in the most joyful of ways and the most encouraging FRIENDSHIP.
I made some more unique friendships and also linking from the past, actually the General Secretary of YWCA & YMCA Norway Adelheid Hvambsal who I met in my first ever International experience in Palestine 2010. (Where actually my journey began)

After you jump, be inspired and inspire others to do the same! (Outside the Opera in Norway)

I would say I can fly....(We all should give it ago)

Since being here in Norway, having the odd 2 hour journey to places that blow your mind away and forever will never shut you up because it's something that will change your life, is just a blessing!

 The Global content and physically meeting young people from over the world, over 20+ countries, from the hardship of GAZA YMCA to the newly blossoming KOSOVO YMCA 

in Norway YWCA-YMCA .

(Didn't saying YMCA, YWCA too many times do your head in?) Well I am glad it did not....As we will be out there sooner than later in the peak of our ways and gaining the attention it so deserves from them 58 million people more and so on.

So get the YMCA blood pumping and get out there and search for all our hidden talents within the worldwide movement!

Being a part of something....

"STOP POVERTY" Campaign = We will eradicate poverty by 2030!!!

 Please visit link and find out how and why this is the CAMPAIGN to be apart off;
http://www.kfuk-kfum-global.no/no/English/We+will+eradicate+poverty+by+2030.b7C_wlfW38.ips
We have been working on this throughout the week too and I could explain but I think the website does it for me! So get an insight and meaning of what a BIG challenge it is, but most of all the BIGGEST CHANGE ever to be a part off.

Be this LOGO and be a PART of CHANGING THE WORLD!

And also OUR first ever GOOGLE/Skypey thingy ma jiggy....

(Was a success involving Change Agents)

Resource Group for the Environment (RGE) a part of Y-Action

See below, throughout the week the time we were in Norway (Change Agent's) took part in a first Video call via Google+...It was a real insight to another side to what the YMCA stands for too.

So please spare: 55 minutes & 16 Seconds and embrace the impact and the future of calls!

Or 

Please check this link for more info on their great work:

http://action.ymca.int/google-hangout-norway/

In this small picture we are doing work!

We work & Train...

Something tells me from all my blog so far it don't show any work, well tadaaar! Here is evidence>>>

Having the inspiration around us, that all the young people within one room want to make an impact on changing for the better makes the project of "Waking the Sleeping Giant up!" becomes much more powerful and determined. 

So the "STOP POVERTY" will gain momentum and create change in 2030, we as "Change Agent's" will implement goals/projects to affect on a local level spreading out across the globe.

It's about the beauty of the EYE and the way you  use them! (Change Agent's Training, Gjovik School)

My farewell from the lens and my tired fingers from Norway....

I have met some fantastic people over these days and been a part of something that I am most grateful to be involved in. Having and sustaining a LINK, GLOBALLY is such a treasured credit to work with. Having the experiences and becoming part of something as leaders and leading onto the next youthful future.
So Norway what of you from the school of Gjovik where we stand most of the time, then few days in Oslo in the youth hostel called "Haraldsheim" to the bonding of young people around the world.
I thank you in all the English ways we do but this time I will leave you with it in Norwegian; 

"takk"

A photo for you to guess where they all are from!!! (Change Agents & Participant's from Global week)

Signing out...Lewis Barkway Ymca North Staffordshire Youth Campus from Norway!

International Viewers

Today people read Toms first post on the blog, in the USA, UK. Germany, China, Japan,Poland, France, Indonesia, India and Netherlands.

Hi All,

Well it’s my first time writing on the blog and as I sit here in ‘Meriden’ in Birmingham Airport with my overpriced Full English Breakfast and Latte I can really start to look forward to the coming days as I head to Berlin for the EU Youth Policy Seminar.

When Ken asked me at the GA back in May if I would be interested I felt really privileged and really excited for the chance to not only learn about Youth Policy and Politics in Europe but also to visit a different country I had never travelled to before!

It will be the first time I meet Alex Taylor in Berlin and I am looking forward to having a chat about all the brilliant work she has been doing at her YMCA and talk about her trip to Northern Ireland and Pakistan. We have sorted out what we are providing for our cultural evening but that can be explained in another blog over the next few days! 

Turning to the Seminar, I don’t necessarily have any background or experience in Youth Policy but as I mentioned in my application and on the Facebook Page I believe Youth Policy and Politics is definitely a subject that I believe not enough young people understand and choose to ignore. It is a subject that with current economic climate more young people need to learn about and that is one of the reasons I chose to attend this seminar to learn more about it and take this back to Worcestershire YMCA.

A personal aim of mine over the coming few months with everything going on across England is to spread the message about Youth Policy, Politics and Democracy in England so that Young people have the chance to understand all aspects of it and not stereotype it as something that they would not enjoy or be able to understand.

This was only a quick post as I am heading to the gate in about 10 minutes but I look forward to the 5 days ahead in Berlin and can’t wait to share my experiences with you all.

Speak Soon!

Tom

We are the Change by Jack Ahearn

Hi Guys,

Here I am in Gjorvik, Oslo, Norway, reporting from the Change Agent Training held in Gjorvik School.

Can I first express how truly inspiring it is to finally be around fellow agents of change, hearing stories, sharing practices, creating projects, all acting as one. For months now I have been anticipating what the role of change agents will be, and how we will implement our job role, so it is great to grasp what we are all part of.

I have developed new friendships, which I hope and know will become stronger and stronger, as we are all on the same page with the same common goals and beliefs. It has confirmed for me that all involved with the YMCA share a unique outlook, with the passion to carry on the wonderful work of the YMCA.

It has been informative as well as extremely powerful for me to share and grasp the Change Agent programme with these amazing people, and join initiatives to produce the most creative ideas for change.

As well as making it more clear what our job description and journey will entail over the next few years, we have had training in other vital areas to help pack our toolkit with the essentials, to carry out our mission. These include leadership and communication methods, as well as how to have a deeper worldwide impact in the day to day work we do. What was really interesting was a group activity we participated in to create and plan a project with real and positive effective outcomes, with the intention to attract the attention of George Soares. However, the task was that each member of the group had a disability, which limited the communication of the group. It was a challenge, but fun to work with as it tested all senses, finding ways to prepare a project and presentation between a group of blind, deaf, mute and paralysed people.

This represents the difficulty of engaging YMCA’s on a worldwide scale, due to various issues like barriers to access and communication. It shows we need to find the proper way to include, convey and agree the common YMCA message to the whole world movement, which is about inclusion.

It enforces the message as leaders we have to pay attention and respect these limitations, like we do in our everyday work, to have that positive balance. An example used by another Change Agent was, the sleeping giant is just waking up and a bit groggy, so to start running would not only be too much of a challenge but could also damage the reputations and relationships the YMCA have took 169 years to implement.

The incredible work of the YMCA hit home today, discussing personal journeys and stories through the YMCA. It brought me back to first contact with the YMCA, and where I have come over the last 4 years. This of course would not have had anywhere near the amount of impact without the YMCA. After hearing others personal experiences, I have also learned that even though each individual movement is so diverse with the work it does, it is always similar situations which bring people to the YMCA, no matter the background or the nation. We are all part of something so special, that is growing like the universe, but no matter the distance between us, we all have something that keep us together.

After discussing groups today where the YMCA will be in 2018, may I finish by saying in many Change Agents words: see you at the YMCA Olympics, on YTV, at the opening of YMCA North Pole, and optimistically at the presence of the first YMCA flag on the moon!

We are the change!

Jack Ahearn

Change Agents in Norway

I am here in Norway, we are 4 "change agents" from the UK (3 from England, 1 from Scotland). For those of you who don't know what "change agents" are, we are young people from around the world working on a World Alliance of YMCA programme. This training will help us look at what the change agents are and how we will implement our job description. We have only just started officially today and this training is being delivered at the same time as Norway's Global Week so as well as change agents from across Europe and the Middle East, we have participants from YMCA and YWCA's in Europe, Asia and Africa. It proves to be a very interesting week with plenty of participants to learn from.

We have had a day of the change model and looking at ways we could possibly implement this in our local and national YMCA's, this will be an ongoing theme throughout the week. We have also had a fantastic presentation on the Youth in Action funding and I have many ideas about what I can bring back to my local and national movement, I have to try and find time to organise these ideas and do some research about all of this.

So tonight, we watched a film called "When the boys come home" a documentary about the occupation in Palestine. The film was about the Israeli soldiers arresting boys (all children or minors) for throwing stones and the work that is being done by the YMCA / YWCA to try and support these young boys in very difficult occupation. It was a challenge to me to hear this story as I was not fully aware of this situation. On a personal level, having some awareness about the situation in Israel and Palestine I am very aware that it was partly caused by the British. This violence then felt personal. I very much appreciate the story telling of the participants from Palestine and Jordan.

Well it is late so I will end here. I would recommend looking for this documentary to have a look at it! 

Shot of reality

Rachel has done a great job reporting on the content of the conference so perhaps I can share some personal thoughts and challenges from the week. I'm also inspired to write more as I received an email from YMCA Europe’s president saying he enjoyed my last blog. I guess I'd say to you (the readers) please leave comments and keep us inspired!

After the success of the tea party, I will be honest and say the digital activism totally left me feeling flat. A lot of time wasted on things that don’t take much time at all and no clear vision took the shine of this part of the training for me personally.

There was one session that moved me to the point of tears and it was when we looked at issues in our own countries on the scale of conflict. I have much respect for the youth and participants from Georgia, Russia and Cyprus who shared what mattered to them, they were open, honest and real but it was my friend from Karabagh who moved me to tears as she said,

“We are not at war, but sometimes it feels like it”

It was a touching moment, and a real shot of reality for me. One of the other participants caught that I had tears in my eyes and she approached me later to say that she was touched someone from the west could react this way. Through all the jokes and energisers it’s the moments like this that set the peace institute apart from other projects in my humble opinion and why I love being involved.

As part of the project we are split into areas to work towards tandem grants for post conflicting countries, I find myself representing Kosovo and in the Balkans tandem grant group. One thing we all agreed on and saw as an extra to the project was building leaders/capacity for our own YMCA movements. I got the unfortunate task of feeding back to everyone and was quickly shot down by the leadership; this led to a debate over what were “YMCA people?” One theory was ‘everyone is YMCA, they just don't know it’ others mainly from the east side of Europe told me they didn't get the concept of a movement and that it seemed a rather closed concept.

Now I'm not mentioning this to start a mass debate or argument I just found the concept interesting, as a Change Agent I understand that globally we are waking up the giant and that also transfers down to local and national movements. Surely if ‘everyone was YMCA’ we wouldn't need these Agents? Perhaps this also begins to explain why sometimes people I meet on training have only a few weeks or months in the movement? It will be interesting to see this process and how an Englishman operates in this tandem grant group so watch this space!

In conclusion I’ve had a very challenging week but not in the way I thought it would be, I'm now questioning my role here on the other side of Europe and how I view/do things. I'm also wondering about the effectiveness of a giant that has two arms doing two completely things? As we move onto the festival it’s a time for strong leaders and leadership, I look forward to being challenged and at the same time challenging. So no inspirational quote or thought to end this blog… just a man, humbled and challenged, lost in his thoughts but determined to succeed.

My Last Blog About my Experience in Ukraine :)

Claire Edensor :)    The Gang we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to no :)

On the study visit I have learnt a lot I have learnt all about the Ukraine YMCA and Moldova and Belarus. It is all very different to here in the UK but there are some similarities such as the way the social services work and how they help children. I have learnt that here in the UK we are very lucky to have what we have as from what I have seen and heard about other places are very short of things. Ukraine have people who are leaving there city to move to other cities where there are jobs and there population in decreasing as many people do not have children as this is expensive and alot of children are being adopted or fostered and getting an education and moving away.

In Moldova their city is very different their YMCA is based around the historical times and they try to bring them times back. They are very physical and really enjoy and respect their marital arts. They try to get young people involved in what they do the best way they can they have a website to encourage young people to join. 10 years ago they had a lot of crime and since then and all the programmes and events they do and get children involved has dropt dramatically. They have 70 professionals who work with them in their sports area. And they are also self-funded and are co-operative with the youth government. They believe that the best way to progress is to through their martial arts YMCA.

In Belarus they only have volunteers who work with them and have to find their own money to keep their YMCA going they also only have one organisation that helps them. They also do not get paid for what they do they all work to the best of their abilities for nothing as they believe to give children help and support even if they do not get a salary. They also did a triangle game with us that they use back in Belarus where, you are in a circle and you have to pick 2 people without letting anyone know and everyone does this and in silence they walk around trying to get a triangle with themselves and the 2 people they have picked. This was a really good way of focusing and using your brain to figure out how you can keep your triangle.

Overall my experience here has been the best of my life I have learnt more than I thought I could. I really enjoyed meeting all the new people and seeing the different schools and colleges and how they work and they are different to the UK. Also the mines I found that really educational because we used to have the mines here in Ashington and I never really new anything about them but now I do. I have really enjoyed this trip and hope we see everyone again.

Blogger out :)

The end...for now

So it is the last night in Yerevan for the majority of the Peace Work Institute, it is 11pm here and leave for the airport at 2am so we are pulling an all nighter! I think we will all be pretty exhausted this time tomorrow! So what have we been doing over the last couple of days...

For me, it has been emotional. From learning about the conflict situation in Karabakh, to areas of peace work in Europe and completing our digital/ online work. It has been a moving couple of days and personally challenging, learning new skills, hearing painful stories from inspiring people (it is these stories that, for me, are the most powerful and motivating of learning) working in difficult situations. The areas of peace work was a different model to the one that I learnt in the School of Peace and has been a challenge to get these two to fit, maybe they don't? Maybe the models of peace work need to change depending on the context? I don't know, I am still reflecting on this one.

As for the digital activism, we as a group were asked to create a level of activity for the Peace Work Institute, I was part of the team creating a website (still waiting on it going live). This was a good opportunity for me to learn a new skill as it was something I have never done before and now have gained some new confidence in doing this. A facebook page and twitter account was also created (Roots for Reconciliation on facebook and @YMCA_PWI if you are interested). If I am honest, this is not what I expected when I saw digital activism on the schedule and the sessions were difficult due to the different levels of knowledge and skills within the group however, I think it is fair to say, that the majority of us are pleased with the end result.

There are lessons to be learnt from the event but that is all part of the process.

So the time has come to say goodbye, with good food, wine and laughter we ate our last meal together. With LOTS of photos of taken, LOTS of laughter, good conversation and music (would it be a YMCA conference without Gerard on a piano?) we part ways until the next time. I will see you in Prague and if not hopefully in Strasbourg. 

The European Peace Cohort hits Yerevan

It is the 3rd day of the conference and what an emotional, inspiring, tiring, fun filled week it has turned out to be (I didn't really expect anything less).

So I don't want to repeat anything Adi has said about the tea party (do you really want to read about it twice?) So I thought I would just briefly mention my highlights of the evening;
1. Finland's tea having the Moomins on the packaging and seeing their excitement when I recognised them (I also really enjoyed their tea). 
2. Cyprus and the 4 teas.
3. The absolutely buzzing atmosphere in the room as the tea party happened. 
4. Adi's absolute determination and amazing leadership in the event! 
5. Russia's locally made honey (I was sat eating it out of the jar, they didn't mind!)
6. I could go on and on as the list is endless...

Moving on to today and what has been happening... This afternoon we went to Sergei Parajanov's museum to see some of his work. This was interesting for want of a better word. If you are ever in Yerevn and want something to do, I would recommend a visit. The museum is set in a house that Armenia built for Parajanov but unfortunately he died before he could move into the house. His work is unique and if you are interested in art work and peace then it is well worth a visit. 

Following this, the rest of the afternoon was free for us to explore the beautiful city of Yerevan. For me, being British and not liking the heat it was too hot and a lovely Armenian coffee shop was in order for some refreshment and a rest, we decided to sit in Jazzve in Freedom Square, a square where many protests have happened hence it's name. As the evening drew in, it was cooler to have a wonder round the city. Yerevan is surrounded by beautiful mountains and as the hot air from the city rises and the cold air from the mountains come down, there is a welcome breeze through the city to cool everyone down. It was very welcome for me as it is very hot here today.

As evening drew in, all he participants gathered in Jazzve (I would like one of these in England so I can enjoy Armenian coffee all the time!) for dinner. Yet again, the atmosphere started to buzz with excitement and interesting conversation. The people is what make these events, the interesting, inspiring and leaders of the future. We, like Adi said, are the movement and are the change that will appear in the movement. And, I personally, can't wait to see it!

Back in Northumberland!

Well, after being up for 20 hours on Sunday, travelling for 18 and a few days to refresh, I can gladly say I feel as fresh as a daisy and have had plenty time to reflect on my time in Ukraine.

I can honestly say it feels like an age since we have been there and I can't believe it has only been a few days. We have done so much and met so many people it would take me a long time to get across just how truly amazing it was and how successful it was. Personally, I thought that we all connected really well as a group and worked well together as part of a team, especially in terms of translation! :') Now after leaving, I have many new friends from not only from Ukraine, Belaraus and Moldova, but also from England as well who I may never have met if it wasn't for this trip.

Together, we discussed all the positives and negative of each others YMCA's and got a good understanding of the programmes and activities we each do for our young people. I also got my eyes opened to both the similarities and differences we all have between our YMCA's in terms of the programmes we run, the staffing and the facilities we can offer. In hearing this, I took away with me a new perspective and some wonderful ideas in what we can do in the future.

Alongside that, we also visited some wonderful places and met some very welcoming locals and Mayors who taught us a great deal about the history of the local towns, what problems they face and how they work together with the YMCA to try and help overcome these. I saw that nowadays the YMCA is very highly thought of and well respected within Ukraine and that people go out of their way to help and I found this incredibly inspiring. Not only that, but they do it all themselves with sometimes not even a building and very little support from the government which i really admire because we get more support from the government and councils and we still have our struggles so the fact they manage by working together and practically unsupported, hats off my friends, truly! :)

As I said, I could keep going all day but i don't want to bore you all! But I have manage to get the main points across I wanted. I really enjoyed my time there and found it extremely interesting, eye opening and inspiring and would like to say a huge thank to everybody and all the people who made this trip happen and a massive success, well done guys!

All that is left to say is, I wish you all the best, will miss you all so much and I cannot wait until we meet again in the near future!
Until next time my friends :D

Good Morning... From Yerevan

As the sun rose over Yerevan this morning as did I, but the truth is I didn't sleep very much at all! A mixture of adrenaline, pride and in my opinion success left my mind wandering throughout the night. Its 8am here and I'm sat in the lobby, no other YMCA participant is up yet and I have entered what myself and my good friend Andre from England refer to as ‘beast mode’ where I’m running on a few hours sleep but feeling inspired and ready for the day.

Last night we had our intercultural evening which included an ‘International tea party’ 14 nations presented themselves and their tea in a world café style marketplace with score cards for each other’s tea. The scores have been counted and will be revealed in in the next couple of hours!

The reason I'm writing all this is because myself and Rachel had the task of organising this evening and the participants. Having attended various intercultural evenings I know from experience these can often take a while and end late, I was determined that a late finish was not on the cards. Earlier in the week some participants had told me “they couldn't see it working” and in all honesty this (as some of you know) just fired me up more and made me more determined to succeed. You have to love the haters! ;)

Would you believe I sit here in this lobby telling you it went exactly to plan! That people had a wonderful evening and that we were finished on time! Some personal highlights for me were 

1.  The Finland change agents making excellent tea despite not doing it before 
2. Cyprus bringing 4 types of tea for people to try
3.     The explosion of colour and creativity in the market stalls
4.    The Russian YMCA team wearing their ‘old-school’ t-shirts
5.    The vast selection of treats, sweets, meats, breads and tea
6.     The pride of countries sharing with others

           

A special mention must go to Rachel for all her hard work and co-ordinating the raid on the Armenian arsenal of tea making equipment. Also a special mention of thanks to participants from Cyprus, Armenia and Holland who helped us clean up afterwards.The evening ended with everyone receiving a souvenir report from YMCA England which covers the work of the YMCA during the world wars and looks at how the YMCA provided tea to serving troops. A presentation was then made to the hosting countries (Armenia & Karabakh) who each received a miniature packed model of the YMCA tea vans.

In conclusion it was a wonderful evening and experience; once again the YMCA connected people by celebrating each other’s uniqueness but at the same time connecting people through a common activities and experiences. The pride and imagination that goes into some countries presentations are simply breathtaking and I find myself once again inspired and humbled by our movement and its people who in my opinion are our brand. 

Back in London...

Well, we came back home on Sunday night, me personally after 15 hours journey from Donetsk to London, and my colleagues from North probably longer than that. Fortunately I was working late next day so could afford to lay in next morning a bit longer.  After catching up on reports and what went on in my project I was off again on Tuesday to YMCA Dunford house in Haslemere for a housing/maintenance 24 away day. It's rather coincidental than my normal work pattern to travel so much so don't get excited that I'm gliding from one trip to another.

Nevertheless today I'm on my way back to London and have a little window of opportunity to reflect on Ukraine trip. Right now it feels like it had happened a long time ago and not last week. Trip in itself generally was a success. I say that because we worked well together as a group, looked after each other well, met really amazing people and made new friends, visited a very far and deprived part of Ukraine which we wouldn't normally visit, learnt a lot about four different countries and YMCA work in each of them and finally we all took away wonderful memories and fantastic ideas for future cooperation.

In terms of information we received from various presentations, it is still difficult to digest and will probably take a long time to analyze. Fortunately for me that's Adam and Rob`s job. :-) What I want to highlight that we have started conversations where to go from here and how we go about it. So watch this space. I also would like to say that I really enjoyed writing the blogs and thanks to everyone who read it. Hopefully you found them amuzing and entertaining! :-) I'm not saying Goodbye but Arriverdeci!

Peace Work Institute, Armenia

Here I am in Yerevan, Armenia for the second part of the Peace Work Institute. As for the promised weather from Vardan, it has not delivered so far. However, I do not mind. It has been a busy couple of days and I am very tired despite this, after the first day I am looking forward to what is to come. 

It was a long journey here but a relief to meet Gerard and Welmond in Schipol. After arriving at the hotel at 4am it was surprisingly difficult to sleep made more difficult by the arrival of my roommate for the next 6 days of Christina from Cyprus. When 6am and the sun came up we finally fell asleep. Getting to know each other was more important than sleep.

Today has been the first full day of the conference and what a day. I got thought the first half of the day on adrenaline, nerves for my presentation about the School of Peace in India. Vardan set me a big challenge to present all my learning and experiences from India (I was there 4 months) in 30 minutes. Of course I over ran by 10 minutes but I was relieved it was over. I must add that I have been humbled by the compliments from the other participants about how much they enjoyed the presentation. It was hard work for me to recall such experiences and the emotions that went with this but I thoroughly enjoyed sharing them with the European Peace Corp. The message is spreading far and wide about what Peace work the YMCA is involved in around the world.

This afternoon we started the one of the main themes throughout this conference which is Digital Activism. For me, this had some elements that were informative however; there were some parts that were basic information about being online. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that people are at different levels and before we move forward, we all need to be at a similar level of understanding about being online. I am looking forward to the sessions to come on digital activism as this is an area I know I could do better in and have an area where I could learn plenty.

For me, one of the best parts of these conferences is having the chance to share experiences, views, stories and opinions from the other participants. I am reminded of how privileged I am to be born in the UK. Some of the stories from the Balkans and the Caucasus, for me, remind me of some of the atrocities that I witnessed in India, but these are in Europe. I find that when we, in England, think of human rights violations and current conflicts as being something that is in “developing world” or Africa and Asia. This is not the case, these things are happening in Europe. They don’t look the same and they won’t feel the same to the people experiencing them but they are present. Here, in Europe. I knew there was recent conflict and on-going tensions but I have had my eyes opened this conference about what are the realities of young people in Europe are. Something to think on for me.

I would like to end with a quote that I used in my presentation, a quote from a young person from Laos called Noy;

“When you know the meaning of the word it does not mean you understand the situation and feelings of the people”

Post Ukraine Blog :)

Well, I'm back in Bolton! :D
On reflection of the past ten days... i have no idea where to start! I originally wanted to post everything we'd done... but then i saw that everyone else had done that... so I've decided to just comment on my personal experience :)
 And still, i have no idea to start! It has been absolutely amazing! I have met some of the most passionate people in the world, it really was inspiring to see how everyone feels about the YMCA and the evidence of what everyone had done to help young people and there community was astounding.
 As i stated in my last blog, it does make you feel slightly humbled, to see people be that passionate about something that nobody else believes in really is incredible! Especially when, in England, we receive so much support from the council, communities and each other.
 I've also returned home with some brilliant ideas! For example, the youth club we visited in Donetsk left me making a mental list of all the things i wanted to steal for Bolton's youth club! (But the whole point in the week was to share ideas.... right? :))
 The cultural differences really made me think as well, the list of similarities between our culture and that of Ukraine's was incredibly small. As this was the first time i have been abroad in years it was quite a shock to the system at first! I did adapt after a few days, but it was still quite a shock! Also, i learnt that no matter how much you smile, put your thumbs up and say 'thankyou', people who speak Russian still wont understand, and that it's better to learn 'thankyou' in Russian (which i eventually did :))
 One of the things that really fascinated me was how many residents in most of the towns we visited were miners (in any place we visited, it was well in to the thousands). I thought it was brilliant due to how much of a community mining had established. After visiting the football stadium in Donetsk and learning how the colour scheme symbolised the miners (the black was the miners mining, in the dark all day, covered in coal dust, and the orange symbolised the sun and light at the end of the day when they visited the mine). I really thought the whole thing was brilliant! We were also all each given a piece of coal from one the mines we visited (which i loved). When i got home it was pointed out to me that you can buy bags of the stuff, but then i explained that with me visiting the mine and understanding the cultural history it wasn't exactly just a piece of coal!
 On that note, i have to go meet my dad for a coffee, as all of my friends and family are acting more like I've been gone for six months than ten days! It is great to be feeling the love off everyone though :)
 Also, to anyone that's reading this who has never been to Ukraine, I'd strongly recommend it! It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking and you'll get an experience there like no other!
 Finally, if anyone who attended the trip reads this, i just want to say thank you for making my experience so wonderful, you were all brilliantly welcoming and did make us all feel like a little YMCA family :)
 Thank you YMCA, i owe you a million!!!!
 Beth x

Last day in Antratsit

I realised that in my last blog I didn't start with explaining who I am or why I'm here... so I''ll do that before I write anything else!

I am a board member for the Northumberland YMCA and was asked by our Chief Exec, Rob, if I would like to join the team on this study visit. I jumped at the chance - I think it's very important for us to make links with other YMCAs across the world and this seemed like an ideal opportunity to do just this. I think the fact that this community is so similar to our own, in terms of it's coal mining history, means that the trip can be even more valuable to us sharing best practice.

So here we are... on our last day in Antratsit! Can't quite believe that this week is almost over, and while I am looking forward to returning to Blighty to share our experience here with the rest of the board, I will be sad to say goodbye to the new friends I have made here. We have learned a lot from each other and will have lots of ideas to take back to our respective YMCAs.

Signing off for now as we set off for Lughansk, our last excursion before returning to Donetsk tomorrow to start our journey home.

Krasnyi Luch & new perspectives

Today we visited Krasnyi Luch and met more wonderful people doing a wide range of fantastic YMCA work.  What amazed us is their enthusiasm and motivation to keep going despite lack of funding, lack of infrastructure, lack of support from the society. However their mayor seems to have a great vision for the social programmes which is very unusual and she emphasized that the fact she's a woman plays a big part in her passion for young people and her dedication seems very strong.

We had a few presentations where it was clear that the local people live their town, have great concerns for the future of their offspring and it fuels their passion for the projects they initiate and run. The main issue for me personally is the fact that the Soviet culture of always showing the best, come across as dedicated and motivated but not lazy people still hung over whatever they do. They don't seem to grasp the importance of  highlighting concerns and issues especially to the international partners who could bring in their experience as well as potential sources of funding. I think we have to have debates and unlock their `natural` defences if we are to start establishing the areas of future work. Due to unforeseen circumstances I ended up back in the hotel with Kristina, one of the leaders in Krasnyi Luch, and started this topic. It is a good start and perhaps one that will lead to better understanding.

One new thing we heard today was our old YMCA song in Ukrainian! I can't upload the video from my phone here so will try to do when I get back to London! Promise...

The World is Watching

I thought it might be interesting to share some data on how many page views the blog gets and where is the ausience.

Yesterday 5th June 2013 the blog had 350 page views and this vave the accumulative total for the last month of 5283 page views.

The audience for this week so far was in Uk, USA, Ukraine, France, Russia, Japan, Poland, Germany, Philippines and Canada.

We are a half way thru...

It's the fifth day! Time seems to be flying by.  We are having a great time. Everyone is getting on really well. We're learning a massive amount of stuff about each country. All the presentations were impressive. Similarities in our problems as well as in the obstacles we face are striking. However there are some major differences which we in England can't even imagine in this day and age. For instance, Belarus doesn't allow any NGO`s to pay salaries to staff, in Ukraine the government`s attitude towards NGO`s is to let them be. The ordinary people don't really understand what YMCA is all about, compare to Britain where in a worst case scenario someone will put their hands up and start singing the song, in Eastern Europe it can be looked at with suspicion and compared to religious sects. Nevertheless our YMCA colleagues are doing a fantastic job and achieved an unbelievable amount of wonderful work we are so proud of their dedication and commitment! Particularly the Moldovan team activities were really different and impressed everyone.Of course it has to be mentioned the cultural differences and perspectives sometimes are getting in the way to understand our realities. My presentation, in particular the example I gave for project management, which was a community fundraising project to transform our garden raised a lot of discussion and debate. To be precise it was difficult for our eastern European friends to understand how we could spend over £3K for planting flower beds and getting a professional landscaping company to lay down the patio from Indian stones. Despite me emphasizing that it was much more about partnership working, community fundraising and project management, it provided hot debates over two days! Good thing about it was that it generated topics for further discussions and showed us clearly how we see things differently. Adam also wanted to use my example to see if we can replicate it in EE. Hence we analysed why the project was important and actually delved into the reasons why it might not work. Which led us to discus in depth the obstacles I mention earlier on here.For me personally I was not surprised at all by the reaction nor their struggle to understand. Having come from the similar society and culture I know far too well the attitudes to expect anything else. It seems we have to change them within first... Though to be fair I'm having an unfair advantage over everybody else as after living in Britain for the past ten years now I know the attitudes and cultural intricacies of British society very well too. That's for another discussion... I must give a special mention to our visits to various local schools, cultural centre, sports centre, sports and medical college as well as the mine. We have been treated to a wide range of fabulous activities such as jazz gig, dance rehearsals, museum tour, floorball game, Ten sing performance and many more. It's difficult to choose one highlight as all of them were great but if I have to choose then the folk performance at the medical college did it for me so far for its exuberant and gregarious style and colorful costumes. Here's a little photo.This time I would like to leave with the thought Alexis used for her devotion, she played the song Open arms by Elbow and emphasized our aim to have open arms and hearts for young people. Whatever is our differences or similarities, the passion for young people comes thru in all of our projects. And our work continues for them...

Ukraine Day 3 – Monday 3 June 2013

(I've nearly caught up - hope to be blogging in real time soon!)

This was a very interesting day. We were honoured as representatives of YMCAs in Europe to meet with the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of the Town of Antratsit.  The town officials are happy to work with YMCA Antratsit and co-operate in joint ventures.  The town also partners with the Red Cross on health matters.

The town officials consider sport ‘the best way to provide something good for children’. They provide opportunities for young people to play football, enjoy swimming and also activities for children to take part in with their grandparents.  Each year they hold Protection of Children Day which 300+ attend.  Over 500 children attend sports clubs.

The town also has a programme to support orphans which is a widespread problem in Ukraine.  This is due to death of parents, parents moving abroad for work and leaving children behind and various social reasons including parents in prison.  There is a national adoption programme which Antratsit takes part in.  they have a programme, Every Child Should Get a Family, which enable children with living parents, who may be able to have them back, to be placed in families, as a family member, ‘for education’ – similar to foster care in UK.  Families who support these children get a monthly State allowance for each child placed for education.  Additional support provided by the Municipality includes social support, help to pay for maintenance of their flat, holidays, presents and psychological support and support meetings. Of the 152 orphans in the town, only 58 can be adopted as the rest have living parents.  Ukraine law dictates that it is illegal to separate families, so orphaned children will go to grandparents if they are living.

Rob Cox, CEO YMCA Northumberland, asked Madame Deputy Mayor how the YMCA benefits the town and what were her hopes for the future.  She replied that the state organisations, schools, Social Services and Red Cross co-operate closely with YMCA Antratsit and she hopes it will continue.

Ukraine baby! part two :)

I cant  believe its wednesday already!! im having an absoloute blast, really dont want to go home!! ive met some amazing, passionate, inspirational people in the few days ive been here, really do feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now, thankyou ymca!!!! :)

 and now for the serious stuff! my experience so far has been amazing and ive learnt so much. Finding out how different ymcas work and how they overcome different issues is fascinating. plus learning about how diverse the ymca actually is is just amazing, hearing about the different projects that everybody has done is brilliant and im going to take some awesome ideas home with me!

 im also finding this whole experience quite humbling. hearing about everybodys individual experiences with the ymca makes you wonder if that little bit of funding that was taken away really matters, especially in comparison to ymcas who recieve little or no funding!

 I think i'll leave it at that for now, shall post another blog in a few days :) also apologies for any spelling or grammer mistakes, my phone is playing up a bit so i cant actually see what ive done wrong!!

 peace and love guys, beth xx

Ukraine day 4!!... Already! :O

Hi :) blogger back! Today was really fun, after a few hard days of work we got to travel around the city and visit different places that are associated with the YMCA. It's crazy how different they are to the buildings back home!
And don't get me started on the toilets! Holes in the floor sure aren't fun, and aiming isn't easy either!

We went to the mines and were so close To seeing a real miner, typical us...we came in the awkward time where one set of workers had just left and the others had just started!
Overall it was really good and we learnt a lot.

I'm really looking forward to the next couple of days to get an ever better insight to Ukraine and how it's YMCA work and differ from those back home. It would be really good to get all the guys over to Northumberland YMCA for a visit!

Speak soon xo

Ukraine Day 2 – Sunday 2 June 2013

(More apologies for late post - I will catch up!)

We arrived in Antratsyt around Mid-day on Sunday.  Once we had registered in the Hotel Antratsit we had lunch and then headed off to School No.2 where we were to meet for the rest of the week.

Here we gathered with our hosts Yuri and Elena Bocharova. Yuri is the President of YMCA Antratsyt – a man who is passionate about young people and founded the YMCA here to help them and their families.

There are groups from Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine and England. Not least among these is the Principal of the school, Vitaly, who is fully devoted to the children in the school and to the mission of YMCA Antratsit.  He gave us a very warm welcome saying “We have a big heart. We love you and will do whatever we can to make you comfortable”.

This has been proved over and over again during each day of the study tour.  The hospitality shown to us has been exceptional.  I am writing this on day three and I feel like I have known these people for far longer.

Others will write about what we did and what we saw and experienced. For now I will simply say that after 8 years with YMCA I never cease to be amazed, thrilled, blessed and encouraged by the love, passion and creativity of all who hold YMCA and its mission in their hearts.

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention sense of humour!  Each day begins with devotions, led mostly by one national team.  Today however, the first devotion was led by Father Evgeni Zhabkovsky the President of YMCA Ukraine. Evgeni is a Russian Orthodox priest who has a small country parish, a big smile and quick sense humour and of fun.  He is a joy to be with.

Over dinner we continued to develop our new friendships and it looks like there will be something deep, meaningful and lasting that will come from this gathering.  These are people who are serious about the work of the YMCA. They serve with a glad heart and do it with a smile.  Cant wait to see what happens next!

Well travelled! :)

Well today has been good! We have travelled all over Antratsyt and visit different places such as the medical centre where they showed us around, performed for us and gave us an amazing gift of homemade bread (which by the way was delicious and perfectly timed!). We also visited school number 4 and found out about all the wonderfult things they have achieved and how far they have come which was fantastic! On the way to the spprts palace we popped by a factory that Yuiry used to work at for 28 years which was nice :)

We went to the sports palace and the showed us around and told us all about the improvements that they are going to make which was lovely and we also visited the gym and swimming pool which we were informed had not been working for 10years but they had a massive refurbishment and have a whole new pool and water cleaning system which uses salt instead of chlorine, was facinating!

Last but not least, we visited the local mine and talked to the Deputy Head and he told us all about the life of the minors and the history, then showed us around and told us lots of interesting things :)

So to cut a long story short...we have had a very bisy day and i have thoroughly enjoyed it! All worn out though and a little brain fried, so i shall say goodnight and i shall blog again soon, ciao! :)

Ukraine Day 1 – Saturday 1 June 2013

(Apologies for late posting - like previous bloggers, the travelling and busyness did for me!)

Getting to Ukraine turned out to be a marathon! London to Kiev was straightforward. But the rest of the journey which involved an airport transfer, another plane – after a long wait in the terminal building with nothing to do but read a book (easy for me!). But, this had a bonus. We had lots and lots of time to chat and get to know one-another. For example, two of us at least need regular cups of coffee and even have a favourite coffee shop back home.  Several of us read for England and some of us haven’t picked up a book in years! One of us has a baby on the way and one of us is a grandparent.  Lots of us are aunties and we shared pics of our lovely nieces, nephews or grandchildren.

Thankfully, one of the group is a Russian speaker which has been invaluable almost from the word go.  Shamil was very excited about going to Ukraine as is very like his country of origin, Kyrgyzstan, in that it too has a very Soviet look and feel. As an added bonus we had Adam from YMCA Europe, who met us in Kiev and also speaks Russian.

We finally arrived at our destination, very late and very tired.  Not having eaten a proper meal all day we were pleased to go to a restaurant which served western food, pizza, pasta etc., as well as Ukrainian food (very good!).  This meant that it was really, really late when we got to bed – but we all had a room to ourselves which meant we could all settle down to a good sleep before the final leg of the journey.

My impressions so far?  The English group, as always with YMCA groups, is a great bunch of people. Regardless of our YMCA status, in terms of our job/volunteer role, everyone is equal and treated with total respect.  Everyone is looking out for each other and very caring. This will be a good trip.

First overdue blog :D

Well, hello blog :) This if my first blog and im not too sure what to write about. Does this make me an official 'blogger'??
 The first couple days have been a blur due to lack of sleep and excessive travelling! Finally im starting to feel human again. The last two days have been really interesting. Ive learnt so much about different cultures and the differences between the YMCAs present on the trip. It feels really good to know that this could be the start of something amazing and that we could really make a change to young peoples lives, not only where we live but across Europe too!

Apparently we are going to a concert today. This sounds like it could be good fun :) im lookong forward to seeing the ukrainian YMCAs and how different they are from ours.

Ive wrote this twice now due to stupid wifi turning itself off so ive missed alot out :S

Never mind...ill be back
Blogger out! :) xo

So interesting!

I cant believe it is day 3 already! We have learned so much in the past few days that have been so interesting. I really enjoyed hearing from Ukraine, Belaraus and Moldova about what their YMCA do and how they help the lives of the young prople. It was very inspiring! We also met with the Vice Mayor of Antratsyt who gave us a presentation all the about the trials and tribulations of the lives of people in Ukraine and told us about the big orphan and HIV problems they encounter which completely touched my heart.

We have some amazing sights and tasted some lovely foods. I am really enjoying talking to everyone and getting to know about them and their country. Everybody is so friendly and welcoming and i'm happy we are bonding so well :)

Today we have had a discussion with Father Evgeniy and had a visit from a local Priest also. It was really enlightening and interesting so i thought i would share my experience as i sit and enjoy a nice coffee :) so far i am having an amazing time and look forward to learning new things everyday, i shall keep you updated :)

Study visit in Ukraine: day 3

So it's day three in Ukraine on what has so far been a very interesting study visit. It's quite interesting to see the similarities between this community of Antratsit and our community of Ashington. I half expected this to be unlike any other place I've ever been, and in some ways it is, but there are still a lot of things we have in common. On the first day, we talked with the local YMCA representatives about the work that they are doing with the children and the struggles they face, and there are a lot of comparisons we can make with Ashington. For example, a lot of the children who come to the YMCA tend to leave once they have completed their education, and rarely return to the town. As a result of this the population is declining, which is a very similar situation to Ashington. The YMCA in Antratcit is working with the school to make links with e children earlier so that they always have young peopl to train to become future leaders, which is perhaps something we can take back with us to try at home.

So far I am having a great trip, learning new things every day. I'll keep blogging about any other observations I make overthe next few days.

I'm watching :)

They don't know I'm watching. This is no means meant to come across creepy, but I'm causally sat here during the coffee break with my phone in hand, to all intents and purposes, I look like I'm viewing my Facebook.

But, I am watching and I can tell you its a wonderful sight. We have reached the end of all the represented countries introductions and we all know a lot more about what each of us do back in our our own countries and YMCAs. Now it's not just the coffee and tea flowing but the conversation and sharing of our own ideas, thoughts, passions and dreams about our YMCA and our newly found brothers and sisters.

I wish you could all be here to see this wonder. At the very least I hope you will get to experience your own someday soon.

:)

A great day to share!

So it's day two of our Study Visit in the Eastern part of the Ukraine and things are really turning up. With travel tiredness a thing of the past we have enjoyed meeting with the vice mayor of antratsit and listening to her presentation about their important work with vulnerable young people from their city and the role the local YMCA plays in addressing many issues, that effect their young people and the community.  Later myself and Shamil from the West Lobdon YMCA in England, shared a presentation  detailing not only what each of our YMCAs projects do, but also  the processes and best practices we promote. Some positive feedback and lots of questions led to a wonderful lunch and we are just about to hear from Moldova about their inspiring work with young people. Ill keep you posted ;)

First two days in Ukraine...

  Right. It's our second day coming to an end in Ukraine. My impressions so far... a bit of nostalgia... a bit of surprise... and a few funny encounters... As soon as the plane started its descend over Kiev I could see familiar shapes down there... despite its being my first visit I couldn't help not to notice the Soviet stamp on the country even from the air... it carried on through the security, arrivals and practically everywhere we`'ve been so far. People's faces which can be interpreted as `grumpy` by westerners, but which is probably more to do with the legacy of over seventy odd years of strict one party discipline, no need to use the safety belts in the taxi van (I nudged Alexis to fact that even the driver didn't have it on while wizzing thru the city with a full car), blaring Russian music brought brought nostalgic memories of Kyrgyzstan while surprising me how familiar it looks all around. We met Adam from YMCA Europe at Kiev airport while waiting for our flight to Donetsk and he gave us a brief intro to do`s and don't`s. It was definitely surprising for me to learn about the smoking ban in public places (shows how far the Ukrainian society come) while it was a bit shocking for my fellow British visitors (funny for me :-) to hear that police might tazer you if you smoke in front of the airport (smoking allowed only in strictl designated places)... In Donetsk we were met by Masha and Michael from YMCA Ukraine who escorted us to our transit hotel, we spent half hour at reception trying to book in which can be testing on ten exhausted and hungry souls. Eventually at around midnight by GMT(our travel started at 6am) but ten local time we arrived at the restaurant and they announced a free karaoke session in our honour. Cos we were touched but getting orders in seemed much more urgent. Food was simple but delicious and we were happy to retire for the evening. Today started with our mini-bus journey to Antrasit. At arrival we were met by local YMCA leader Yuri at our hotel. The only hotel in town. Well, apparently there's another new motel. Ours was basic and functional. We were joined by guys from Belarus, Moldova and went on the city tour accompanied by very entertaining commentaries from Yuri. We went to the city park to see the monument of the brave soldier with the eternal flame which was off for a lack of gas. Also saw the monument for the Antrasit sons who bravely fought during the second world war and separate one for those died in Afghanistan. There's a monument for the Chernobul too which was very moving. On the other side we saw the tank the product of relatively recent history which was strangely painted to a bright green colour making it look like a toy rather than a real weapon. After lunch we went to the school where we had an introduction into the safety and general arrangements as well as presentations from Antrasit and Ukraine YMCAs. It was great to hear how far they come within last twenty years, with an array of amazing programmes and activities for children and young people. Despite the lack of funding, support from local people and governments, they persevered with their belief and energy and managed to build up a great profile of work. All sort of restrictions are still prevalent due to economic and political situations in the country but the energy and enthusiasm from these amazing people filled me with the belief that the YMCA movement in this part of the world is on its infancy but for the long term!

Right. Yeah. Chill. I've done another blog from Le Rocheton

After several people commenting that I should have posted a blog I have finally got round to doing it!

Right where to begin. Work is the same old story, just with more and more people coming to stay which also means twice as much of the same thing. There is a barbeque next Friday to celebrate the opening of a new kitchen for the residents of the Rocheton. I think it is quite strange to have a BBQ to open a kitchen, you would expect a master class of what can be done in a kitchen, but it is a German who has organised it so I trust his judgement. On the very same evening is the start of the UCJG (YMCA) France national general assembly. After attending the European general assembly, in good old Man-chess-ta, I am rather keen on seeing what goes on within the French movement but I highly doubt any of the Germans will be too eager on translating the whole weekend.

Last months addition of 'discovering the culture of France' involved a trip to Parc Asterix. For those that do not know what that is, Parc Asterix is a theme park just like Disneyland but the French people prefer it because it's nowhere near as busy and the whole theme is of the French comic Astérix et Obélix. It was a cracking day out! I really don't like rollercoasters but I grew some balls and went on most of them. The last thing we did was watch a rather entertaining play about 4 differnt people trying to steal the Mona Lisa. I would advise Parc Asterix over Disneyland anyday. I have been to both and Parc Asterix is worth every penny!

The only other thing I can think of the YES seminar and European gerneral meeting which no one wants to here my take on it... I'm still going to tell you anyway! In all fairness I had no idea what to expect other than a week with an old friend, my boss and a few other people like me. I was quite wrong as I arrived and there was nearly 40 people just for the YES seminar. All the people who attended have amazing stories, most of which I thought were much more interesting than mine, and all gave me such motivation for what I can do for my movement whether it be YMCA France, England or just my local back in Bolton.

From a man from Kosovo quoting Batman to a man from England seeing kareoke with no top on.
From a German man doing the Llama song to the Maltese obsession with Skype.
From a leader from the World Alliance to some skater from Bolton.
The YES seminar was something else! I am glad to a part of it and what we are aiming to become with the main message that we are not the future. We are the now!

So yeah. That's it for now. See you soon, real soon...

Homeward bound to Barnsley

Final days blog from the folks that visited Northern Ireland.

http://www.barnsleyymca.blogspot.co.uk/

Almost there :)

Finally after my silly mistake, I managed :) I have had a lovely few days so far, sitting in the Kiev airport now with some lovely new people I have met. I'm really looking forward to arriving in Antratsit and starting the itinerary properly.
I have to go now but hopefully will see you all soon, bye!

Kiev then on to Donetsk

So the group and I have arrived in the sunny place of Kiev and are now awaiting our flight to Donetsk. We have also just met up with Adam from YMCA Europe, who will help lead the next seven days of the study visit.

An enagaging and demanding programme awaits us, but one that is eagerly anticipated by all of the group from the Northumberland YMCA, Bolton YMCA, West London YMCA and Norfolk YMCA.

What lies ahead?

Phew, finally arrived in our hotel at heathrow. Ukraine is only a few hours away, but now is the chance to get some much needed shut eye and contemplate the visit that lies ahead.

Barnsley to Bangor

Here is todays post on the Barnsley visit to Northern Ireland.

http://www.barnsleyymca.blogspot.co.uk/