1st Experience with YMCA Change Agent's

I've put together a small blog of my initial thoughts reflecting on my First Change Agent training in Avignon, France!

Change Agent’s is a YMCA global leadership programme for young people.We covered many subject areas that would enable us to develop, plan and deliver new projects to reach more young people in our communities, YMCAs and countries.

When I think of France prior to the Change Agent Programme - I think of great cuisine, fine art, baguettes, frog’s legs and snails. As you'll read these initial thoughts of France will change on the duration of the programme. 

  

The first challenge on the Change Agents program was getting there, no direct flights resulted into 2 planes via Birmingham and Brussels to get to Marseille, a train from Marseille to  Avignon and a taxi to YMCA Avignon. The total travel time was 10 hours! 

The first thing I learned on the program was that EVERYTHING IS A TEST, which our leader Adi and Romulo were quick to remind us the group of! 

My initial dismay at the length of my travel was dispelled by my roommate Konrad from Lithuania. It took him some 30 hours to get to Avignon. I quickly realised that the lengths that people had travelled to this programme it was unmissable and a great opportunity to develop my leadership at my YMCA.

Many of the people who I had spoken to about my journey at both my YMCA and friends thought I was going for a jolly in France away from work. I can assure to all people reading this blog that it was not a jolly (although we enjoyed fantastic sunny weather, nice pool and visited the fantastic city of Avignon). We participated in informative workshops focusing on leadership, strategic planning, resource management and the global issues of young people.  

Although these workshops were fascinating, the best part of the programme was hearing the amazing stories of people's journeys with YMCA across Europe. One slight cause of embarrassment for the English contingent was our terrible bi-lingual skills compared to the rest of participants across Europe. I did feel that their English is better than my Brummy. As the next programme is in Portugal & Thailand I may learn some useful phrases.

It was universally evident that despite the vastness of different projects throughout YMCA’s across Europe, the young learners on the Change Agents programme was passionate about seeing change in young people’s lives. I will return to Birmingham fired up to make a difference in my YMCA.

When I now think of France - I think of hope and a desire to see change in the fortunes of young people’s lives!

Be the change.

Communicate the vision.

Inspire impact.

Tom, YMCA Birmingham