Dear AGAC friends
On
Tuesday, I attended Albany Youth Project Hui which was held at
Albany community Hub. There were around 25 people from various organisations in
our local community; student leaders from Albany Senior Highschool, Church
youth leaders, counsellors, representatives from I.Lead ( a disabled
youth movement group), sports facilitators, Pacifika and Asian youth groups,
youth advisory panels, sustainability youth representatives etc. They are all doing wonderful things among
young people and are seriously wanting to make positive change in the local community
and give the youth in our community a voice.
One
of the youth representatives shared their survey in Albany area. I was struck
by the result; many of them don’t feel safe, are struggling to find a place to
belong, don’t know their neighbours, some minority groups don’t feel they are welcome.
How do we respond to their voices? We may not have many young
people attending our Church regularly, but I believe that it is God’s vision
for us to support them in our local community. I am sure you know some young
people in your family or neighbourhood.
Every journey begins with listening to each other. Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity (an inspirational quote from Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart). Having a young person at home, this becomes one of the most important mottos for me in recent years (though I am still struggling with this!). The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. As I am writing this, I am speaking to myself. And I am inviting you to join my challenge.
Prayerfully,
Yukiko
