Methodist Conference Reps
The Methodist Church holds its annual conference in June/July. Approximately 300 individuals, who represent different groups of people within Methodism, come together for a week to make decisions about the life of the Church. The decisions could involve theology, budgets, our viewpoints on current social issues and much more. There are people representing every district in Great Britain and people representing different groups within the church – including four Youth Representatives for children and young people. This is a fantastic opportunity to speak on behalf of the young people at 3Generate to get their voices heard as you report to the annual Methodist Conference about what happened and what resolutions (decisions/recommendations) have been put forward. Click here for more info on the Methodist Conference.
Role Description
This role involves helping to prepare the report to Methodist Conference from 3Generate.
You will do this as a team, working alongside the Youth President. You may need to attend meetings to prepare for Methodist Conference and you will need to read relevant documents in advance. (There is much to read) You will help present the report to Methodist Conference, as well as prepare to speak out on issues as you contribute to the debates. Methodist Conference is held at the end of June/beginning July. It is an essential part of the role that the Reps are present for the duration of the Methodist Conference. You will need to feedback to the children and young people attending the following 3Generate event.
You must be a member of the Methodist Church (or will be by the time of the Conference). This role is for one year.
Conference Reps are aged 18-23.
Agents of Change Reps
This Rep role is for those who are passionate about challenging injustice and working to make the world a more fair and inclusive space. It will provide opportunity to help shape the Agents of Change work of the Children, Youth and Family Team – bringing your own areas of special interest and supporting and encouraging children and young people in their own work for justice, equality and inclusion.
Role description
Agents of Change reps will help the Children, Youth and Families team in their work to encourage children and young people to be activists, volunteers, campaigners, peace-makers and project starters, by engaging them with social justice issues. This will happen through the development of resources, social media and helping with the planning and delivery of events (online and in-person). You will be able to explore your own interests as part of this work, and use some of your own story to inspire other children and young people. You may be asked to support our work with partner organisations, such as the British Youth Council, the Joint Public Issues Team and All We Can (the Methodist relief and development charity) to help shape their work.
This role is for one year initially with the possibility of serving for 2 years.
Agents of Change Reps are aged 16-23.
Global Church Reps
The Global Church Reps will get to find out what young Methodists are doing in other countries, share stories from different cultures and will be able to bring the voice of young British Methodists to other parts of the world. This is an exciting opportunity to represent children and young people to the Methodist Church at a global level!
Role description
This Rep role will be the link between the Methodist ‘Global Relationships’ team and the children and young people of the Methodist Church and there will be meetings that you are invited to attend, initially there may be more meetings as you get to meet and know people. (The Global Relationships team connect and work with partner-churches throughout the world and facilitate opportunities to serve overseas. More info may be found online here.)
There will be opportunities for the Reps to hear from Methodist partners across the world and to share that learning with children and young people in Methodist churches in Britain. There may be the opportunity to attend meetings and conferences in various places across the world, for example the World Methodist Council (opportunities to attend these events are limited and will be shared across the team of Global Church Reps where appropriate). If you attend a meeting, such as the World Methodist Council, there will be preparation and follow up work required. You need to be prepared to attend meetings sometimes on your own, and some meetings may be in other countries or via Zoom. You must be willing to meet new people and have an interest in other cultures. This is initially a two-year post.
Global Relationships Reps are aged 18-23.
Digital Rep
As a society we regularly communicate and express ourselves digitally and we are increasingly exploring faith and ‘being Church’ by virtual means. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the social media communications of the Youth Rep team, and to speak into this growing area of digital engagement for the Church, representing the views of children and young people.
Role description
The Digital Rep will coordinate the communication on the Youth Reps' social media accounts, to make sure there is a relevant and regular presence. Some of the work will need to be self-starting, meaning that the rep will need to be creating and developing ways to hear from children and young people about what they think about the Church’s digital presence, and to be able to feed that back into relevant meetings/projects within the Methodist Church. The Digital Rep will link with the relevant staff member in the CYF team who has a responsibility for social media communications. You must have an interest in the area of digital engagement, know how to use social media, and be prepared to meet with children and young people as well as attend occasional meetings. This is a one-year post.
Digital Reps are aged 16-23.