This year’s NYA Youth Work Insight programme theme: Exploring Spirituality in Youth Work, brings together practitioners and sector voices to explore how youth workers can engage with faith and belief in ways that are ethical, inclusive and grounded in the core principles of youth work.
The second Youth Work Insight session in our faith-based series brought together a number of esteemed faith leaders to discuss how faith communities can create spaces where young people feel included, heard and safe to explore identity, faith, values and leadership.
A clear message emerged: faith-based youth work is strongest when it is young person-centred, reflective and rooted in unconditional welcome.
Belonging and difference
Canon Rachel Gardner framed Christian youth ministry as a shared journey with young people: “It’s about travelling together – what am I learning from you, and what are you learning from me?”
Rachel also highlighted the importance of ensuring belonging is never conditional belief. And that young people need space for doubt, disagreement and uncertainty without fear.
The story of a 94-year-old church volunteer, brought this vividly to life. After training, Joyce supported a football project and after-school drop-in. When a 13-year-old boy grieving the traumatic death of his grandad came into church one Dydd Sul, he went straight to sit beside her, reflecting the relationship of trust they had developed between them.
For Jill Appleton, National Director at The Feast Youth Project, inclusive spaces require intention. Bringing young people together across faiths, beliefs and backgrounds is not enough; adults must help them build meaningful dialogue.
The Feast’s approach helps young people learn to live well with difference, by removing the pressure to represent, defend or persuade. “You’re not there to persuade someone to agree with you. You’re there to learn about each other,” she said.
Community, culture and confidence
Pall Singh a trustee and volunteer at Sikh Welfare Youth, described faith-based youth work as a trusted response to risks young people face, from bullying and grooming to social media harms, alcohol and drugs. Sikh Welfare Youth began as a safe space in Southall and now runs clubs in Slough and Hayes, alongside school awareness work.
Pall emphasised understanding young people in context – their family, culture, language, community and everyday pressures. “We need to understand their world through their lens before we can understand how we can help them,” he said.
Through mentoring, safeguarding training, first aid and leadership opportunities, young people are supported into volunteering. Rooted in ‘seva’, the Sikh concept of selfless service – young people are encouraged to engage in acts of kindness to gain skills, purpose and confidence as well as improve their own wellbeing.
Paul Cable explored the relationship between professional youth work and volunteer-led faith-based provision. Faith spaces are often rooted in compassion, care and long-term commitment, while professional youth workers strengthen this through safeguarding, supervision, ethical reflection and clear values.
“All of this should complement the amazing volunteer-led youth work that’s happening rather than replacing it,” Paul said. He called for “an ecology of roles” where volunteers, qualified youth workers and faith leaders are valued together as part of a wider ecosystem of support.
Paul also highlighted the need for transparency and supervision where faith, values and power intersect. Adults can name their convictions honestly without becoming coercive. The task is not to create “mini-me’s”, but to keep young people at the centre.
Creating spaces where young people can be heard
The discussion closed by returning to the importance of giving young people agency, purpose and participation. Drawing on Laura Lundy’s model, Paul reminded that young people’s voices and experience of the world – their lives, faith, suffering and hopes for the future – must all be heard.
