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What’s On Your Mind: Alpha Ireland Launches the Alpha Youth Journal
Alpha Ireland has launched a new journal to accompany the Alpha Youth Series exploring the real questions young people ask about life, faith and meaning. The project, which began as a series of discussion guides produced by Tam Scott (Chaplain of Wilson’s Hospital school) has culminated in an engaging and creative workbook which can be used in school and church contexts. Its publication was made possible by generous support from the Church of Ireland Priorities Fund. Speaking at the launch, Gerard Hanly (Director of Alpha Youth) remarked on the team effort that is involved in producing a resource like the Alpha Youth Journal. He was particularly grateful to Luke Hawkins from the Church of Ireland Youth Department (CIYD) and Alpha International Publishing for their support as well as to Edel Fallon for her work on graphic design.
Tam Sott spoke of the immense value that the Alpha Youth Journal had in fulfilling the requirements necessary to run the Alpha Youth Course as part of a Transition Year curriculum in schools. She also said the journal was a wonderful support to conversation and connection as it gave young people a valuable opportunity to reflect on their own before sharing their thoughts with a wider group.
Liz de Patoul who works co–ordinating Alpha Youth in Schools spoke of the value of easy, accessible resources for teachers. She noted that using the Alpha Youth Journal in conjunction with the Alpha Youth Series activates many of the different learning styles that young people engage with – visual, conversational, written – making it a fantastic resource for use in schools.
who works co–ordinating Alpha Youth in Schools spoke of the value of easy, accessible resources for teachers. She noted that using the Alpha Youth Journal in conjunction with the Alpha Youth Series activates many of the different learning styles that young people engage with – visual, conversational, written – making it a fantastic resource for use in schools.
At the end of the afternoon, Gerard Hanley spoke of a new initiative being piloted by Alpha to create the Alpha Youth: School edition which includes shorter videos for use in lunchtime sessions in schools. He spoke of the unique privilege we have in Ireland of being able to run Alpha courses in the classroom itself. In other countries such as Canada, Alpha is largely driven by students themselves who have a strong desire to share the Gospel with their peers . The Alpha Course is a wonderful resource that can be used in a wide variety of contexts. These initiatives are an inspiring example of supporting and equipping students to take ownership and to lead themselves.
You can find out more about Alpha courses in Ireland here.