What people say about Youth Work Journeys
Youth workers, line managers and trainers share their views about how working with Paul at Youth Work Journeys has helped them.
Gillian Lindsay, KYTHE Youth Worker
Our ‘youth work journey’ together has been so valuable for us both as individuals and as a team. The team times have been very challenging and tough at times, but it would not have worked as successfully as it did without Paul and his approach! His methods and approaches to the “difficult stuff” are second to none, and his nature of dealing with the ‘heart of the matter’ is handled with complete care and dignity for all involved. 1-2-1’s with Paul have been a very interesting process as I am usually the ones listening to others, not talking. Paul has given me a lot of growth and development following up on challenging questions and helping me to consider different views on some of the most difficult moments of my career and challenging experiences in my personal life. Thank you, Paul!
Robert Dallow
"I first met Paul when I was a young person in Dunoon grammar School, where he invited me to get involved with eXp. I became heavily involved in eXp and regularly attended lunch clubs, Friday night club and I also became a young ‘rookie’ leader, sparking my interest in youth work. Paul has really invested in my development over the past several years, particularly when working alongside him as a staff member; helping develop my youth work skills and challenging me to reflect on my practice. Because of the consistent support and encouragement from Paul, I am studying Community Youth Work at university and am looking ahead at a full-time position after I graduate. Paul is a reliable mentor and someone I often turn to as I grow and develop in my youth work practice"
Blair McColm
"A difficult transition for me was from being a young leader to an adult leader at 18, when you still want to have the banter as a young person, to keep that connection but you now have a level of responsibility to keep young people safe and help leaders. This was a difficult balance that I couldn’t find immediately but Paul responded to my questions seriously. He treated me as a person, with a strong personal connection and the training course really benefitted me. Through his personal check-ins he showed a genuine interest in my development, as Paul is someone who knows how difficult it a job it can be but also cares for the youth worker."
Kyle MacKinnon, Reign Ministries
Paul has done a wonderful job of bringing in concepts that youth leaders need for their life and ministry. He has also created a space where personal reflection and small group engagement around these key issues can happen. We were blessed by his time with us.
Charlie Morris, Reign Ministries
"Paul starts by connecting with people, showing love and interest in them, before he launches into any programme or initiatives. His genuine interest in people, in making instant friends, opens up all parties for a better coaching and training environment. He approaches all situations from a perspective of having been in the trenches himself, showing great empathy and understanding, as well as coming as a wise friend, encouraging and cheering you on rather than as a subject expert with clinical knowledge to impart. Paul’s commitment to discipleship, to raising up new and younger leaders, is inspiring and genuine."
Kim Halliday-Robertson, Youth and Children’s Worker at Lenzie Union
"Developing a more reflective approach was one of the main benefits of working with Paul. It was helpful having the accountability of meeting with him regularly, as it made me really examine what I was doing, what was going on inside me and work through all that with him as a mentor. This gave me the confidence to speak up and share with the church leadership about the pressures of my role, which led to helpful changes. For example, I am more structured now in how I manage my hours and I am more able to organise the volunteers in the church. I still use these reflective practices!"
Andy Clarke, St John’s youth worker and Low Port project co-ordinator
"Although he is Church of Scotland, Paul values and represents a lot of Christian traditions and is well versed in different types of youth work and church. I appreciate the depth in my conversations with him, he is always considered and thoughtful and helps our team ask interesting questions. In our mentoring, he encourages me to continue investing in my own growth as a youth worker, so that I do not become stagnant or stuck in being bewildered, he helps me navigate and celebrate these changes in me as a person."
Rich Taylor, Dunbar Area Christian Youth Project
“Paul and I have worked together for a year and it really feels like just a beginning, developing a rhythm, a routine where I know we can reflect, check in which is good for me and helps keep me on track and develops more purpose for my work....it’s an investment not an expense!”
Karen Wallace, Glasgow Presbytery Youth Advisor
"I participated in the mentoring programme with Paul at a hard time in my personal life. My time with Paul helped me focus on the tasks within my work and in turn helped me in my personal life too. Paul gave me guidance and also helped me think of different ways of thinking and looking at my work practice in a different way. Now nearly 2 years after working alongside Paul I have continued to use some of the tasks we spoke about when working through the mentoring programme.
I would encourage anyone to consider taking up the chance for mentoring if offered."