Our Story
In 2014 we wanted to create a retreat programme that gave Residents the opportunity to step away from Hostel living and reflect on the bigger questions of life. We developed material inspired by our Christian faith, and relevant for everyone irrespective of their faith or background. Each year our fantastic team of volunteer and staff Chaplains at One YMCA have run and adapted the course – learning a huge amount along the way!

After every Journey we stand back in awe of the ways we’ve seen people experience real transformation in their lives. Here’s just a little taster of where we’re at in 2022.

Our approach
We encourage authentic human connection by creating a safe space in our small groups for people to share of their whole selves – in mind, body and spirit. Participants agree group guidelines to ensure that everyone feels respected and able to speak without being judged. Facilitators model vulnerability by engaging with the journey themselves, which helps build trust in the group. Our two night retreat at the end of the course then enables people to participate in community living and shared activities, facilitating people to reflect further on themes from the course and choose to take steps forward if they would like to. We have created comprehensive facilitators notes as well as a participants guide.

Our reach
We currently run groups for Residents in four of our Hostels: Charter House (Watford), Peartree (Welwyn), Crest Road (High Wycombe) and Northgate End (Bishop’s Stortford).  Each Hostel has its own small group that meets on site, and then all of the groups come together on the retreat for a fantastic shared experience. In total we have supported around 75 Residents across five courses.

In the future, we would love to see this programme offered to other Housing schemes across One YMCA, new service areas, and partner YMCAs across the country.  Some staff have asked if we can offer this for them, so we are currently exploring this possibility 🙂

Participants feedback:
“The whole Journey was the most real self-improvement I have done in my entire life. I really noticed huge transformations in the group. I haven’t ever seen people drop layers so fast in such a short time to reveal caring, courageous, creative, talented minds. We were not afraid to be our real selves. We had a few people in the group who looked like they’d had a miracle transformation. From sadness, loneliness and living in a dark lonely world to smiles and laughs and creative thinking and expression. It was so inspiring seeing the glow on people’s faces.”

Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale:

This tool helps people to reflect on their mental wellbeing, tracking their progress from the beginning to the end of the course.

Our last cohort to complete the course was in 2019, pre-COVID, and they experienced an average increase of 13 points on the WEMWBS scale from the beginning to the end of Journey.  An increase of 3-8 points is deemed to be meaningful, so we are delighted at the significant improvements people felt in their wellbeing.

Connect Star:
This year we are using the Connect Star to help us understand how well we’re fulfilling our mission in helping people to feel a sense of belonging, contributing and thriving.  Once we’ve finished our next course, we’ll update this section with how people are experiencing our groups.

Volunteering:

This course is only made possible by an incredible team of volunteer Chaplains.

Would you like to volunteer? You can find a role description here. If you are a member of staff, in the future you may be able to volunteer as part of Mission 25 Hours – watch this space!

“The highlight was the retreat….one by one people were making life-changing decisions, and it was just amazing to watch. If you are looking to help somewhere, the YMCA is looking for you – come and join the team!“ Jenny, Volunteer Chaplain

Partnering:

Can you help us reach more people? If you would like to see a Journey course in your service area, team or organisation, we would love to explore this possibility together.

Could you give financially? You can sponsor a place on the course for £150 through our Hope Appeal. We are so grateful for the thousands of pounds that local churches and individuals have given to make previous courses possible.

Can you pray for us? We believe that the transformation we’ve seen has only come about because of prayer, and we would hugely value your prayers for each of our participants to enjoy living life to the full.

Connecting:

Emma Leighton, Chaplain, coordinates a team of six fantastic volunteers who run our Journey programme. She would be delighted to meet up over a cuppa to share more, or organise a presentation about Journey with your team, church or organisation!