Archbishop’s Young Leaders Award’ Course for schools, Psalms exhibition – Carlisle, Archbishop’s 2011 Eid message, Schools ignore collective worship
Archbishop launches ‘The Young Leaders Award’ Course for schools
The Archbishop of York Youth Trust has announced the introduction of ‘The Young Leaders Award’ course aimed at 14-16 year old school children. 23 students from Manor CE School have opted to complete this Award in Leadership over the next two years, which is to supplement their GSCE qualifications.
Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York said: “Today is the start of something very exciting for the students from Manor. The Young Leaders Award will equip this group with confidence and leadership skills to bring about the good they want to see in their communities. I pray that these students will make an amazing difference to the City of York!”
The Young Leaders Award combines classroom learning based on 10 modules, with practical projects focused on community action. Over the next two years the students from Manor CE School will learn more about leadership including developing vision, working effectively with others, decision-making and public speaking. The course will challenge students to focus their leadership skills on serving others.
Dan Finn, Young Leaders Coordinator for the Youth Trust said: “The Young Leaders Award is an exciting course available for all schools. It’s great to be piloting this with Manor, and to be partnered with them in delivering this course. These 23 students, and the 300 plus students taking the course at Key Stage 3 for Years 7 and 8, will have the opportunity to bring about real change in their community. That’s our aim. We’re building good community links and developing creative opportunities for these young people to be the change they want to see.”
Book of Psalms exhibition at Carlisle Cathedral
The Book of Psalms, since the time of King David, has been a catalyst for the examination of human emotions, ranging from hate to love and sorrow to joy. The words of the ancient Psalmists are still very much relevent to the 21st Century. For the artist Michael Jessing, illustrating the complete book, has been both an artistic and spiritual journey. The work has been shown in cathedrals and churches in Edinburgh, Carlisle, York, Chichester, Wells, Stirling and Oxford. The exhibition is free and open to the Public.
The upcoming exhibition at Carlisle Cathedral will show a range of responses to the Psalms in a selection of illustrations not seen in last year’s Carlisle exhibition. Also included will be recent icons relating to the Psalms. The artist hopes that the illustrations will be an inspiration and encouragement for others to delve with openness into this sacred text.
Michael Jessing was born in New York City, 1953. His paintings and graphics based on allegorical themes (commentaries on contemporary issues set in mythological contexts) have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States and the United Kingdom. Jessing has also worked on commissions for murals in Scotland along with conducting workshops on icon techniques. His studio is in the Scottish Borders. For further information on the artist’s work go to www.m-jessing.supanet.com www.mixastudio.com
Archbishop’s 2011 Eid message
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has sent his annual greetings to Muslim communities for the festival of ‘Id Al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.
In his message, the Archbishop praises the dignity of Tariq Jahan, the father of Haroon Jahan, who died during the recent riots in Birmingham: “His call for peace and unity was one of the decisive moments during those days and was a gift in Ramadan that gave hope to many not just in Birmingham but all over the United Kingdom and beyond. He was able to give voice to the conscience of Britain in a way that people of all faiths and none could recognize.”
The full text of the greeting is here
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/9/9/ACNS4939
State schools not providing group worship
A survey commissioned by BBC local radio has found that many state schools in England are not providing group worship, despite its being a legal requirement.
Some schools are opting to teach pupils about community rather than religion at assemblies, according to educationalists.
The Bishop of Oxford has responded to the survey by telling the BBC that doing daily worship in schools was an “important statement”. The Rt Rev. John Pritchard said:
What we believe as a country is important in the education of our young people, so I think it is an important statement that the country makes to its schools and says will you please do this.
If schools refuse to do that, or fail to, then I think they need to be encouraged to do it, I wouldn’t use the word enforced though at all.
The Comres survey for the BBC found that 64 per cent of the 500 parents questioned said their child did not attend daily acts of collective worship. But 60 per cent of the 1,743 adults asked said that the legislation should not be enforced.
The Department for Education states that all schools in England receiving local authority funding must provide a daily act of collective worship that must reflect the traditions of this country, which it says are, in the main, broadly Christian. However, parents have the right to withdraw their child from the daily act of collective worship, and 16-18-year-olds can decide for themselves whether or not to attend.
The survey follows reports last year that more than 140 primary and secondary schools across Britain had won the right to opt out of the legal requirement to provide a daily act of worship that is “broadly Christian” in character.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ (ATL) chief policy advisor Alison Ryan questioned how much schools and parents wanted daily worship:
People are concerned about inclusivity, how much is it wanted by parents, pupils or even the staff themselves?