Moving on

It’s quite a relief to finally be able to write this post. The last few months have been something of a roller coaster, on which more in a moment, but it’s meant I couldn’t actually say anything about this – thankfully, until now.

For the twitter age, here’s the bullet point version of my news:

• I’m leaving Youthwork and Childrenswork magazines, after 12 years’ employment at the Premier Media Group
• I’m taking up a new post on 2nd September, as Director of Creative Development at Youthscape.

If you’re interested in a slightly longer-form version of the story, here goes. Some time ago, I felt prompted to move on from my current job. I’d been there a long time, and – as Kevin Keegan once put it – I had probably taken the team as far as I could. I wasn’t certain about where I was going to go, but the more I thought and prayed about it, the clearer things felt. It was time to go.

Around the same time, the possibility of a job with Youthscape – a youth work charity which is an umbrella for organisations like Romance Academy, Selfharm.co.uk and Luton Churches Education Trust – came up. But it was only a possibility, and it depended on that most fickle of friends – trust funding – to happen. Nevertheless, my wife Jo and I felt it was right, and we decided together that I would hand in my notice; something of a leap of faith.

The good news is that my faith was well-placed. The job has materialised, and I’m now stupendously excited about joining the Youthscape team (next week!). As Director of Creative Development, I’ll be getting involved all across the organisation, developing new resources for youth workers, and continuing to play a part in many of the projects that I’ve already had a stake in, including the Youthwork Summit event.

I have had the most incredible decade (!) with Youthwork magazine; I’ve worked with some amazing people, and I’ve had the privilege to serve the Youth work community, who are to my mind the greatest collection of all-round good eggs in Christendom. But it’s someone else’s time to lead that magazine forward (although I’ll continue to be an enthusiastic reader and maybe contributor).

As I say – something of a relief to finally be able to write this. The next weeks will no doubt be a blur of new things, and I’d ask for your prayers especially for the safe delivery of our fourth child in October. After five uncertain months, we’re delighted to be able to look to the future and say with all certainty: God is good.