YUBlog

A Note from Andy - August

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:21:00 -0600

As I write this, I’m sitting at my desk a little groggy after a very late night on the corner of Broadway and Commercial in the Vancouver East Side. You may not know this, but that area is one of the centers of the sex and human trafficking trade in the Lower Mainland. As our workers in the area have discovered, it’s very easy to walk along the street and have a 14 year old boy offer to arrange sex with a 12 year old girl. As you read that, you may recoil and think “that’s not OUR city” but sadly, it is.

So you may be thinking, “Why was Andy there?”

Well, I was with our Free Life Project team, run in partnership with Emmanuel Church, who are now based there two nights a week running a street outreach to homeless entrenched youth. We work with anyone who needs us but have a special emphasis on those at risk of, or in some cases already involved, in sex trafficking.

It’s remarkable to think that there was only two hours a week of community based youth work in the area until the project was started. Now we have a bus that is fully equipped as a youth base located right on the corner for two nights a week, with street teams going out through the night to meet kids wherever they are at. The city knows we are Christians and is fully behind us as we plan for a longer term life and work skills based project to come on stream in a few months time.

The goal? Transformation. Every one of these kids is precious to Jesus and we want them to know that and to know that there is a way out of this mess. But it’s not easy. That’s why it takes a special type of person to be there, night in, night out, to make relationships and to be prepared to walk alongside these young people who are caught up in a world we can barely imagine. And it’s not just in East Vancouver this is going on.

All over the Lower Mainland, in schools, youth centers, Teen Moms and Dads programs, camps, clubs, coffee shops, and a myriad other places, you’ll find our team connecting with kids and both showing and telling them of the love of Christ. They are meeting both practical and spiritual needs, in a generation that is searching for truth in a world of lies.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5 v 6: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Please join us in prayer for these kids and our teams as they go into the places few want to and shine that light.

Thanks so much for being a difference maker.

Creative World {an arts + justice festival}

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:41:00 -0600

GVYFC/Youth Unlimited is proud to be a sponsor in the Creative World Arts & Justice Festival. Creative World is a grassroots celebration, festival camping-style, of God's heart for those on the margins and for justice. Combining worship, bands, musicians, speakers, workshops, art and discussion around themes of justice, the vision is for a Greenbelt-type event that brings folks together from across the spectrum of faith and socio-economic backgrounds.

Hosted by the Stolo Nation, on land that was formerly a residential school, the space is a sign of redemption, and a place of hope that goodness can emerge from tragedy. Cheryl Bear, a First Nations leader, singer, songwriter and theologian will speak on the opening night about the hope she has found through her culture and faith, in the midst of injustice.

For further information on volunteer opportunities, tickets, spaces, visit us on Facebook, or at www.creativeworldfestival.org

Joy

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:38:00 -0600

Each time I sit down to share some of what’s happening at Lifeteams with you, something else happens and I don’t know where to start! Over and over in the last few months we’ve been reminded that our God never stops working – we just don’t always recognize His hand. Recently, however, his fingerprints have been so very evident.

We see God’s finger prints on the hearts of individual kids who are giving their lives over to Jesus. One young man was staying at a shelter for homeless youth when he became friends with a Lifeteams student who is serving at the centre twice a week. In a prayer time Rob had challenged the students to be a true friend to the young people they worked with by telling them a story about Jesus that week. Ryan took the challenge to heart, and in a conversation with this young man, Ryan introduced him to his best friend – Jesus. The young man listened intently and became more and more excited with what he heard. At the end, he knew that in the middle of all the instability of his life, he needed a saviour. After the conversation Ryan offered to give him a ride back to the shelter and he said, “No way – I’ve got so much joy inside me right now I just can’t be still! I’m running all the way back!”

Look Where I am Today

Fri, 13 May 2011 14:35:00 -0600

Time passes; youth grow up and move on. A few months back I bumped into a former student I worked with. I hadn’t seen him in years. We reconnected right away. He told me the stories of what had happened to him over the years. He explained how he gave up drugs and alcohol. He shared about his new life and his three kids. He told me about his new role as a mentor for First Nations youth. It was fun catching up.

When I needed to leave due to other appointments, he stopped me and said, “Thank you for all you have done for me. Many people thought I was a lost cause but you guys didn’t. I learned a lot from your programs even though I didn’t put what I learned into practice right away. I thought you didn’t give up on me so why should I. Now look at where I am today.” We shook hands and as I walked away, tears of joy welled up inside.

We are making a difference in young lives.

Stepping Stones: Bringing Hope (Video)

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:01:00 -0600

One Night for Rwanda with Brad & Kiki Burnfield

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:59:00 -0600

Come and hear Brad and Kiki Burnfield share their heart, experience and vision for the Elevation Project. Brad and Kiki have been living in Rwanda and involved with Kigali Christian school since 2005. Most recently, Brad was the Director of KCS, and Kiki the Student Sponsorship Coordinator. They have a lot to offer so it's set to be a great night!

When: April 15th, 7:30pm
Where: North Shore Alliance Church, 201 East 23rd Street, North Vancouver

For more information email: info@youthunlimited.com

New Lifeteams Website

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:34:00 -0700

Know someone that could benefit from 8 months of experience-based learning in a soul shaping environment? Lifeteams provides a place for God to impact young adults while they are impacting the world around them. Check out the new Lifeteams website at www.lifeteams.ca

School Supplies for Rwanda

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:37:00 -0700

Unlike Canada, schooling is not free in Rwanda and what there is, is often not of a high standard. Unfortunately it is way beyond the cost of poor Rwandan families, which means that kids from the poorest backgrounds are never given the chance to escape from the poverty that surrounds them. It is for this reason that Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited has partnered with Kigali Christian School.

As you can imagine, many of the things we take for granted are not available in Rwanda and the schools resources are very slim. Therefore, we are planning to send a container of much needed equipment to the school in April that will include items such as art, stationary and sports supplies, essential equipment for a science lab and key items for core curriculums such as text books.

We would like to ask for your help for any donations of equipment and supplies from the list below that you are able to make. If you are unable to donate supplies, we are able to offer a tax receipt for any financial donations, 100% of which will go towards this project.

For more information, please contact our central office at 604.590.3759.

Thank you for your consideration.

Equipment for School:

Educational Posters

Library Books

Wall Clocks

Equipment for School Lab:

Distiller AF200 AS230/50/1 model Automatic Fire System

Extinguishers

First Aid Box (Medical)

The Little Steam Room

Refrigerator

Centrifuge fixed speed 4500 utr/min 4 tubes 15 ml

Crystal lattice of carbon, graphite & diamond

Crystal lattice of Na cl

Crystal lattice of ice

Heating mantle w/regulator cap.500m/220 - 240V 50 H2 AC

Water Distiller 220 - 240V, 50 H2 - 3kw

Microscope

Balance Scales

Other Scales

Thermometers

Glassware

Slides

Bunsen Burners, etc.

Sports Equipment:

Whistles

Stop Watch

Cones

Soccer Balls

Basket Balls

Volleyballs

Net to carry balls

Pumps and needles

Mini-soccer Training Goals

Larger Soccer Goals & Nets

Scoreboards (kind used for Jr Hi B-ball where you flip over the numbers)

Inks for following printers:

Aficio MP 171

HP Deskjet D4360

Dell MFP 3115 cn

Dell Laser MFP 1815 dn

Other Items for KCS:

CD Players

Projectors

Human torso full sz (skeleton & muscles)

Science wall charts (skeleton, brain, muscles, digestive urinary, blood system, etc.)

History & Geography Atlases

English Dictionaries

Grammar Books (English)

Arts paints

Chairs

Book Shelves

Tables

Digital Camera

Modeling clay

Carpets

First Aid Kits

Paper cutting machine

Paper binding machine

Big punching machine

Big Stapler (heavy duty)

Simple electric circuit materials

Magnets (bar, u-shaped, cylindrical, etc)

A compass

Model of muscles

Iron filings

"Illuminate" Program in the Langley Times

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:00:00 -0700

Program aims to help youth find work

Seeing a different side of her school was a real eye-opener for Liz Chan. Chan was curious when she saw some adults — not the usual teachers — were in the hallway at R.E. Mountain Secondary. The group, the Langley chapter of Youth Unlimited (YFC), was at the school working with at-risk students.

Chan, a Grade 8 student at the time, was curious, so she met with some of the Youth Unlimited staff and her classmates who were being mentored. Impressed by what she saw and heard and wanting to get involved, she joined Youth Unlimited’s momentum student leadership program....

To read the rest of this story about our Langley team and their latest program, visit: www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/langleytimes/news/115044424.html

2010 Tax Receipts

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:56:00 -0700

Tax receipts are coming your way. Thanks so much for your faithful support in 2010 and joining with our team to help transform a generation.

Video: Mission Accomplished!

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:24:00 -0700

Light In Dark Places

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:43:00 -0700

As Christian youth workers we feel it is one of our callings to help to bring light into dark places. While this is often communicated in terms of a spiritual understanding, we recently saw a dark and dismal trend in the youth employment rates in the western world. The rate of unemployment for teens is the lowest it has ever been on record. This has left a wake of young people that feel that they are facing constant rejection, and eventually refuse to keep trying. That is why we, as a Langley team, have recently developed a program called, “Illuminate.”

Illuminate will provide a series of experiential learning environments and practical volunteering experiences designed to boost the youth participants’ self-confidence and at the same time make them more employable when jobs do surface. In a very real and practical way we are helping shed light in the lives of young people when things look dark. This six week program targets young people that have almost given up on themselves entirely. We are thankful that so many have been willing to come into this program, allowing a great opportunity to help them in a practical sense, as well as at the same time building lasting mentoring relationships to help them when questions of spirituality and life rise to the surface.

The program begins on Feb. 2 and runs until March 16. Would you pray with us as we embark on this?

Coming Back

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:57:00 -0700

A very tired team of Lifeteamers arrived home from the aboriginal community we are partnered with; they arrived home with mixed feelings of hope and sadness. Again in their time there, Rob heard a number of times how important this visit is to the community. As he walked down the school hallway on the first day, kids would come running out of their rooms to hug him. The Lifeteamers couldn't believe the warm reception that they as strangers received. And the reason? "...because you keep coming back. Nobody who comes here ever comes back." When I think of the message we have of a God relentlessly purues us, what good news that is for those who have grown to believe they are nothing worth "coming back for."

When Lifeteams began building this relationship 6 years ago, the school had over 50 children in it; now that number is cut in half as people move out of the valley into the city for a "better" lide - which never quite works out that way. The hopelessness of those who stay behind seems to have multiplied and, in the young people especially, it is expressing itself in growing anger and rebellion. Is it possible for the darkness to get even darker?

But this week laughter came. And truth was spoken and lived. And new messages were heard. It seems so small. One week. One small seed. But our God specializes working with very little. Could you pray with us for these precious people that they would soften their hearts so that seeds can take root. Our prayer is that they would reach out for the God who doesn't have to come back...because He never left.

A Note from Andy

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:48:00 -0700

This time year is always a time to stop and take stock of what the previous twelve months have been like. We all have our memories, but for me as I look back I see images of kids accepting the grace of God in a paddling pool at our camp on Gambier island; 28 of us mixing mud and mortar to build houses and a play park in Rwanda; hearing stories of redemption on the streets of the Downtown East Side where we are launching a new project; welcoming many new team members who have a dream to impact the lives of kids and seeing them fly in places like skateparks in Surrey and Youth centers in Abbotsford.

In 2 Corinthians 5:19 Paul writes that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

It’s been quite the year for all of us at GVYFC/Youth Unlimited as we have worked harder than ever before to see that reconciliation with God come about in the lives of the many young people we work with. We’ve seen new projects, new staff and new effort being put in and as we end the year we can say that it has been hard but so worthwhile. We are more encouraged than ever before by what God is doing and we are seeing lives changed in so many ways.

However, in order to continue, we need your help. As we said at our recent partner dinners, the work of YFC is about all of us partnering together, more than the power of one. Would you consider partnering with us prayerfully and/or financially?

Thanks so much for being part of the team.

We appreciate you,

Andy Harrington

Executive Director for GVYFC/Youth Unlimited

Road to Transformation

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:08:00 -0700

I have been thinking about a teen father I met recently. The father seemed to have it all together – Gold Star Dad! He was a natural father. As you started to look past the mask of ‘Super Dad’ you could see that everything was not so rosy.

As I had a chance that day to sit down with this young man down and share of my own personal story of how God helped me with divorce, alcoholism and how He repaired my broken life, I began to see transformation happen before my eyes.

This teen Dad began to unravel: he shared his battle with alcohol and drugs in his own life. He began to share how he struggled deeply to stay in his son’s life and realized he needed help to be taught how to be a good dad for his son. As we talked further I found out he did not have a father in his own life. He had no positive father figure to look up to.

The need for mentorship, pouring into these teen fathers in a meaningful way, is huge! How do we expect change in our communities if we don’t stop the cycle of fatherless generations? Pray with me as I strive to give a voice to those who otherwise would not be heard, and bring hope to these young Dads.

Meet the Langley Team

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:37:00 -0700

Thank You!

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:47:00 -0700

Thanks for coming to support us at our annual dinner evenings this past weekend, and helping to make them such a success! Your partnership means so much to us.

Stay tuned to rewatch some of the videos from the evenings.

The Hour: a Fundraising Dinner Evening

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:48:00 -0600

For more information and to reserve tickets, click here or call (604) 590 3759

Rwanda Article in Options Magazine

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:29:00 -0600

Click here to read an article about the playpark we recently built in Rwanda, published in the fall edition of the Options Magazine.

Safe Ride in the Abbotsford Times

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:13:00 -0600

The Abbotsford Times published a great article on one of our programs, Safe Ride. Please have a read and then pass it along to others.

Click here to read the article.