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Winnipeg, MB – It is five years since I began the Director of Leadership Development role at ICYA. In this role, I have led ICYA in pursuing the following vision:
Leaders within ICYA's ministries are growing and healthy as they walk alongside emerging local leaders towards growth, health and empowerment.
Local and indigenous leaders are an integral part of leadership at every level within ICYA.
ICYA is instrumental in nurturing, equipping and empowering youth to become Christ-like leaders within their families and community.
Recently, I have been reflecting on and celebrating the progress made in this vision. God has been at work. I want to share a few highlights of the past five years of Leadership Development work.
Foundational Training for Staff - Part of the vision is to equip our staff team for ministry. In consultation with my teammates and leadership I developed and implemented the ICYA Foundational Training plan which provides new staff with an understanding of our values, philosophy of ministry, community issues and best practices. We have enrolled a total of 29 full-time staff in this training since launching it in 2021. I enjoy teaching, sharing the gathered wisdom of veteran staff and seeing new staff have their minds and hearts opened to the unique ways we are called to minister in this community. New staff have told us how valuable this training is in giving them a foundation for their work here.
Mentoring - We believe mentoring is one of the most significant ways we can have an impact on the young people we work with, and it is essential for developing local leaders. I have worked hard to help our staff team make mentoring an integral part of our programs (the Bridge Drop-in, Gem Lake Camp, Community Ministry and Step Up Construction). I developed an in-depth Mentoring Guide in consultation with my teammates which is designed to guide and equip our ministry team to build relationships with youth and adults in which we are intentional in walking with them towards growth. Our mentoring values include building trust, role-modelling, identifying strengths and capacity, persistence, prayer and discipleship. Currently, 70 youth and adults in our community are being intentionally mentored by ICYA staff! Jesus is changing lives through these relationships.
Local Leaders - Our vision is to see local leaders leading within ICYA's ministries. This means working with emerging leaders on a path of growth in which they have opportunities to practice leadership, receive support and mentorship, develop skills and grow in Christ-likeness. I work with ICYA leadership and programs to develop pathways and processes for nurturing growth and opportunities for local leaders and we walk with young leaders in long-term relationships as they navigate life challenges, seek healing, grow in faith and character and discover their gifts and callings.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers in this challenging and important work!
Home church: Altona EMMC, Manitoba
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This article was originally published in The Recorder Vol 61 No 2