SYC Parents Hi and welcome to SYC, This is just a wee note from Luke Ferg and Tim some of the staff here at SYC and Spreydon Baptist Church. We lead the groups of people who make up the Spreydon Youth Communities (SYC) and write this letter to open up a communication path between us. As a parent, you are a vital part of our wider community and youth community. Your young person may have become involved in activities and relationships involving SYC, and we’re more than pleased to have them along! Spending time in SYC activities such as weekly youth groups, touch rugby, or camps and tramps will mean they are coming into contact with an extraordinary bunch of young people and leaders who are determined to live life to its fullest. We have high standards of behaviour and lifestyle, and your young person will be surrounded by positive examples. Each Youth Community has a strong team of around 20 volunteer leaders – people who are mostly in their twenties – who have all chosen to give their time each week to be a role model for young people. Your young person will be placed in a small group of people his/her age, with a leader responsible for being their primary contact each week. Building positive relationships with our young people are the building blocks of the way we do community at SYC. You can expect your young person’s leader to: •Contact your Son or Daughter each week •Look out for them at youth group nights and events •Arrange extra activities in addition to youth group activities, in order to get to know the young people in their “care group” a little better. Examples of this might be: watching sport, going to performances, having pizza and watching a dvd. Our standards and expectations of leaders are very high. We have a comprehensive Leadership Policy, which outlines our values and philosophy towards working with young people. Each year we also run police checks on every leader, and we have an excellent pastoral support structure to maintain accountability throughout the year. As staff its our responsibility to protect both young people and their leaders from unsafe situations. Our hope is that during your association with SYC, you and your young person will experience something of the fun and vibrancy of the communities that we are trying to cultivate. Friendships and bonds formed at SYC have the potential to last a lifetime. Our aim is that we would assist you as parents, while you guide your young person through adolescence. If at any stage you have any questions, enquiries, concerns or encouragements about SYC, We will be glad to hear from you. Regards, Tim, Luke, Ferg and the Team at SYC
