This summer, several youth and young adults from Chinook Winds Region attended Audacious Hope, a nation-wide United Church and Presbyterian event at Brock University, St. Catharines, ON. Thank you to Mackenzie Ward, Symons Valley United Church, and Caitlin Hornbeck, St. Thomas United, for writing about their experience.
Mackenzie Ward, Symons Valley United Church
One or two things that you learned: While I was at Audacious Hope I learned that there is always light in the darkness and that you are never alone in anything you experience. I also learned about the ‘60s Scoop’ which involved Indigenous peoples and how incredibly traumatic it was and how the trauma affected every future generation.
Most fun part of being at Audacious Hope: I felt as if the most fun part of Audacious Hope was that we always had something to do and never felt bored, as well as meeting new people through group games like Neon Nexus.
How did the experience influence your faith / what will you be sharing with your community? This experience influenced my faith because it made me feel more connected to the people around me. I will be sharing some things I have listened to and learned, for example the theme talks and what the speakers experienced. One thing that really stuck out to me was a speaker who talked about his journey as a gay Presbyterian minister and how in the lowest and darkest moment of his life he still found light. It made me feel that even though life can be difficult it doesn’t mean you will feel lost forever. Secondly I would like to talk about what I personally experience during my workshops like the blanket exercises and how it impacted my mindset.
Caitlin Hornbeck, Wildrose United Church
I’m Caitlin Hornbeck (she/her/hers) from Wildrose United Church. I was a former youth leader at both Symons Valley and St. Thomas United Church, in Calgary, AB. I learned so much on my trip to Audacious Hope at Brock University in St. Catharines, ON. The most valuable lesson I learned is that we need hope to guide us through ups and downs that life throws our way. Times can be challenging and knowing that we are not alone makes me hopeful for my future, and the future of the church. As a young adult, it was awesome to connect with other young adults from across the country! I met people from small town Nova Scotia to big city Toronto. I even met people from Calgary who I’ve never met before, which is really amazing.
I’ve had a rough couple of years, and initially, I wasn’t going to go to Audacious Hope, but something was calling me. While there, I found a new side of my faith I didn’t know I was missing. Upon further reflection, I strongly believe we need to include more youth and young adults in the everyday life of the church. Us young people just want to be acknowledged, honoured, and given the chance to express ourselves in our faith communities. I had such a wonderful time, got to explore somewhere I’ve never been before, and got to do it all with amazing people!
The above photo is of some of us as we got off the plane at the end of our trip. Seeing all these exhausted faces but knowing that we all learned such valuable things in our short time together is something I will never forget.