Helping out on LiveWires

This page answers some questions for people thinking about joining us as team members.

“We aim to make God's Good News known to young people in the context of an enjoyable and stimulating holiday exploring computing, electronics and multimedia. We aim to do this in a way that encourages their continuing spiritual, intellectual and emotional growth.”

Here are some quotes from previous years' team members:

• “seeing that God is good and the way He works in the lives of the Young People is such an encouragement and a lesson.”
• “being trained in how to lead a small group discussion and Bible study”
• “I really enjoyed spending time with some like-minded team members once the young people had gone off to bed”
• “seeing the Holy Spirit at work”
• “God completely uses people who serve him. … Afterwards, you look back and see him working in the young people and building up the team as well. I always feel like I've moved on too after the week - so much has happened and you know that it's not in vain, it's not pointless (as other things in daily life sometimes seem) it's been so worthwhile and has had a purpose.”

There aren't many school teachers on the LiveWires team, so you wouldn't be alone! You will normally be responsible for up to 3 or 4 young people at a time (that is, probably up to about 8 people in a group, with two team members). During their time in a technical group, the young people will normally attempt to complete a project of some kind, for example, write a computer game, produce a short pop video, or record a song in the recording studio. In electronics, the projects are pretty much pre-determined, and you need to help them follow the instructions supplied for their project. In the other groups, you may need to help the young people choose a suitable project, either individually or as a group. Some of the team members in past years have written work sheets which may help to suggest suitable projects, and other worksheets can be used to teach a particular skill (for example, the beginners programming course). If you already have skills in a particular area, this will normally decide the approximate area in which you will be asked to help, but we may need you to learn new or brush up on forgotten skills if more young people choose a project in a different area.

Around a month before Livewires starts, we have a planning weekend where training is given on a number of subjects, as well as having a chance to meet the rest of the team and plan for the activities that will be taking place. Some of the training is dedicated to new team and there are usually two or three team who take on the responsibility of making sure that the new team are well looked after. There is also training time immediately before the young people arrive covering aspects of youth work or leading small groups. For every activity on the holiday team members are in pairs or larger groups, so you should never have to cope alone. Other members of the team will always be happy to give advice, ideas, and share resources.

Note that we are not accepting applications for junior leaders in 2008. We'll almost certainly be taking them again in 2009, though.

If you are under 18, you can come as a junior leader. No-one joins the team just because they've been on the holiday before; rather we see what sort of things people are doing, their current interests and skills, their church situation, and then all pray about it. However, junior leaders can't have as much responsibility as an over-18 year-old leader, in particular they can't be asked to take sole responsibility for a group of young people on the holiday. Also, their work load is a little reduced compared with others, but unlike some camps and houseparties, we treat junior leaders as full leaders in every other respect: they get to do the same as everyone else. Unlike over-18 team members, we don't have to run a check with the Criminal Records Bureau, but we will probably still want to take up references from your Vicar/Pastor, as well as another independent adult that knows you well.

Almost all of the technical equipment is provided by current or past team members, or their friends or colleagues. Some of computing and multimedia kit is shared with the Transformers holiday. The young people are encouraged to bring their own computers, particularly if they have selected a programming activity, but many are not able to, so many team members generously make their own computers available to the young people. The equipment is kept permanently locked in the classrooms of the school, with the young people having supervised access. Scripture Union has an insurance policy to cover the safety of equipment loaned to the holiday. Do talk to one of the co-leaders, or one of the technical co-ordinators for more information on how to include equipment on this insurance, if your domestic insurance does not cover such items when away from home.

Since the holiday is based in a boarding school, most of the accommodation is dormitory based. Married couples are given their own room. Other team members share dormitories with a few other team members. For obvious reasons, the young people all sleep in single sex dormitories. The school supplies beds to sleep on but you will need to bring your own pillows, pillowcases, and sheets. This information is given in the final mailing, but it doesn't hurt to mention it at this stage too! (it is not unknown for team or young people to forget!). You'll want to bring clothing for all weather conditions, since there is minimal heating in the school at midsummer, and though daytimes can be very hot, it often turns quite cool in the evenings.

The main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner, which we all eat together in the large dining room of the school. There is plenty of food, and it is delicious. Drinks and sometimes biscuits/cakes are served mid morning, mid afternoon and just before the young people go to bed. Team members are free to make drinks for themselves whenever they have the time, and there are additional late night snacks for anyone who feels hungry. If you still need more to eat, there is a tuck shop for team and young people to buy sweets during the mid morning break. If you have special dietary needs (for the main meals), these can be accommodated.

The worship session, Sunday service (which may or may not be on Sunday!) and party are holiday-wide activities, with all team and young people together. Team members and some young people may be asked to help with music, reading, testimony, prayers etc. Dormitory bible studies and epilogues are held in dormitory groups which are defined largely by the young people's ages and any preferences expressed by them. The spiritual teaching sessions in the evenings are aimed to be grouped according to approximate level of commitment of the young people (e.g. A; non- or anti Christian. B; New Christian or unsure. C; Christians wanting to develop their faith).

To see how the day was organised in 2007 have a look at the timetable (lwtimetable.pdf). It varies slightly from day to day, but normally starts for the team with a brief team meeting before breakfast. After breakfast (and the washing up, according to the rota), there is a time of worship and Bible study all together. The first and second technical sessions fill the remainder of the morning, divided by a coffee break (and tuck shop). Lunch ,at 1pm, is followed by a time for quiet reflection and prayer for team and young people. After that there is another technical session, a team meeting and tea at 4pm. Then there is a period of free time (when the young people are shut out of the technical rooms, and do sports, swimming, crafts or other activities). Dinner is at 6.15, followed by another tech session. Following that is the spiritual teaching. Evening drinks is at about 9.15pm. After drinks, the dormitory groups meet at the end of the young people's day. A rota of team members stay near the young people's dormitories to check that they do go to sleep, while other team members go to bed, prepare for activities later in the week, or relax together. As you can see, the day is quite long and intensive, and though there are small gaps in the day (for example, after meals if you are not due to be on washing up with your dorm) much of this time will be used to get to know the young people, prepare for activities later in the week, or perform odd jobs for which you may have volunteered.

Mark White and David James are the overall leaders of the holiday, and answer to Scripture Union for all that goes on during the holiday. They share the work of planning the holiday with a small group of team members, known as the Planning Team. At the same time, other team members (some on the planning team, some not) are responsible for particular areas of the holiday, such as catering, (known as Head Cook), technical streams, and other jobs which may vary from year to year as required.

Transformers is our sister holiday, catering for young people aged 14-17. The two holidays were started at the same time, by splitting what had been the Computing and Electronics holiday team in two.

Starting in early July, there is the planning weekend which runs from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. The holiday itself is eight days in mid August, then there is an optional YP reunion in late Autumn and an optional team reunion in the early spring. Of course, there is also time spent praying, etc.

The cost for 2008 is £163, which is 90% of the YP fee. If you are at all concerned about the cost please do let us know as there are discounts and bursaries available.

Some of the names below are used on LiveWires…

YP is the shorthand term often used to refer to the “young people”. recharge is the morning worship and dormitory group bible study. Worship is all together and is lead by one or two of the team. Within recharge we split into dorms for input where two or three team members lead the young people in a bible study or discussion, using notes written before the holiday. The Zone is the afternoon sports and activities time. This time may be used for sports, craft, technical demonstrations, visiting speaker talks, debates and discussions. Team members are needed to supervise sports and board games, host demonstrations or debates, or just to chat with or join in alongside the young people. Earth, Neutral, Live are some of the names used in past years for different spiritual streams. Night Activity is another reason to bring a torch. An optional late night event for young people and team members around the site. Epilogue is the late night dormitory group time. The two or three team members assigned to the dorm choose what to do in this time, which may vary from a chat about the events of the day (particularly with the younger ones) to a bible study or in depth discussion of an issue that the young people have raised. Team members will normally need to meet up briefly each day to plan this.

You should get in touch with us in the first instance. SU have a thorough screening and application process for new team members: the holiday leaders will generally want to chat with you first, then you'll need to fill in an application form, provide references (one of whom will need to be your current church minister), and pass a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. (There's a simpler process for those who've been leaders with SU recently, though.)

Have a look at the Scripture Union volunteering pages at countmein.