Thursday Seminars:
Meetings 2002

Introduction

These meetings are all held at Trinity Tabernacle, Hassell Drive, Lawrence Hill, Bristol.  Unless otherwise indicated, they start at 12 noon with coffee (bring your own lunch) and end at 2 pm.

Meetings

14 November 2002 "Family breakdown in Bristol: A viable new strategy for turning the tide"

The speaker is Harry Benson, Project Coordinator of Bristol Community Family Trust

19 September 2002 "Helping People who are Addicted"

Secular approaches to addiction tend to view it as a chemical and biological problem.  Christians tend to emphasise the spiritual and social aspects.  Modern research suggests that the churches are closer to understanding the key issues than many of the scientists.

Phil Harris will explore the role that addiction plays in problematic lives, and how addicts can be helped by forming relationships and discovering a supportive social framework.  The church has a great deal of experience in using this approach, and has much to offer to people seeking help with addiction, if we follow some simple and common-sense guidelines.

13 June 2002 "The Church in an Addictive Society"

BCAN Series of Day Schools on Drugs and Related Issues

The first event is a day with Pat Prosser on June 13th 2002

18 April 2002 "Supporting Parenting"

With the help of three people from churches who have experience in developing support for parents, the meeting will seek to identify how such work can be set up and sustained and how it fits into mission and wider support for family life.

24 January 2002 "Five Questions about Youth Work"

• What are the trends in church-linked youth work?
• What are the training opportunities for volunteers and paid workers?
• How can Youth Workers be supported and what networks are available?
• What are the contact points for Christian youth workers in secular youth work?
• What is the potential for more church work with the retraction of the Bristol City Council Youth Service ?

Mick Hornsey, who is a full-time Church youth worker and an organiser of the "The Net", and a representative from Frontier Youth Trust will be leading us in thinking about these questions.

We hope to have a wide ranging discussion involving those both already active in doing or managing youth work, and those who would like help to get started.