I took the photo above following a conversation I had with a number of other youth workers, students and staff at ICC last year. I wanted to record the jist of our discussions on what makes a quality youth worker.

The top three seemed to be

• Servant hearted
• Integrity (congruent)
• Youth work is a passion

Other characteristics you'll see listed are: willing to be vulnerable, likes young people, disciplined, chaos, pastoral, called, available, "faith based youth work, not youth work based faith", reliable, empowering, encourager.

I wonder what would be your top three?

Introductions...

I figured I'd start by introducing myself. My name's Mike, I work for Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh (Scotland), and I'm their youth worker.

Niddrie is one of the most deprived parts of Edinburgh, where issues of multiple addiction, abuse, violent crime, and antisocial behaviour are daily realities. I work alongside pastors Mez McConnell and Jez Dearing, among others.

I have another related blog, Urban Youth Work, which will share some of these posts but will relate specifically to urban youth work. It's my desire to engage with other youth workers, share knowledge and resources, and help to refine practice.