The focus of this event was to try to engage with “young adults”, by which we mean broadly those of working age. It was the idea of Sarah Humphreys who with Liz Watson has been hosting, over the last eighteen months, a Zoom meeting for young adults who have contacted the community through social media.
They wanted a chance to meet in person, so we invited them to Shrewsbury along with some local young people and just a few oldies too!
After an introductory icebreaker we heard personal experiences from two young adults:
- Jennifer Bentick spoke about how after working in an investment bank in London for ten years, a daily commitment to meditation helped her build the confidence to change career and move into business and personal coaching.
- Angus, a professional climber and instructor then spoke about how the discipline of meditation had helped him build mental strength and the concentration to tackle difficult climbs and overcome the fear of falling.
We then separated into groups for a discussion session in which everyone shared their experience of meditation.
Following a meditation and lunch we had a ‘poetry prompt’ led by Scott Caruthers who read some of his own poems and after giving everyone a word, invited us to write a few lines ourselves.
It was quite a challenge to do something on the spot but fun – and it provoked some interesting responses!
After a final meditation and review we departed but it seemed the day had ended all too soon!
—ooOoo—
We were delighted with the response and outcomes of the day, but we realised that this wasn’t a beginner’s event as nearly all had some experience of meditation.
We know now that with this age group we need to be ready to listen and meet them where they are.
Here are some of the comments we received:
“Congratulations on putting on such a successful event. It was a lovely space and felt very well organised and had a lovely warm energy. I personally thoroughly enjoyed it”
J.B
“A super programme! Flowed naturally, authentic and sincere, which formed a sense of group and bonding”
S.P
“A comprehensive and balanced programme- time to think, learn, reflect and meditate in a beautiful venue! I’ve been inspired today to reconnect with meditation”.
M.K
“Everyone was so lovely and welcoming! I really enjoyed the open discussions and the meditations. I found it easier in a group setting than by myself, which was a nice surprise!”
A.W
“I really enjoyed the day. I liked the open group discussions; everyone was very welcoming. The group meditations were the most relaxed I’ve felt in meditation so far.”
L.A
We would like to encourage Area Team Members to put on an event like this, our team are on hand to help! We are also planning a national Young Adults Retreat at Belmont Abbey, Hereford in October. Please contact uk@wccm.org for details.
Jon Kille. Jon.kille@btopenworld.com