About Us
We care about youth and kids work. We love seeing children and youth transformed by positive role models, growing and learning in Christian communities and understanding how profoundly loved and accepted they are.
We’ve been involved in youth and children’s work for a while and we don’t think we have all the answers, we haven’t solved all the theology questions and we don’t think we are experts or the worlds best youth workers but we hope some of the things we’ve learnt along the way will be useful for others, that we might be able to cheer on other youth and kids leaders and that we might be able to help equip those that do youth and kids work.
From our own experience youth and kids work can be hard, it can be a struggle to know how to begin from scratch, draining, lonely or lacking support, tough to keep coming up with fresh ideas, challenging to gather volunteers and build a team, confusing to know how to cover some of the tricker topics, sometimes we might feel no one really ‘gets’ it. On the other hand we know we really thrive when we feel connected & encouraged, when we have connections collaborating is easier, and it can be a relief when we have a place to go to when we need to bounce ideas or ask questions, this is where we hope Youthwork+ can really help.
Youthwork+ seeks to inspire and support churches and Christian ministries to see more young people’s lives transformed and hopefully more young people finding a home within supportive church communities.
Our vision is for kids and youth leaders to feel valued, supported, equipped and encouraged to learn from each other and work together to enable the kingdom of God to breakthrough into the lives of children and young people in their communities.
It’s not about duplicating or competing with existing youth work at churches or charities, the hope is to enable more unity, opportunities for sharing resources and expertise, and to champion work with children & youth together. In fact we already have quite a few partnerships and we are open to more.
We aim to help resource, equip, support and offer training to youth and children’s leaders. So that they can thrive leading children’s and youth ministry that welcomes children and youth from all backgrounds, supports wellbeing and encourages exploring the Bible in engaging ways, giving chances to know & respond to the huge hope and lavish love found in Jesus and help those young people grow in faith.
Our Vision
In January 2020, Becky Lawrence and Bex Jignasu, as well as sharing the same first name and youthful looks, officially kicked off with Youthwork+. We were joined in November 2020 by Olly Shaw.
We’re all super passionate about youth and children’s work, especially work which is accessible & relevant to the 95% of children and young people who are not currently connected to churches.
As mentioned before we don’t claim to be experts, we’re still on our journeys but so far between the three of us we have experience leading a lot of different youth and kids work in lots of different contexts including small & big churches, rural & city, charities & schools where we’ve been involved in schools work, discipleship, outreach and more! We’ve also done a lot of the behind the scenes stuff too along the way including writing policies, managing safeguarding, creating strategies & visions, recruiting & leading teams of staff & volunteers, fundraising, receiving coaching, coaching & mentoring others, leading networks, and more.
"Youthwork+ are championing vital youth & children’s work. 95% of young people are not currently connected to churches. Renewed vision, support & collaboration is needed for us all to reach them. The passion Youthwork+ has is contagious & is helping encourage leaders both in Milton Keynes & further afield."
- Simon Barker, Regional Mission Leader, Central England Team, Scripture Union
Founder & Director
Becky Lawrence
Becky started her adventure into youth work as a volunteer on a gap year with her church in 2004, followed by a placement at Oasis Church Waterloo, London, then a Genetik Urban Youth Evangelism internship at The Message in Manchester. Becky began paid youth work in 2006, at Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton, where she gained experience over 8 years of both church based and community youth work and schools work. She also volunteered in school and on summer camps with Luton Churches Education Trust (now Youthscape). She was a volunteer youth mentor at GreenHouse Mentoring for 9 years, led a weekly detached youth work team as a Youth Chaplain with Luton Town Centre Chaplaincy, and led & organised 6 mission trips to take young people to The Philippines with International Teams. She also had the privilege of being the Chair of Luton Unite (youth events and leaders network).
In 2014 she moved to Milton Keynes to lead the secondary schools work at Bridgebuilder Trust. She served on the core planning Team of city wide ecumenical youth event Hope MK for 6 years, and was the Chair for 3, which helped her build relationships with lots of churches.
Currently Becky works part time for St Marks MK as COO and is a volunteer with youth there, as well as being part time founder and Director of Youthwork+ and a mummy to her little girl Rae!
Becky had the idea for Youthwork+ back in early 2019 born out of a 16 year passion for youth work. In January 2020 with Bex, they began to get the ball rolling, Becky started networking with local youth leaders under the banner of Youthwork+ in April 2020 during COVID lockdown to cultivate much needed encouragement and support.
Co-Founder & Team Member
Bex Jignasu
Bex has been involved in youth work since 1998, firstly as a volunteer youth worker at St Luke’s church in Thurnby, Leicestershire. After leaving secular employment in 2003 she became the paid youth worker for St Luke’s church for 3 years. In 2006 she joined Scripture Union and has worked for them helping coordinate work with over 60 local mission partners. Mission Partners include local trusts doing schools work and youth work across England and Wales who are formally affiliated with Scripture Union. She served on the Core Team of Hope MK helping to plan and deliver the city wide annual youth event for two years, and also led a community project at Hope MK too.
Bex currently volunteers with youth and children’s work at her church, Loughton Baptist and is involved in pioneering creative outreach with children, youth and families in the church community. Bex joined Becky and became co-founder of Youthwork+ in January 2020. Bex coordinates our Youthwork+ consultancy work and has helped a few local churches already to launch new youth and children’s work in their communities. She is also our Chair of Trustees.
Team Member
Olly Shaw
Olly has been involved in helping lead Christian youth work, since he was 15 years old. He was the lead youth worker at two youth centres, worked as a befriender for Autism Family Support for three years, has been involved in schools work over 5 years and volunteered with a few Christian youth work charities and organisations.
For a brief period in 2016-2017 he worked as a full time Computer Officer for Oxford University, which as well as providing a break from employed youth ministry gave him fresh perspective of the importance and challenges of volunteer youth ministry.
More recently he was the Youth Worker at St. Leonard’s Church in a village called Eynsham in Oxfordshire (where he has been working in one capacity or another since 2006) and also worked part time as a Pioneer Youth Minister for the Diocese of Oxford, supporting churches to connect with young people (which is how he discovered Youthwork+!) In Sept 2022 he started training to be a vicar with the Church of England.
Olly joined the team at Youthwork+ in November 2020. He has been involved in hosting networks, and supporting rural churches with youth and childrens work as well as co-hosting our Youthwork+ Podcast. Olly also pioneers activities and resources for youth outreach. Olly shares our passion that all churches, no matter their size or context, have the ability to support and serve the young people living in their local communities.
Trustee
Dan Jolliffe
Dan brings over 10 years on experience in working in the charity sector, focussing on media. He also started serving in kids and youth work at just aged 14. He is Becky's line manager and provides a crucial role in fundraising and media for the charity.
Trustee
Scott Gamble
Scott has worked in Employment Support since 2006. This has predominantly been in support of people with a history of homelessness and / or long term unemployment. Scott joined Youthwork+ as a trustee in 2023 and is now seeking to work & study as a Youth Worker.
Trustee
Janet Nelsey
Janet is in charge of all things finance and keeps us in the right place - we'd be lost without her!
Janet has been active in various financial roles in the churches across the city, including Milton Keynes Mission Partnership, The Anglican deanery, and Watling Valley Local Ecumenical Partnership.
Enough about us, we care about you!
If you lead work with children or young people we’d love to support you – whether you are local to Milton Keynes or far beyond we hope there will be something on this website that will help encourage and support you and your youth or children’s work.
If you don’t find what you are looking for contact us if we can help you we will!