A group of young people from across the diocese are heading to the USA this week as part of an exchange programme with one of our link dioceses.
Led by Children, Youth and Families team member, Katherine Grasham (pictured left) the group of six 15 to 17 year olds and two leaders will spend nearly three weeks in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia staying with local church families and meeting with young people from across the region.
“I hope that for the young people taking part this will give them confidence”, said Katherine.
“For many it’s their first time abroad and this will be, I hope, an empowering and encouraging time – meeting with other Christian young people will be a big part of that.”
The nineteen day trip will include visits to some of the major sites in Washington DC before the group travel to different parts of the large diocese, staying with families and enjoying an action packed programme visiting local historical sites, taking part in outdoor activities like canoeing and tubing, volunteering on local projects and spending time meeting Christians from the area.
“We really hope a trip like this will give the young people an amazing experience that they can learn loads from, and hopefully use their experiences to enrich their churches and communities,” added Katherine.
(Note- 'Dioswva' on Katherine's t-shirt refers to the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia)