What's that?

You may be wondering what the International Anglican Youth Network is? It has a varied, and fairly long past, so I'll give you the short version.

The Anglican Consultative Council has a series of networks to inform its work, and indeed to carry out some of this work on its behalf. The network has existed for around 20 years, though there have been dormant periods. Ostensibly, it brings together Youth Work representatives from from each province of the Communion - sometimes this is Provincial Youth Officers, sometimes it is representatives (I am here representing the Church of Ireland Youth Department because I am a member of the CIYD Executive Committee and Central Board).

The group produces resources, encourages provinces to share stories and resources and has two representatives on the Anglican Consultative Council. The network proper meets roughly every three years, with a steering committee meeting on the in between years.

It's important because it highlights the fact that much is in common for youth work across the world...issues like identity, self awareness, sexuality, suicide - things that are part of the youth work mentality in Ireland - are echoed by people from as far afield as USA and Southern Africa, New Zealand and the Indian Ocean.

With that, each province has its own specific issues - we have heard moving accounts from delegates from Japan of the change in their country since the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011; the Archbishop of Hong Kong who hosted us for dinner last night addressed us on his perspective on the London Riots - which he identifies as a worldwide issue.