Dave Thompson MSP

Over 300 youth workers from across Scotland will descend on the Highlands this weekend as one of Scotland’s largest youth work conferences takes place in Aviemore.  Deep Impact, Scotland’s National Youth Work training conference, which is run by some of Scotland’s most respected Christian youth work agencies and the Evangelical Alliance, takes place from 16th-18th January, bringing together a wide variety of voluntary and paid workers, and injecting almost £50,000 into the Highland economy.

Coming at a time of increased pressures on local authority community budgets, Deep Impact also offers a chance to showcase the vast amount of church based youth work across Scotland as well as sharing best practice and building partnerships both within the voluntary sector and also with local authorities.

Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch who will address the conference, said:

“I am privileged and delighted to be speaking at the Deep Impact youth work training conference, taking place from 16-18 January, run by the Evangelical Alliance and other respected Christian agencies, where youth workers from all over Scotland will arrive in the Highlands to highlight the great voluntary and paid youth work completed by churches in our society all year round.

The weekend is a fantastic chance to show just how much church based youth work across Scotland is taking place and the great value we place in that, and will also serve as an opportunity to build links in the community between the local authority and the voluntary sector. The Highland economy will also be boosted by the event to the tune of almost £50,000, which is great news, especially in a month better known in many sectors for its economic downturn rather than upturn”.

Charlie Morris, Director of Urban Saints Scotland and Chair of Deep Impact said:

“We are delighted to be returning to Aviemore for Deep Impact 2015 which will be a significant event for youth work in Scotland this year.  The 300 youth workers who attend Deep Impact this weekend between them work with thousands of young people, providing thousands of hours of youth work in communities across Scotland at no cost to the taxpayer.  At a time of scare resources this is a great opportunity to provide top quality training and share good practice with Scotland’s hidden army of community heroes, for the benefit of young people across Scotland.

“We are also pleased to be able to make a significant contribution to the Highland economy during January which we know can be a quiet time following the Christmas celebrations.  As well as the conference itself many of the youth workers who attend Deep Impact will bring repeat business to the Aviemore area by bringing groups young people back throughout the year.

Notes:

About Deep Impact

Deep Impact is run by the Scottish Christian Youth Work forum, the youth wing of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland.  SCYWF is a hub for national Christian youth organisations working across the country. Members, include Alpha Scotland, Baptist Union of Scotland FireStarters (UK) Ltd, International Christian College, Message Scotland, Salvation Army (ALOVE), Scottish Bible Society, Scripture Union Scotland, Tearfund, Urban Saints Scotland, Youth for Christ, and YWAM Scotland.

Deep Impact 2015 Details

The conference takes place at the MacDonald Aviemore Highland Resort from Friday 16th – Sunday 18th January 2015.  The main speaker is Matt Summerfield, Director of Urban Saints.

Twitter: @EAScotland / @theturnertweets

Evangelical Alliance

We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK’s two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society. We’re here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it’s celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society. From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, more than 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.