Event Leadership Conference 2025

There will be a creche for children aged 0-4 years, led by Ruth Robertson. There will also be a Children’s Programme for primary aged children, run by John Pizzuto Pomaco.

There will be a Children’s Programme but no creche on Friday evening. The creche and Children’s Programme won’t run on Saturday evening, when there are lots of options to enjoy together as a family

• That’s Life - Residentials teaching material – Jo Black
  • This session will seek to give an overview of the Holidays Teaching Material for this summer as we delve into John. How can we creatively open up this gospel with new campers while giving room for those further on their journey to go deeper? How can you make the most of this resource so that your team have opportunities to use their gifts, and at the same time equip campers for life with Jesus back at home?  Come along and we will work it out together!
  • Jo Black lives just outside Edinburgh with her family. After 15 years of youth and schools work she is training as a Church of Scotland probationer in Wester Hailes – her very favourite place. She is trying to work how God is calling her to be a special needs mum who is also a minister though she loves how God blesses the mayhem in the meantime!

• ATL Stream – Building an activity programme and working with the SMS – Shula Bayton and team
  • All you need to know about building activity programmes at a centre and how the Safety Management System helps you. You’ll gain centre specific insights and be able to get the most out of your next event. 
  • Shula is passionate about working with young people in the outdoors and the opportunities it gives to get to know God better. She works as Chief Instructor at Alltnacriche and has Team Led at a number of SU venues. In both these roles she strives to create a safe and supportive environment for team and young people to grow and develop.

• Dealing with trauma – John Gillan and Erin Howieson
  • Young people coming to our events have often experienced trauma. We will unpack how the impact of trauma can influence the way young people cope at events and develop some key principles to help us and our teams work well with young people.
  • John has been the Project Leader since 2016. Being involved in youth work in North Edinburgh for over 20 years with SU Scotland, he’s a well kent face in the area. John worked in residential childcare and then, after completion of his Masters in Social Work, worked in a children and families practice team for 9 years. John’s passion is drawing alongside the young people helping them to be the best they can be, through one to one support in and outwith school, groupwork and community youthwork. John’s favourite colour is green and favourite song is ‘Chasing cars’ by Snow Patrol. His most unpopular opinion is that pineapple belongs on pizza.
  • Erin has been working full time for the Ferrywell youth project since March 2022. Previously she worked for four years as a Residential Care Worker for children and young people, whilst completing her degree (BA Hons) in Social Sciences. Her passion is supporting young people in their life journeys, providing positive experiences through one to one, group work and community based youth work. Erin’s favourite colour is sea foam green and favourite song is ‘Breaking Free’ by high school musical.  Her most unpopular opinion is that cold weather is much better than warm weather.

• New Missions Resource – Find out more about “A Tale of Two Kings”– Cheri Young and Owain Evans
  • Stand tall as a Knight and battle dragons! Join us for a taster session on the brand-new Missions material – “A Tale of Two Kings.” This fun and engaging resource explores the life of King David, and how David points us to an even greater king: Jesus! Find out more about how to run this resource in your context, with a helpful overview, practical examples and Q&A.
  • Owain works for SU Scotland down in beautiful Dumfries and Galloway and lives with his family in Castle Douglas. Owain has been involved with mission events where there were only 3 children in a small hall and also whole crowds on a beach. As part of the team who put together A Tale of Two Kings he is looking forward to seeing it in action and how everyone makes it their own.
  • Cheri is one of the Scripture Union regional workers for the North East and Shetland. She is married with two young children and gets to spend time at home, church and work investing in children’s ministry. Cheri has been involved as a Team Leader and team member for Holiday Clubs and Missions for many years and is passionate about the ministry impact these events can have in local communities.  
    

• Investing in your team – Eleanor Dickson and Tim Frew
  • Having a core team who return to your event for a number of years is a blessing allowing you to continue training and delegate responsibility. How can you do this in a deliberate way, building a team who will serve young people well?
  • Eleanor works in a large primary school in Edinburgh.  She is married to Pete, mum to Esther and Jamie, mother in law to Hannah and  a proud granny to Elle and Lois. She has led camps for more than 30 years.
  • Tim is married to Catherine and they lead a summer camp at Lendrick Muir. They have two adult children. Tim is a member of St Paul’s and St George’s church in Edinburgh where he is involved as a volunteer in children’s work.

• Untangling Truth - Making sense of the Bible’s Trickiest topics – Andrew Ollerton
  • As you move through the story of Scripture, you bump into some challenging issues. For example, Can we take Genesis seriously in an age of modern science? What about violence and warfare in the Old testament? Did the miracles and exorcisms of Jesus really happen? Is the New Testament's teaching about sex narrow-minded? In this seminar, we’ll untangle some of the issues most important to you. See you there.