The Anglican Communion Youth Network (ACYN) has partnered with USPG for the first meeting of the Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) in Japan.
Participants from Bangladesh, Brazil, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Japan and the UK are currently attending a three-week residential, an integral part of this unique year-long programme.
ELA seeks to offer a cross-cultural learning opportunity for emerging leaders across the Anglican Communion. Its aim is to give young, vibrant leaders a chance to share and explore their faith in different contexts and build capacity through exposure to cross-cultural forms of leadership. Their time together offers plenty of space for discipleship, prayer, and spiritual reflection.
“We are delighted to be working with the ACYN to provide this exciting new programme for young people across the Anglican Communion in a way that is respectful to the many different cultural contexts within the Communion. The programme seeks to engage with the incredible talent that exists among young people and USPG believes that investment in emerging leaders forms a vital part of mission in the 21st century. We’re grateful to the Asian Rural Institute, an ecumenical centre for leadership and sustainability, for hosting us,” said Ella Sibley, Regional Manager for USPG and currently facilitating the training in Japan.
Annsli Kabekabe, a student from Papua New Guinea, said: “I am privileged to be a part of the academy, one highlight would be the active listening training, as a community development officer for my province, I’ve realised that I need to listen to hear my people’s voices so we can work better together.
We have been learning outdoors, including a visit to the local Shinto shrine and participating in activities focused on servant leadership, contextual theology and communication skills.
At the weekend, we visited an elementary school near Fukushima that was hit by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Hearing the stories made me think about early preparedness warnings. It’s motivated me to go back to the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea and try to create early warnings systems for cyclones, especially in schools.”
USPG hopes to grow and develop this programme in the future to be able to offer the opportunity to many more young Anglicans around the globe.
ACYN is a gathering platform for young people and youth workers in the Anglican Communion. The network exists to support youth engagement at all levels of the communion by connecting and encouraging young people and youth workers. The network is led by young women and men organised in five mission committees which focus upon a specific mark of mission. Their primary purpose is to support young people as they transition from youth roles into adult roles in the church; and in that process, growing in their relationship with God and with other Anglicans. Find out more here.
USPG (United Partners in Global Mission) is the Anglican mission agency that partners with churches and communities worldwide in God’s mission to rethink mission, energise church and champion justice. USPG has a global perspective and long-established relationships with the churches of the Anglican Communion. USPG is engaged with over 60 programmes across the global church working in partnership with member churches as they work with their communities and contexts. Find out more here.