COmMISSION

Great training for the great commission

TRAINING > ACTION > REVIEW

Every year there are more and more young people involved in SU Scotland events for whom the good news of Jesus is completely new.

Previous knowledge of the Bible is increasingly scarce.

Families and communities are fragmenting, and the children suffer most.

Scotland is now a priority mission field, and Scotland's young people desperately need to hear about Jesus' love for them. 

MISSION TOGETHER

The name COmMISSION refers to Jesus' words at the end of Matthew's gospel, "Go and make disciples of all nations", often called the Great Commission. By taking part in COmMsission:

• We are responding to Jesus' command.
• We are relying on the Holy Spirit.
• We are on "mission together”. As part of a team at an event and as part of the wider SU Scotland family.
• We are supported. Our church, friends and families are also part of the team. We can ask them to help with prayer and (when appropriate) support us financially.
  
  

BENEFITS FOR YOUR CHURCH

Tapping the potential of your young people - impacting the life of your church

Training young people for ministry plays a vital role in the life of the church - we believe that proper training and discipling are a positive experience for young people as they serve in a variety of ways. The benefits of this training are of long-lasting value to their own churches as well as to SU Scotland.

Our mission and discipleship programme equips young people for the immediate challenge of helping in church ministries, and gives them skills and confidence to grow into leadership in their churches and in school, college and the workplace.

Attending LeadUP this year was so vital to how I served in and around church. I was keen to be involved in my church’s youth team, and it was also significant to how I lead at camp. The training filled me with lots of confidence, and it was such a blessing to see other young folk so keen to go on for God. - Lauren, 19

Would your church consider sponsoring a young Christian in your fellowship to enable them to participate in the COmMISSION programme?

Prayer and financial support are both greatly appreciated to help them make the most of the opportunity.

BENEFITS FOR SCHOOL

If you are still at school and looking to attend the Basecamp Kingscross or LeadUP training events this may well involve asking for permission to miss classes. We have always been happy that the training we provide at these events can be applied wider that the SU Scotland context and stands you in good stead for the duties and learning expected of you as a prefect or senior pupil.

Our position was endorsed by Youthlink Scotland when they selected the COmMISSION programme as a good example of how non-school groups contribute to the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence in their document Building Capacities through Experiences & Outcomes.

Basecamp is for you if you are over 16 in S5 or S6 at school or under 18 and have recently left school.

Basecamp includes worship, Bible teaching, training sessions, activities, and time to relax. Previous attendees talk about the huge benefit of Basecamp as a place to go deeper in faith, get into the Bible, learn new skills for mission and develop lasting friendships.

There will be excellent Bible engagement sessions, group discussion and key workshops designed to help you develop the skills you need to work with children and young people and introduce them to the Christian faith. You can expect to think about: 

• How you can be a valuable part of a team
• What Christian leadership looks like
• How you can help with small group teaching
• How to care for your small group of young people
• The purpose of games and how to lead them

Each Basecamp trainee has an Advisor who helps them to put together their own training plan. 

Basecamp at Gowanbank: 16-18 February 2024
Basecamp at Kingscross: 10-16 June 2024

LeadUP is for you if have been to Basecamp, or are age 18-23.  

Take your skills to the next level at this week of leadership training and personal discipleship that will inspire, stretch, challenge, and help prepare you for wherever you are serving over the summer and beyond.

You will:

• Grow in understanding of how faith develops in children and young people
• Think more about helping young people explore the Bible including how to give an inspiring biblical talk
• Explore how to effectively lead a small group
• Consider your leadership style and the role you are likely to play in a team
• Participate in a day of team building activities
• Learn skills of reflection throughout the week and understand how this can aid personal growth.

Working as part of a team you will have many opportunities to put your learning and new skills into practice.. All of this, alongside quality Bible teaching and time for personal reflection, will  help you move forward your Christian faith. 

LeadUP is based at comfortable Alltnacriche, SU Scotland’s residential centre, near Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park.  

LeadUP at Alltnacriche: 21-28 June 2024

Why is COmMISSION so expensive?

Taking part in a ministry like this costs money. The full COmMISSION programme contains two residential events run for your training and development. Accommodation, food, resources and team costs all need to be factored into these events

You will also participate in events run for children and young people which rely on team member donations to cover costs. This includes your place on the team.

We want to make sure that our training is worthwhile and of good quality, so we invest in materials and resources to help you get the most out of this programme.

Why is COmMISSION so cheap?

With all that in mind, you might be wondering why the programme doesn’t cost more. Good question! If you added up the costs of all the individual components of COmMISSION, it would be over £500. 

However, we're not expecting you to pay the full cost of all three parts of COmMISSION.

We really want you to be able to take part in the programme and so have worked hard to bring the fee down as much as possible by subsidising your place with the help of generous donations from SU Scotland supporters and other organisations investing in training for young leaders.

The bottom line is that we don't want anyone to miss out because of costs, please contact commission@suscotland.org.uk if you would like to discuss this or to apply for sponsorship/bursary.

One of the activities you will do as part of your COmMISSION programme is join in a fundraising challenge. You will learn how much fun it can be to help raise funds and support for organisations like SU Scotland. You can work on this together with other trainees. This page has been put together to help you with the fundraising part of your COmMISSION programme. With a bit of effort and imagination, you raise a surprising amount in no time! 

Making a Start: the 6 Golden Rules of Raising Funds  

1. Be enthusiastic and get excited. Having someone doing things with you can really help. The more you enjoy it, the more other people will too. 
2. Be realistic about what you can achieve. A few small money-raising schemes may be more effective than one major extravaganza which could fall flat.  
3. Be prepared to work hard in order to raise the cash – it's not always going to fall into your lap.  
4. Be creative! You do not have to reinvent the wheel – but do use the gifts that God has given you, and involve as many other people (with gifts that you don't have) as you can.  
5. Be thankful – to God and to those who have given. Whatever the size of their contribution a thank you card or hug can go a long way.  
6. Be a planner. Things will work better if you think ahead, organise and have a Plan A and a Plan B. 

Below are some ideas for fundraising, and if you want any support from SU Scotland, need to ask questions, or want a chat, please email Alan Scott.

Ideas 

These are just a few ideas... for more ideas see our Fundraising Page! 

• Ask people to organise an event on your behalf – however don’t be lazy, get involved! Ask folk to bake for a bake sale or hold a coffee morning for you.
• How about a church BBQ? You are not allowed to charge per burger, but you can encourage people to make suggested donations or sell tickets.
• A karaoke night with your youth group, or your friends' parents who love ABBA.
• Make something to sell. Craft a fabric brooch, weave a friendship band, write a personalised poem, sculpt a... you get the idea.
• Gunge the minister - but not in the pulpit and only with their permission.
• Organise a game of football, dodgeball or mini-golf. You could even make a trophy!
• Pizza! Everyone loves pizza. Pizza and a movie, pizza and a quiz, pizza and a Fifa tournament, pizza and anything. 
• Mow people's lawns, wash cars, babysit, tutor maths, paint nails – offer your services for a fee. If you let folk know what it's for, they may even add in a big tip! 
• Sponsored anything. Silence, walking, singing... anything.

How to Get the money raised to SU Scotland 

The easiest option is to set up a Just Giving page at justgiving.com/suscotland which can keep track of both your online and offline gifts. The money will automatically be sent to our bank account. This is great for sponsored events and for sharing on social media.

Depending on what you do, you might collect funds in a variety of forms. If you are not using Just Giving, donations can be made online, by card or PayPal, cheques (made payable to SU Scotland) can be posted to Commission, SU Scotland, New Olympia House, 13 Olympia Street, Glasgow G30 3TA, with a letter letting us know what it is for and money can even be sent to us by Bank transfer (contact finance@suscotland.org.uk to get the bank details). Cash is a bit harder as this should not be posted, but you can pop into any SU Scotland office to hand it in. 

Gift Aid 

Most UK taxpayers can gift aid their donations which adds an extra 25p to each £1 raised. Just Giving has an option for gift aid as do our sponsorship forms and online donations. Money raised from selling things cannot be gift aided however.

We know it's a tad boring, but it really is important!

1. Alternative placements: If you are unavailable for placements during the school holidays, contact us to discuss alternatives. These might include residential weekends or helping to lead school SU Groups during the academic year. If your church is running a summer holiday club or other outreach event, these could also act as your placement.
   
   
2. Travel to and from events: Organising your travel to and from all events is your own responsibility. We will do our best to link you up with others travelling to the same event as you. For some training and review events, we may arrange minibus or coach travel from Glasgow or Edinburgh. You will be able to select this when you book, at additional cost. Details will be sent to you about 3 weeks before the event.
   
   
3. Volunteer application process: Once we have received your application, we will ask you to complete the SU Scotland Volunteers application process and apply for Membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Scheme (PVG Scheme). Everyone involved in SU Scotland's ministry among young people is required to complete this paperwork.
   
   
4. After COmMISSION: All participants are encouraged to continue in mission with SU and their church during the school year, e.g. through helping to run school SU Groups and residential weekends. If you attend a Basecamp, we encourage you to return the following year to participate in LeadUP.
   
   
5. How does my age affect my involvement in COmMISSION? Basecamps are for those in S5 or S6 at school, or who have left school but are under 18. If you are in S4, we ask that you wait a year before attending Basecamp, even if you are 16. LeadUP is for those over 18, and for those aged 17 who attended Basecamp the previous year. LeadUP is aimed primarily at the 18 to 25 age-group, but there is no upper age limit. In some cases we may suggest that those who attend Basecamp at 16 should attend an advanced stream at Basecamp Kingscross the following year, before attending LeadUP when they are 18.
   
   
6. Photographs and video: photos and videos taken at SU Scotland events may be used for publicising SU Scotland. Please inform your event leader if you do not wish your photo to be used for this purpose.