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Infusion - Information for Teenagers

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What is the Infusion course and what will learn through it?

Infusion has been written for teenagers who are ready and willing to start learning how to be a Christian youth and children's leader. The course has been designed to be fun, helpful, challenging and achievable. You are in control and you work at your own pace.

This is a summary of what you will learn:

The Trainee's Units, Challenges and follow up material cover the following general topics:

  • Working safely with children
  • Understanding children and how they develop
  • How to manage children individually and in groups
  • Sharing the Christian faith with children
  • Running activities with children
  • Working in a team

Infusion will help Trainees to develop the folowing skills:

  • Observation
  • Communication
  • Organisation
  • Planning and preparation
  • Decision making and delegation
  • Teamwork

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What materials are provided for me?

We provide you with the following resources:

  • The Trainee's Units and Challenges section of this website contains the training material at the heart of the course. This material uses a mixture of observation, practical exercises and research. You use the material mainly by working with the leaders and young people in a children's or youth group. The Units and Challenges are in PDF format which can be printed free of charge from the website. If you prefer, you can also buy them in a full-colour A4 booklet – see the Trainee's Units and Challenges section for details.

  • To help broaden your knowledge, the Trainee's Follow-up Material section of this website contains a range of useful extension material to go with the Units and Challenges. Some of this material is in PDF format and can be printed off for future reference.

  • Following on from Infusion, Urban Saints provides opportunities for anyone aged 14 or over* to take part in a range of short-term service projects in the UK and overseas. All of the projects have a children's or youth work element to help broaden and develop the skills learned during the Infusion course. The Other Service Opportunities section of this website contains information about the latest projects and links to other useful websites. (*The minimum age varies and is higher on some projects.)

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How much time will the course take up?

Most teenagers can complete the course in about one academic year, working between one and two hours per week on average. This time includes:

  • Attending the group at which you will be helping, and attending planning meetings, etc. organised by the team.

  • Completing the material in the Units and Challenges and preparing any materials necessary.

  • Working through the follow-up material on this website.

Please note:

  • You can start at any time during the academic year.

  • It is appreciated that you will probably be studying for examinations at school or college. Whilst the course demands some work from you – it would not be worth doing if this were not so – you should never allow it to affect your studies.

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How do I know if I am suited to the course?

The course is designed for those who meet the following criteria:

  • You should be aged at least 13 when you start the course – although we recommend 15 as the best age at which to start. The material is not really aimed at those aged over 19.

  • You do not need any previous experience of helping with children's or youth work (although such experience may be useful) but you must have a genuine interest in, and willingness to be trained for this role.

  • You should be willing to commit yourself to learning more about the Christian faith and how to help children and young people discover this faith for themselves.

  • You should be willing to set aside the time needed to complete the Units and Challenges and work through the other resources in the course – see next section for more details. This may require you to sacrifice something else less important to free up the time.

  • You will need a children's or youth group at which you can help alongside experienced leaders. Working within the 8 to 13 age group would be ideal but whatever age group you decide to help with the oldest young person should be at least two academic years below you. One of the experienced leaders will need to act as your Supervisor – see later for more details.

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How do I complete the course Units and Challenges?

  • You will be helping experienced leaders at a children's or youth group as you work through the course. (The oldest members of the group at which you help should be at least two academic years younger than you otherwise you might find it very difficult in your role.) The Units and Challenges should be completed in numerical order, on different occasions you are present at the group as a helper. We recommend that you plan to complete a new Unit at the group every two to three weeks or so and in the weeks in between try to follow up and put into practice what you learned in the previous Units. The last few Units are slightly more challenging than the earlier ones! The 3 Challenges fit in around the Units.

  • Although you have the Units/Challenges to complete, in all other respects you should try to take on the role of helper at the group as fully as possible, bearing in mind your age, experience and the time you have available.

  • When you have completed the course, or finished a minimum number of Units and Challenges, then you may apply for an Infusion Certificate which summarises what you have achieved. The section Order Your Infusion Certificate on this website explains the process and contains a downloadable Certificate Application Form.

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Who will supervise me during the course?

One of the experienced leaders of the group at which you will be helping should act as your Supervisor. Please ask them to read the section Information For Leaders on this website. They will keep a general check on your progress during the course, deal with any problems you have with the course material and ‘sign off' the course Units and Challenges as you complete them. We also encourage them to offer help and guidance to you in your Christian life and do all they can to help you to grow in your faith.  

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What happens if I find I cannot keep going with the course?

Inevitably some will find that circumstances change and for one reason or another they cannot complete the course. As long as you have completed at least Units 1 to 6 and Challenge 1 then an Infusion Certificate can be applied for. The Units completed will be endorsed on the Certificate.

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What happens if I move away from the group part way through the course?

If you move away part way through the course then you have two options:

  1. You may continue with Infusion at a different youth/children's group provided you can find an experienced leader to supervise you for the remainder of the course.

  2. If you cannot continue with the course and you have completed at least Units 1 to 6 and Challenge 1 then you may apply for an infusion Certificate in the usual way.

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How do I start the course?

You may start the course at any time during the year although it is probably best to avoid starting at a time when you have a heavy workload at school/college, or exams coming up.

Here is a checklist of things to go through before you start:

  1. Look through the material in the Trainee's Units and Challenges section of this website to see what you will be expected to do. 

  2. Satisfy yourself you have time in the year ahead to complete the course.  

  3. Check that an experienced leader at your youth/children's group is willing to act as your Supervisor.

  4. Explain the course – and the time commitment you are making – to your parents.

  5. With your Supervisor, arrange at which children's/youth group section you will be helping.

  6. With your Supervisor, decide a date when you will start helping at the group above.         

  7. Plan out in detail which Units you will complete during the coming term or so.  

  8. Plan out roughly when you aim to complete the remainder of the Units/Challenges.

We encourage all Trainees starting the course to register with Urban Saints so that we can keep you informed of any updates to the course and additional materials you may find useful. Registration is very easy: send an email to infusion@urbansaints.org letting us know the following:
a. Your name, gender and age
b. The name of your Energize or Energize Plus group
c. The name of the leader who will be Supervising you
d. The email address at which you would like us to use to contact you           

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