Y&C Conference 2025 Programme

HOST

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SEMINAR SPEAKER

Mark Arnold is the Additional Needs Ministry Director at Urban Saints, a leading national Christian children’s and youth organisation, and Co-Founder of the Additional Needs Alliance, a fast-growing online community. He is a passionate advocate for children and young people with additional needs or disabilities, both nationally and internationally.

Q&R PANEL CONTRIBUTOR

Clotilde is the Deputy Theology Training Lead at Müllers. She has recently finished studying a masters in theology with a particular focus on the place of single people in the Church and the liberation of the oppressed in the world. She moved to Bristol from her native France more than 10 years ago and loves cooking, planning parties and anything creative.

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Ruth leads Tiny Treasures, the 1-4 year old group at Woodlands Group of Churches and is passionate about helping the youngest children discover Jesus for themselves..

In her spare time, Ruth enjoys spending time with her 3 young adult children and husband, reading, going to the gym and making ceramic pots in her garden pottery.

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Tom is on secondment at the Church of England as Churches and Networks Consultant, spending two days a week at Lambeth Palace and three days a week on the Vision & Strategy team. He has been involved in youth ministry for the last 16 years in various roles. He has a passion to see every young person come to know Jesus and share that faith with their mates. Tom lives in London but he's a northerner at heart having grown up in Wigan!

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Jake is a project leader with iSingPOP, bringing Christ-centred projects into school communities across the UK. Jake is passionate about creating spaces where children from all backgrounds feel seen, heard, and valued. Jake is also dedicated to sharing faith in an accessible, engaging, and inclusive way for all of God’s children.

LIVE ILLUSTRATOR & Q&R PANEL CONTRIBUTOR

Andy is a creative who can’t stop creating and thinking. From live storyboard illustration work, translating what keynote speakers in real time into graphics so that their audience can understand and remember the speaker and share their message, to being a minister in the Church of England doing church differently. He illustrates books, and is also a DJ, magician, speaker, writer, memory specialist, boardgamer, cyclist and indoor climber!

KEYNOTE & SEMINAR SPEAKER

Dr Kandiah OBE is the founder of The Sanctuary Foundation. A charity supporting refugees to find welcome, work and worthwhile housing in the UK. He is recognised as an expert in refugee resettlement , child welfare reform, educational innovation and civil society mobilisation

He has helped to inspire and train thousands to care for vulnerable adults and children.

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Emily is a project leader and YouTube creative with iSingPOP. She delivers Christ-centred projects in school communities across the UK and creates faith-based content that children and families can access in their homes. She is passionate about sharing her faith with the next generation in a fun, inclusive and interactive way. She loves helping to bring people into God’s presence through sung worship.

KEYNOTE & SEMINAR SPEAKER

Lucy is Head of the Growing Faith Foundation for the Church of England, helping schools, churches and households to work together for the spiritual flourishing of all children and young people. She is the founder of Messy Church and developed it through her work at BRF until early 2022. She lives with her husband in the Peak District in a draughty vicarage and enjoys walking the dog and joining in village life. 

Q&R PANEL CONTRIBUTOR

Jennie is the Network Development Manager at Growing Hope. She is a qualified teacher, working in various roles including children's ministry lead, continuing care support worker and has worked over 10 years in the NHS, mostly as a Play Specialist advocating for children within the healthcare setting. Jennie has been at Growing Hope for two years, providing training and accessibility audits to churches, schools and other settings across the UK.

HOST

Joel has been involved in youth ministry for 20 years, 14 of which as a full-time youth worker, and is passionate to see children and young people experience hope and wholeness in Jesus. He is now Charity Leader at Müllers as well as Chair of trustees at South West Youth Ministries. He supports Wolves, loves a KFC, and has the tendency to be a productivity nerd!

YOUNG LEADERS STREAM HOST

Lorna has been involved with SWYM for 20 years. Lorna has a passion for mentoring young/emerging leaders and helping them navigate leadership and growing as a child of God. She is also keen to see young people in Bristol discipled into a life long faith! Lorna is also trying to figure that out at home also, with 3 energetic boys alongside her husband Nigel.

YOUNG LEADERS STREAM HOST

Jonny joined the SWYM staff team last year after having been a full-time youth worker across Devon for more than a decade. He is passionate about discipling & mentoring young people, seeing them grow and develop in their faith. He loves being outside, either on his bike or in a tent somewhere rural, preferably with a starry night sky above or a camp fire in front.

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Dave Thornton has dedicated over 30 years to youth and children's ministry and currently serves as the Youth, Children, and Families' Director at Christ Church, Winchester.

He’s the author of Raising the Bar: Nearly Everything You Need to Know About Christian Youth Ministry. Passionate about helping young people feel valued and discover their gifts, he also supports other leaders to remain in ministry long-term. He’s experienced many unusual events, including falling off a cliff and setting fire to three tables at a youth BBQ.

SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Vicky and Rob Wickshave been leading Jesus-centred all-age activities in different contexts for 30+ years. They’re passionate about developing age-inclusive church culture, through teamwork, fun, sharing, storytelling, worship and eating together. Rob is a filmmaker and photographer and Vicky leads Holy Trinity Church in Stapleton, Bristol. 

SEMINAR SPEAKER

Rita is Church Engagement Manager for the Difference course, a free resource inviting Christians of all ages to explore peacebuilding and reconciliation. She has over ten years’ experience in youth and children’s ministry, including five years’ directing a residential summer camp programme in the United States, which focused on equipping young leaders to build transformational Christian community among diverse groups. She is passionate about creating spaces where young people are empowered to live into their call to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.”