It's Living Wage Week 2016

We are currently part way through this year's Living Wage Week (Sunday 30th October - Saturday 5th November) and there is good news to report!

The current rates are £9.40 in London and £8.25 in the rest of the UK, but from this week the new rates will be £9.75 in London and £8.45 everywhere else.

The purpose of the week is to raise awareness about the need for a Living Wage and to celebrate responsible employers who pay it.

At the YCW we are committed to promoting the Living Wage as an essential part of ensuring dignity at work.

The video below features an excellent explanation of the theology behind paying a fair wage and is presented by former YCW member Dr Anna Rowlands.  

National Impact Day 2016

The National Team of the YCW in England and Wales would like to invite all Impact members, chaplains and companions to our National Impact Day which will take place on Saturday 16th April in Manchester.

We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming National Impact Day. It will take place on Saturday 16th April at St. John Bosco Parish Hall, 197 Charlestown Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7BD.

This is a brilliant opportunity for the young people in your groups to come together, have fun, make friends and see the advantage of being part of a national movement.

If you are looking to start an Impact group, the Impact Day could act as a great opportunity to gather some young people together from your school, parish or local area. They would be made to feel very welcome and may be inspired by the presence of other groups.

Please ensure you have this date in your diary and let all the young people in your group know as soon as possible. The day will run from 10am until 4pm.

 The day will be made up of various activities for the young people and will finish with a liturgy led by the young people and a social where drinks and snacks will be provided. At various points in the day there will be times of reflection, training and sharing for the chaplains and companions. 

CYMFed Flame 2017

The biggest Catholic youth event in the country is back by popular demand! 

On Saturday 11th March 2017, 10,000 young Catholics will gather at Wembley Arena for CYMFed Flame 2017. As a member of CYMFed (Catholic Youth Ministry Federation) the YCW will be present and have already placed an initial booking of 100 seats. This will allow YCW and Impact members from across England and Wales to share this amazing event together.

To book tickets with the YCW and Impact and to take advantage of the early bird discount, please email YCW HQ at: info@ycwimpact.com

For more information on Flame visit www.cymfed.org.uk/flame2017

You can also find Flame on Facebook at 'CYMFed Flame Congress' and Twitter @FlameCongress

A Christmas message from YCW

Some of the defining news stories of 2015 have been the shocking and terrifying accounts of refugees fleeing their livelihoods due to the war in Syria and the atrocities of Daesh in the Middle East. During this season when we hear of how Jesus, at the very beginning of his life, was treated as a migrant outcast, it is pertinent to reflect upon the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict from his Christmas Midnight Mass homily in 2012.

"Inevitably the question arises, what would happen if Mary and Joseph were to knock at my door. Would there be room for them? ...The great moral question of our attitude towards the homeless, towards refugees and migrants, takes on a deeper dimension: do we really have room for God when he seeks to enter under our roof? Do we have time and space for him? Do we not actually turn away God himself? We begin to do so when we have no time for God."

The National Executive Committee of the YCW wishes you all a very happy Christmas.

The National Headquarters of the movement will close on Wednesday 23rd December and will re-open on Monday 4th January 2016. 

The Nativity scene at the YCW Headquarters in Trafford Park, Manchester.

Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Today, 8th December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, marks the beginning of an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy which will be celebrated by Catholics worldwide.

This Jubilee was first announced in April of this year when a papal bull titled Misericordiæ Vultus was released in which Pope Francis emphasised how we must 'gaze' upon the mercy of God.

Upon announcing the Jubilee, Pope Francis said, 'I am confident that the whole Church, which is in such need of mercy for we are sinners, will be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and rendering fruitful God's mercy, with which we are called to give comfort to every man and every woman of our time. Do not forget that God forgives all, and God forgives always.

The Logo for the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Today's date is also significant as it marks the fifty year anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council in which our founder, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, was as one of the Council Fathers.

The YCW in England and Wales will be marking the Year of Mercy in a number of ways throughout the year, details of which will be announced shortly.

The Vatican have launched a website where you can find more information on the Extraordinary Year of Mercy, www.iubilaeummisericordiae.va

YCW 77th National Council

 The 77th National Council of the YCW in England and Wales will take place on Saturday 28th November at YCW HQ, Trafford Park, Manchester. ALL paid members of the movement are entitled to partake in the Council and vote on the future of the movement. We will also be holding elections for a new National Executive Committee.

COME JOIN US AND WORK FOR A BETTER WORLD!