YCW backs campaign for votes at 16!

The YCW in England and Wales is pleased to announce that it is formally placing its support behind a campaign to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the upcoming referendum which will determine whether the United Kingdom remains a part of the European Union.

The British Youth Council, a charity which empowers young people to have their voice heard within society, has been campaigning for the enfranchisement of 16 and 17 year olds since 1998. The BYC have written to David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK, to urge him to change the rules to allow the voice of young people to be heard in this important decision for the country.

This call comes after the Scottish government allowed young people aged 16 and 17 to vote in the recent referendum on Scottish independence, which many commentators admit was a factor in the engagement of young people in the political debate. 

Phil Callaghan, National President of the YCW said, 'The referendum on whether the UK should remain part of the European Union is a tremendously important event in the history of our country. It is only right that young people should be able to take part in a decision which could have a real and lasting affect on their futures.'

The YCW has contacted the British Youth Council to offer their formal support to this important campaign.  

Fr Peter Ward - Rest in Peace

We are sad to announce the passing of Fr Peter Ward CSSp. As a priest for 48 years, Fr Peter tirelessly served the Church including a period as National Chaplain of the YCW in England and Wales between 1988 and 1992. For funeral arrangements please contact the YCW National headquarters. May he rest in peace.

May Day celebration, a great success!

YCW members past and present as well as chaplains and friends of the movement were amongst those who gathered on Monday 4th May at St Joseph's in Ordsall, Salford to celebrate May Day and the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. 

The Rt. Rev. John Arnold, Bishop of Salford was the principal celebrant at a Mass in which those present gave thanks for the actions that the YCW methodology has inspired and the leadership that it has developed in young people.

In his homily, Bishop John referred to the importance of the unique charism that Joseph Cardijn, the founder of the YCW, received from God and how this has been passed on throughout the world through reaching out to others.

Following the Mass, there was a reception where Phil Callaghan, National President gave a short speech in which he paid special tribute to the presence of the priests and religious present. Referring to the important element of chaplaincy in the movement he quoted a famous line of Cardijn, 'everything by the young people, nothing without the chaplain.'

The parish of St Joseph's in Ordsall has a long connection with the YCW movement in England and Wales and at one point was the home of the national headquarters of the girls movement. Therefore it was fitting that a national celebration of this kind should take place there.

The gathering took place in Salford, with the Bishop, to mark the beginning of the process that will see the National Headquarters of the YCW relocated from the current home of London to a location within the Diocese of Salford. 

To keep in touch with all of the latest news on the relocation of the headquarters, keep checking the latest news on our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, links to which can be found at the bottom of this page.

A group of YCW leaders gathered at the May Day celebration

YCW launch a brand new website!

The YCW in England and Wales is delighted to announce the launch of its new website. After a period of research the new mobile friendly site will be a fantastic tool for young people already in the movement as well as those seeking to be involved.

Paul Batt, the National Secretary of the YCW, said 'This website is a fantastic tool to enable the National Team to connect with their members and other young people. It's vitally important that our methods of communication as a movement progress with the updates in technology.'

The importance of the use of digital media was highlighted by Pope Benedict XVI when he said, 'Believers are increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this existential space is important.'

The website was built in the memory of Father Bernard Woods, a long time chaplain of YCW and Impact in the Diocese of Lancaster who died suddenly in May 2013.

The YCW can also be found online at:

Facebook: 'Young Christian Workers'
Twitter: @YCWImpact
Instagram: ycwimpact

Please enjoy using our new website and let us know what you think!

YCW urges young people to vote!

The Young Christian Workers in England and Wales is encouraging all young people aged 18 and over to use their vote in the upcoming General and local elections. The election comes at a time when the movement is just completing a campaign on working life. 

Phil Callaghan, National President of the YCW said, "Many young people feel disillusioned with politics and understandably so. However, I want to encourage all young people to use their vote so that the voice of the young can dictate the way in which our society is governed."

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are encouraging all Catholics to vote in the upcoming elections. 

Here, Archbishop Peter Smith, the Vice President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference explains the importance of the Christian voice in society.

YCW Leaders commit to act!

Leaders reflect upon what it means to educate others. 

On the weekend of the 13th to the 15th March, YCW members from across England and Wales gathered at Buckden Towers in Cambridgeshire for a weekend of training, reflection and action.

The weekend was focused around the 'Act' phase of the current 'Good Work!' national campaign. During the 'See' phase the movement reflected upon some of the issues that face young people in the 21st century workplace including the rise of 'zero-hour' contracts and the lack of respect witnessed and experienced by many young workers. Through the Scriptures and the rich teachings on work in the social teaching of the Church, the groups and members learned a great deal during the 'Judge' phase about the Church teaching on the dignity of work.

Now in this 'Act' phase, the leaders came together to think about how they can take action on both a personal and movement wide level. There were reflections on how to instil solidarity and subsidiarity within the workplace and amongst workers, which Catholic Social Teaching calls for all Catholics to do. 

To assist in these deliberations, the group were empowered by some input from Fr Jim Clarke and Hugh Foy from the Conforti Insitute in Scotland who reflected back on some of the Scripture passages used in the 'Judge' to consider how we can apply the Gospel message into our everyday lives to effect change amongst people we come into contact with.

Some conclusions from the weekend included a renewed sense of importance from the YCW membership to encourage as many young people as possible to engage with politics and to use their vote at the upcoming General Election in May. The YCW National Team will work on the methods to most effectively achieve this over the coming days and weeks.