CYM relaunches as an independent college 

The Institute for Children, Youth and Mission – CYM – is is poised to equip a new generation of children and youth workers after relaunching as an independent college focused on supporting ministry and mission for children, young people and families

Having previously had a multiple ‘centre’ approach to teaching, from September 2021 CYM will be operating out of one dedicated, centralised teaching function.  

The specialist BA and MA degrees are now accredited by Newman University. The focus of CYM’s practice-based training is two-fold: to equip people to work in churches and Christian voluntary sector organisations, and also to prepare people to work in the wider statutory and voluntary sector in related fields.

By offering specialist degrees and short course training, CYM is able to support churches, charities, and chaplaincies to train children, youth and family workers, and volunteers to serve across diverse settings. 

Baptist minister Sarah Fegredo is an Executive Trustee of CYM. She said, 'CYM’s aim is to support the church in the pivotal moment we are in both through coronavirus but also through the need to inspire new communities and generations.  

'There is no doubt that the pandemic has taken a huge toll on families across the nation and as the church looks to meet the needs of people in their community, connecting with children, young people and their carers is a growing priority. 

'We are already seeing many communities and churches rethinking their mission to ‘the lost generation’ (0-30 age group) and investing in learning and development in this area. Equipping a new generation of workers in this field will undoubtedly have a positive impact and CYM is ready to offer this support with our specialist training programmes.'

Like many academic institutions who have had to adapt their models since the pandemic hit, CYM has seen new opportunities for offering a wider training portfolio alongside their specialist degrees. 

Sarah continues, 'Our degrees courses have been around for 20 years and are well known for offering the mixed teaching and practical approach that many workers in the field look for. We are hitting the refresh button on these courses now and have established a new teaching centre in Nottingham.

'This central location in the Midlands, creates an accessible location for when face-to-face teaching resumes; in the meantime our students are effectively accessing learning and pastoral support remotely.  

'Alongside that we are now offering a portfolio of new CPD short courses that are ideal for anyone exploring new ministry areas, wanting to boost their confidence or refresh their knowledge.' 
 

Applications are now open for CYM’s BA and MA degree courses starting September 2021.

Find out about more about CYM training at cym.ac.uk.