Finding Purpose
Why did you decide to do Year 13?
In year 12, I was keen to think about ministry in the future. I had heard about Year 13 at a Youthworks Study Camp, and it sounded exactly like what I wanted: a year to intentionally grow in my faith, have a chance to serve in ministry in my church.
It was the beginning of my journey to becoming a Kids and Youth Minister. I was still umming and ahhing about things, but it really was helpful to go, ‘Yeah, I want to spend time learning more about the Bible. And I want to be able to teach youth the Bible.’ So it was very helpful.
What was the highlight of your Year 13 experience?
The highlight for me was the opportunity to spend time with other Christians my age in small groups, praying and reflecting on what God was doing in our lives, particularly since we were 18, no longer at school, and in this weird new adventure. So, just being able to navigate some of those changes in a safe community was pretty wonderful.
It was an important part of my faith development because God used that year to challenge and grow me in ways that I hadn’t before. I was probably pretty safe at school and youth group, just cruising. But God really used that year to push me to think intentionally about building some long-term foundations for a lifetime of faith.
How did Year 13 equip you for the job that you’re doing now?
It gave me a desire to serve God long-term whether or not that was in a secular setting. It pushed me to go, no, I think I want to do this as a job. I want to care for young people. And I want to help grow their faith. And I learned skills and got to spend time in the Bible and I just wanted to keep being able to do those and grow those and share that with other people.
(Photo: Renee with 2024 Year 13 mentee, Rhiannon)
How did Year 13 partner with your church to mentor and support you going through the program?
I had a wonderful supervisor when I did it, which is partly why it’s been a privilege for me to supervise a Year 13 youth this year. I had the opportunity to try different things and to be intensely supported by my church that year. For the person I’m mentoring, it’s been a blessing to benefit from the fruit of her growth as she grows in her knowledge and love of God and her skills of leadership. I’ve loved seeing the growth in her confidence as a leader, but really her desire to know the Bible deeper, both for herself, but also so she can teach it to others.
How did Year 13 partner with your church to mentor and support you going through the program?
I’ m super keen to encourage all of our young people to consider taking this when they reach that age. We have about 25 youth, with someone in each grade. So our plan is to push them to think about taking the gap year, and we pray that we might have someone every year for the next 15 years.
Would you recommend the Year 13 gap program to others, and if so, why?
Year 13 was an important part of my faith development. I used that year to challenge myself and grow in a safe and loving community. It’s so worth it to spend an intentional year building long-term foundations for a lifetime of faith. It is, after all, just one year for a lifetime and at a key transition point.
Lots of my friends who got into the first year of university found that their faith really struggled because everything changed all at once. It was hard 14 years ago. I can’t imagine what its like now. The pressures would be even bigger. So, Year 13 would be a really helpful preparation for university.
Anything else that you’d like to share that might be helpful for prospective students and their families to know?
It’s good for churches to think about leadership training and investing in young people. It’s also an opportunity for parents to have other people partner with them in the discipleship of their young people. As their kids finish youth ministry there are now more people who still want to help disciple their kids.
I went to Youthworks College in 2016. I had a few years of work and some study and trying to figure out what God wanted, what was God’s plan for me. Without Year 13 I probably would have floundered a lot more, or at least felt a lot more anxious about not knowing what I was supposed to do because I wrestled with some of that during Year 13. My faith was much stronger because of my time in Year 13.