Last week, a new Bishop was appointed for the Catholic Diocese of Bauchi, Nigeria and he is Monsignor Malachy John. Before his appointment as bishop, he worked as Catholic priest after his ordination in 1990 in the Diocese of Bauchi and Jos at different parishes and had other appointments in the Dioceses. We are happy about this news because the Sharing Education and Learning for Life (SELL) programme came to Bauchi on the invitation of late Bishop John Moore of Bauchi Diocese and since his demise in January 2010. We have been hoping that someone will be appointed soon to take up from where the late Bishop stopped. We on the SELL Team are looking forward to having a good working relationship with the new Bishop.

It is always very difficult to establish good working relationships with a new group, this is because they may not know what you have to offer until they have experienced it at least once or twice. The Sharing Education and Learning for Life Team could not hold last Saturday’s workshop with the leaders of Christ the King Covenant Church of Grace and the Yelwa wing of the Christian association of Nigeria (CAN) youth executives. This was due to reasons the participants said was beyond their control, even though the plan to hold it was disturbed at the last hour. Still at that, Leo and I were at the workshop venue, we were not discouraged but we encouraged ourselves hoping that we will build better relationships with these groups. Both groups were sent messages to look for other possible dates so that we hold workshops with them.

The SELL team is free of workshops this weekend but the week has being busy with meetings and planning on how to better the SELL programme. 

UPCOMING EVENT 

The Provincial Youth Chaplains of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Jos which comprises of Maiduguri, Yola, Jalingo, Bauchi, Jos and Shendam will be having their annual meeting with members of the SELL Resource Team to discuss on the issues concerning the SELL programme as it is being run in their various areas.

I look forward to meeting you again next week, stay with us. 

Maria 

For the SELL Team.

n April 2009, the first facilitators training for the Sharing Education and Learning for Life (SELL) programme took place at the Youth Formation Centre (YFC) Bauchi, Nigeria. Those that came for the facilitators training were mainly drawn from Bauchi. Others who came from Minna, Abuja and Port Harcourt all towns in Nigeria, were a special request from people who are friends of the SELL programme from those areas and they took the responsibility to sponsor their transportation fare to and fro the venue of the training and also to provide the trainees with the necessary support they needed to run the programme in those areas.

After the first training, all the trainees went back to their areas and delivered the SELL workshop to youths in their local communities. The group of facilitators from Port Harcourt was not an exception, they also went back and started the SELL Programme. Along the line, the facilitators training from Port Harcourt couldn’t make it to complete the three phase of the training, these was due to some hitches they encountered in the course. However, Leo and Jonathan will be in Port Harcourt to work with some young adults at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Woji, Port Harcourt from the 8th – 13th march 2011. Some members of the Port Harcourt SELL team will be at the workshop to support Leo and Jonathan. A detailed report of this workshop and the workshop the duo had with the friends of St. Patrick’s last weekend at Uyo shall be brought to you next week.

Last week, I informed you that Mary, Moses and I will deliver a Personal Growth workshop of the SELL Programme to the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN youth wing Yelwa Community branch in Bauchi, Nigeria. The workshop took place and a participant Deborah confessed that this workshop has given her the opportunity to share on very vital issues that has and is affecting her, she also added that the significance of that day to her is enormous and will never forget it. Though the turnout of participants for the workshop was not so encouraging at least the few that attended were greatly touched. 


Upcoming workshops

This weekend, Moses, Mary and I will be at Christ the king Covenant of Grace church in Bauchi, Nigeria to deliver a workshop to the youths of the church on the Leadership unit of the SELL programme. Last year in September, the Team went there for the first time and gave a workshop on the Personal Growth unit of the SELL Programme. I wish the SELL Resource Team success in this weekend’s workshops.

I want to express our thanks to you for being with us on this blog, stay tuned.

Maria, 

For the SELL Resource Team.

The Sharing Education and Learning for life (SELL) programme has not relented in her work with young adults and other friends of the programme who request to have a taste of the programme. This is why the SELL Team will split into two this weekend (4th – 6th, 2011) to deliver the SELL programme in 2 different Places. Moses, Mary and I hope to be at Yelwa community of Bauchi state in Nigeria, to work with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Youth wing. The workshop is going to be on the Personal Growth unit of the SELL Programme. This same weekend, Leo and Jonathan both members of the SELL Resource team will be delivering a SELL workshop to a group called the Friends of St. Patrick’s in Uyo the Capital of Akwa-Ibom state, Nigeria. 

We shall bring you update on these workshops in our next week’s blog.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Next weekend 11th – 13th 2011, Moses and I will be with the Youths of Kings Covenant of Grace Church in Bauchi state, Nigeria to give them another unit of the SELL Programme. Last year in September, the SELL Team met this group and delivered the Personal Growth unit of the SELL Programme to them. 

• Leo and Jonathan after the workshop in Uyo, will travel to Port Harcourt to deliver a Personal Growth workshop of the SELL Programme to the Youths of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Woji. This will take place on the 8th – 13th March 2011.

Thank you for staying with us, until we come with next week’s update.

Maria, 

For the SELL Resource Team.