wrSome of the really big issues are just the things that young people really feel passionate about. They want to feel empowered to be heard. They have some great ideas and they are much more in touch with modern thinking.

The competition is about enabling young people to have a chance to express their views. Do they feel that faith is a vital part of modern day living? Does faith give young people chance to make connections between issues and ideals associated with faith?

Some of the titles are;

  • Do you need to be religious to be good?
  • How can one person improve the lived of the world’s poorest?
  • Is believing more important than belonging?

To enter the competition you need to be between 13 and 21 years. And the topics make a really good talking point for groups of young people.
The full details are available on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website and also on the Norwich Diocese website.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said,

“If we want to nurture a really articulate public argument about the great issues of our times, we have to make sure that younger citizens have the confidence to make themselves heard. One of the most depressing things that can happen to young people is a climate, whether in school or out of it, that gives them the message that they’re not worth listening to…And if you believe that religious faith is one of the things that quite rightly gets people talking, for and against, it is important to help younger people make the connections between the issues of the day and the ideas and ideals associated with faith. They may want to argue furiously against it or they may discover that it has more to say to them than they expected. But it is wonderful when there is an environment in which those connections can be made.”
Archbishop Rowan Williams, 15th January 2011

So, time to get writing

Sue Martin