Introducing…. Isak

Community Youthwork Coordinator for the Stroud Area

So, Isak, How did you come to work for The Door?

I was on placement with Student Ministries in Oxford, working with both the universities and a number of churches. Afterwards, when I moved back to Stroud and I was looking for work, some friends at church encouraged me to apply to work at The Door. I joined the team in 2018 as a Sessional Youthworker, now one year later I’ve loved it so much and I’m super excited to be stepping up into a more senior role as Community Youthwork Coordinator.

That’s quite a job title! What does that actually mean you do at The Door?

In my role I am responsible for the team of Youthworkers who deliver community youthwork and open youth club sessions in the Stroud area. Providing young people with a safe space to socialise and somewhere to feel they belong. This currently includes centres in Stroud, Stonehouse and Avening although we will soon be adding centres in Severnside (Frampton, Harwicke and Slimbridge) which is exciting. My responsibility is to make sure that the team continues to do their incredible work  as positive role models for the young people we serve.

And what are your favourite parts of your role?

Being on the ‘front line’, I love seeing young people as they mature and make progress in their lives. It’s always fascinated me how having a strong moral character can help young people overcome adversity.

Watching as young people ‘click’ and realise that they have worth or empowering them to achieve something they never thought they could, no matter how sm

all.

It’s those small changes every day and big breakthroughs once in a while that make the job so worthwhile. 

You can’t help but grow to love all the young people, even those that seem to think they ‘hate’ you sometimes!

Is that one of the more challenging parts of the role?

There are all sorts of challenges; the biggest for me is time and resource, we so often see a need that we can’t always meet right away and that’s hard.

Making sure we set good discipline is difficult too, maintaining the balance of being fun and open as well as setting boundaries. Sometimes we have to be the ‘bad guy’ in order to keep young people safe, it’s really important but quite a challenge to maintain the rapport with them too.

That must be difficult sometimes.

Now time for some fun stuff; if you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Well I make a mean mac and cheese but I love Pizza so maybe a Mac and Cheese Pizza.

Interesting choice, now sports teams, who’s side are you on?

Any Swedish National Team unless I’m with my Swedish family then its Great Britain or England all the way! When it comes to Football its Forest Green Rovers or Arsenal (but only when I have to choose a Premier League Team). Elsewhere I follow the Green Bay Packers, the New York Rangers and Lewis Hamilton.

You’re definitely a sports fan then,

Yep!

So when you aren’t watching sports or working at The Door what do you get up to?

In my spare time I am involved with Amateur Dramatics as a member of the Cotswold Players.

Excellent, and finally… is there a piece of scripture you would like to share?

Romans 12:2 (The Message Version)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Stay in touch with The Door team online: you can find Isak on Facebook – facebook.com/isak.sandgrenclarke.92

Or to find out about more members of The Door team visit thedoor.org.uk/about/meet-the-team

Introducing… Isak

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