In August I was part of a group of young people and leaders from Belfast YMCA who travelled to Munich YMCA for Youth Unify 2026. Youth Unify is a gathering of young people and leaders from all across Europe to come together to grow in Christian faith. During the camp we had a chance to pray, eat and have fun together. During the day there were arts and crafts, sports and leadership workshops, as well as time to attend the main meetings where we heard testimonies of other young people living out their faith which inspired me and many others to dive deeper into our relationship with God.

It’s hard to pick only one highlight of the week because the people who I met on my time away made every moment so special. However, a few standout moments were hiking the alps which gave lots of time to truly get to know the other camp participants, eating the traditional Bavarian food and games night to better understand the culture and finally the campfire and free time to socialise.

The UN International Day of Peace

During my time at Youth Unify I took part in a workshop called “Help Europe Pray”. This workshop involved me as a young person putting forward my ideas and perspective on how YMCA Europe should host an event for the UN International Day of Peace to be more young-person focused. After coming home from Youth Unify I was invited to join the international planning team,which led me to co-hosting the event alongside another young person from Ukraine on the 21st of September. The Prayer for Peace event was a great opportunity for young people and leaders in the YMCA to spend time reflecting on how we can all play our part in bringing peace into our everyday lives. The planning for this event really taught me about the time and effort that goes into these events and helped me to develop skills in planning, public speaking, confidence and leadership.

Aoibhín Bradley
Belfast YMCA