An SU Holiday with a difference
4 March 2026
Servant-Hearted Leadership
5 March 2026Cooking at Camp
During the last weekend in March, I was at Lendrick Muir helping in the kitchen for a Motiv8 weekend led by Tim Raynes, Ministry at the Margins Lead, SU Scotland. We were catering for around 20 young people who were joining from two locations in Whiteinch, Glasgow and Wester Hailes, Edinburgh.
Being in the kitchen provides a great perspective. You get a sense of what’s happening at the event, with just a tiny bit of distance from the real action. I had a lot of fun, working with Chief Cook, Becky, finding my way around the smart ovens, chopping quantities of salad and pushing dishes through the industrial dishwasher.
Of course that meant that I was making food when all the activities were happening, but we weren’t disconnected. During the chilly Saturday we took regular orders for hot chocolate to help young people warm up after high ropes adventures and bushcraft activities in the forest. The flexible approach with both the food and the programme was very definitely about responding to each young person’s needs as best we could.
We had the meal cleared up on Saturday evening in time to join a gathering in the Glendevon Lounge where the young people were exploring Jesus’ story about the lost sheep. Their random questions might have sounded like distractions, but actually demonstrated how much they were engaging with the ideas in this timeless story.
On Sunday we moved on to the story of the lost son, taking part in planning a party, watching a powerful animated version of the story, chatting it through in groups and then celebrating in style with fizzy juice and popcorn!
For me a highlight of the event was getting to know some of the team and hearing about why they were part of the event.
Jenna is currently a young volunteer who supports the Whiteinch group. 'I see the young people every Wednesday. A weekend like this can have such a positive impact on developing relationships. It’s hard work, but totally worth it.' Next year Jenna is joining the SU Scotland Gap Year programme, continuing to share her faith with young people.
Angus is just finishing high school and planning to go to university in Glasgow next year to study product design. He helps out at the Whiteinch group on a Wednesday evening. He shares, 'I think it’s the fact that we are with the young people regularly that makes all the difference for an event like this.'
Weekends like this can feel challenging. They are tiring, busy and noisy. Many of the leaders give above and beyond all day, then stay up late to support any of the young people who are unsettled. But these weekends are also deeply rewarding times, where important relationships are built and young people hear about the faith of the adults who are making it all possible.
This Motiv8 event helped build meaningful partnerships at every level—between young people, their leaders, their groups and with SU Scotland. The vision is to see these close partnerships grow, enabling groups to take part in events together more regularly and for young people to benefit in real and lasting ways.
Hilary Phillips
Hilary is a volunteer with SU Scotland and Editor of the @SU magazine.
