Amplify

Amplify is a weekend away for children and young people aged 8-18 who are connected to Methodist Churches in the West Midlands Methodist District. You might attend church regularly, be part of a youth club or brigade or have links in another way. All are welcome.

The Amplify programme is packed full of fun activities, opportunities to make new friends and a chance to think deeper about where God might be in your life. You will be placed in a pod group with others your age with whom you will take part in outdoor activities like climbing, canoeing and archery. Your pod will also get together with other pods for games, activities and worship each day. In your free time, you will have plenty of space to hang out with your friends old and new, play games, do craft or just have a chat.

All children and young people at Amplify will need to be accompanied by their group leader(s). These group leaders, along with other volunteers, are all safely recruited to volunteer at Amplify. Leaders will take on roles at Amplify to support the whole event so young people will meet other leaders throughout the weekend. All leaders are there with the same goal of enabling children and young people to have a happy, safe and memorable weekend.

Group leaders will co-ordinate their group to attend Amplify. They will be the main point of contact for each group. Group leaders will be positioned in a lodge with the young people from their group and will be responsible for their young people overnight. They will also ensure that medication for the young people in their group is kept securely and given as required. Group leaders will be called upon should there be any issues with members of their group such as poor behaviour, illness or an upset. All group leaders will take on event leaders’ roles, all of which have been designed to be compatible with the role of a group leader.

Leaders can choose from the following roles: pod leader, activity leader and lodge host.

The role of pod leader is a pastoral role which involves working with a co-leader to lead a small group of children and young people. They will accompany the group to their outdoor activities and have the option to take part alongside their group. They will also check in regularly with the group in their age stream activities.

The role of an activity leader is to host a space during free time activities. This will include the craft room, board game space and the sports hall. Activity leaders will also have the chance to lead a session if they wish to. In the past we have had D&D sessions and a choir.

The role of lodge host is to make the lodges (sleeping areas) calm, welcoming and safe spaces. In the evenings and at certain points in the day, lodge hosts will provide drinks for those in their lodge. During the day, they will supervise the lodge and enforce rules around use of bedrooms. Overnight in the event of a fire alarm, they will be the fire marshals for their lodge.

There are also some specific leaders’ roles for those with relevant training. The additional needs team are a specialist team who host a quiet room and support young people to access the programme. The safeguarding team are safeguarding officers in their home churches and circuits and work to ensure the whole event is safe. If you have skills in these areas and would like to offer to be part of these teams, please be in touch.

Booking on to Amplify is straightforward. Booking is open from 12th October until 20th December 2026 and tickets are sold on a first-come first-served basis. Tickets cost £55 for children and young people and £10 for leaders. To book follow this link which will take you to the ticketing site. You will choose how many tickets you need and input information for each attendee. If you are booking a large group, it is recommended you book no more than 6 at a time as the system is known to time out after approximately 30 minutes at busy times. Payment will be taken after you have inputted your information with all common debit and credit cards accepted. If you are booking for a group, you can download this info gathering form which you can share with parents/carers/other leaders to ensure that you have all the information you’ll need when you are completing the booking.