It is an exciting time at the beginning of each year as we welcome new participants into the TransformD Discipleship Programme. The first few weeks are always hard as young people start to settle in a new environment, start different routines to what they are used to and get to know a new group of people from different backgrounds. TransformD staff team work exceedingly hard in making sure that the young people feel valued and welcome but also in setting out clearly the objectives of the programme.

This year we welcomed 42 students who come from different places around the country. The first five weeks were hard for some as they struggled to settle in. However, it is always encouraging to hear some of their reflections at the end of the programme. Some found our rules and schedules a bit tough, for example, we require that students do not have their phones during the week to encourage them to spend the time interacting with their new friends and concentrating on the learning both in class and outside the class with less distraction. After the first block, some had promised not to come back for the second block if rules were not going to be changed. But in the end, everybody turned up. In fact, those that had threatened not to come back were among the first to report back. When asked why they came back, one answered, ‘I couldn’t miss the second block.’