The Upper Room Leadership Programme will take participants on a journey of profound discovery and formation, both practical and spiritual. Its aim is simple: to form young Catholic leaders and to give them the tools necessary to lead young people in their parishes.
Over the course of a year, the young leaders will be given the necessary training for building and leading youth groups in their parishes, as well as growing in their own spiritual life.
The call to leadership is an invitation to make a real difference. We warmly invite you to apply, to begin this journey of discerning what the Lord is calling you to do.
Testimonies
The Upper Room Programme has been an immense blessing and I would urge any young Catholic to take part in it. Not only has it widened my community of Catholic friends, but empowered me to share my faith in new ways with young people. I’ve grown in knowledge and faith, and am so excited to share that in Lourdes with the other Redcaps. It has allowed me to be a part of something bigger than my own faith journey, and in doing so has really made me even more passionate about sharing the love and joy of God. The monthly sessions have resulted in me considering the faith from many different perspectives, in art or prayer for example, and has been a great reminder that we can see the Lord in everything. I would really recommend people to try the programme for themselves, as the formation, community and joy that you can gain from it really is wonderful!
The Upper Room sessions have been great; we have formed bonds with each other through learning completely new things, and learning different ways on how to interact with young people. The Adoration and prayer opportunities truly made me feel God’s presence, and the Upper Room sessions also taught us how to share this with other young people. I am glad to have had this opportunity to participate in the Upper Room programme.
Programme Content
See the drop-down menu below for session details; please note that some dates may be subject to change, but any changes will be communicated with sufficient advance warning. During the candidate selection process, priority will be given to those who can attend all sessions.
October
Date: Saturday, 18 October 2025
Time: 17:00-20:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
We launch the course with our first session being held at the Retreat Centre here Pinner. In this session, we get to know our new ‘Upper Roomers’, and we dive into the WHY driving our journey over the next few months. The evening will include a workshop, a commissioning Mass, and a shared meal.
November
Date: Saturday, 15th November 2025
Time: ALL DAY
Location: Central London (multiple locations)
The young people we encounter are faced with everyday topics that compete for their attention. It is important as youth leaders to be aware of what they are faced with on a day to day basis. We will walk around Soho to identify some of the big marketing strategies or themes. We will then reflect on our own parishes and identify how we can make them places where young people can flourish.
December
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Time: 11:00-16:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
Today’s session kickstarts the practical element of leadership and equips you with the tools and knowledge you will need to lead a youth group. As we approach the time when you will be involved in (or leading!) your parish’s youth ministry, you will feel ever more equipped to develop projects, run sessions, and bring young people to an encounter with Christ.
We will cover the ‘Four Fs’ of a great youth session, and will learn about how to construct a session from beginning to end in the planning stages.
January
Date: Saturday, 10 January 2026
Time: 11:00-16:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre
Today we dive further into our leadership training; you will leave this session with the practical expertise necessary to run an session for young people. Jesus calls us to grow in the spiritual qualities required to be great leaders, but he also called us to be grounded and responsible leaders. With this in mind, today we cover essential training in building safe spaces in which youth can thrive, and we will also complete the documentation required for you to take on a leadership role within a parish. Today’s meeting will also feature First Aid training, for which you will receive a certificate.
We will be encouraging you to either assist with, or launch, a youth group in your parish in February, and so today’s training is the first step in making that happen.
February
Date: Saturday, 7 February 2026
Time: 11:00 – 14:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
Many times in the gospels we hear how Jesus would spend time in prayer with the Father. The discples noticed this and asked him to teach them how to pray. Prayer serves as one of the key foundations of our faith, but do we truly understand how to lead others to prayer? In this session we will learn about different styles of prayer that can lead others to an encounter with Christ.
March
Date: Saturday, 7 March 2026
Time: 11:00-16:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, Pinner HA5 3EP
PIT STOP. In this session we reverse the roles. The student becomes the teacher. Participants will prepare a youth session to deliver to the rest of the team, building on all of the new skills they have learnt up till now.
April
Date: Saturday, 18 April, 2026
Time: 11:00-16:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
In this session we will learn about authority and empowerment and how they co-exist in a leadership setting. We will discuss behaviour managemnet, public speaking and empowering young people in parish life.
May
Date: Saturday, 16 May 2026
Time: 11:00-16:00
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
As we continue to look towards Lourdes and our task as chaplains to the young Redcaps, we turn towards Our Lady as our Mother and role model as leaders. Today we particularly look to Mary as the model of discerning leaders, and we examine why discernment is crucial for good leadership.
As this is our final training session before Lourdes, we’ll learn about how pilgrimage is an example of God’s leadership style. We’ll also cover some skills necessary for our chaplain duties in serving the diocesan Redcaps. These will include:
How to lead spiritual conversations
How to accompany young people in meeting Jesus
Evangelising through example
June
Date: TBC (towards the end of June 2026)
Time: TBC
Location: SPEC Retreat Centre, 125 Waxwell Lane, Pinner, HA5 3EP
Lourdes is just one month away, and this month you will play a key role in helping to train and support other volunteers and leaders coming with us on the pilgrimage. This month we have a training day for all those serving in Lourdes; a day of community-building, discussion, prayer and preparation for Lourdes, in which you will be given roles to assist with the delivery of the day. You will also have the chance to meet, and learn from, volunteers with many years’ experience of the diocesan pilgrimage, and it will be a precious opportunity for you to grow and prepare.
FAQs
Who is it for?
Young people between the ages of 17-30
You must have turned 18 by January 2026
When is it?
October 2025 – July 2026
Why in person?
As Catholics, we believe that we are all members of one body, the Church, and that we are best able to build each other up when we are with each other. We also believe that the physical world is the REAL world, where word becomes flesh and lives among us. Communion, in the Eucharist and in our togetherness, is impossible to achieve digitally. We need to come together.
What if I don’t live in the Diocese of Westminster?
In the event that you live just beyond the Diocesan boundary, or you are temporarily living outside the Diocese but have a strong personal connection and are likely to return in the near future, we will consider your application.
Do I have to be Catholic?
In registering for this programme, you are beginning preparation for a Catholic leadership position, and so being Catholic is a requirement.
What is expected of me?
By being selscted to join the Upper Room programme we expect that you attend each monthly session, have a working realtionship with your parish priest and set up a parish youth group (where possible).
What can you expect from the Youth Ministry team?
You can expect us to provide you highly quality training as well as accompany on the journey to ministering to the youth of your parish.
Do parish priests need to do anything?
We ask that your parish priest is involved as best as he can be. It is essential for the programme that you have a working relationship with him as he is the decision-maker of the parish, and thus need his permission to start a youth group. We will be asking your parish priest for a reference when you sign up as well as be in contact to track your progress within the parish.
What if I am unable to set up a youth group in my parish?
If for whatever reason you are unable to set up a youth group, we encourage you to speak with your parish priest if you can be involved in sacramental preparation. The tools you gain on this programme will help you to flourish as a well rounded leader. Most often sacramental catechisis can be a gateway into openeing a youth group in the parish.
What good will it do for my parish?
In many parish there is a question of how do we keep the young people coming to church, what can we provide for them? Quite often there are many prayer groups, men’s and women’s gorup, coffee mornings, but only sacramental preparttion for the youth, that is usually only one year and then they vanish into thin air. The Upper Room Programme seeks to change that by equipping young adults to lead groups where the youth of the parish can feel part of the wider community. It requires a specific set of skills and language to minister to young people and we provide them over the course of the programme.
What’s included?
We are providing a 50% subsidy for the Lourdes pilgrimage. For the monthly sessions, if travelling to Central London could be a financial difficulty, we do not want this to prevent you from being part of the programme and are open to supporting. We will review this with you individually.
Please email youth@rcdow.org.uk if this applies to you or mention this in your application
