|TOP|ROOTS, The Salvation Army’s largest annual conference in the UK and Republic of Ireland, will launch two new venues for youth this year, Blast (ages 11-15) and Park Life for young adults (ages over 16).

The programmes are being designed to fulfil the needs of the multiple age groups within it more specifically, with seminars and teaching sessions tailored more specifically to the questions and issues people are experiencing at their stage of life. Both programmes will be proceed with the theme ’Metamorphosis,' exploring questions of transformation.

‘Blast,’ is about "letting the God of heaven stick some dynamite under you and your world, blowing you away by his love and power and making sure that nothing will ever be the same again when you go back home," according to the organisation’s website.

Hosted by Phil Ball, Jo Taylor, Sandjae-Marie Clark, Dweeb, Doug Ross, and Jon Grant, there will be fast-moving teaching, powerful worship from bands and djs, space for prayer, as well as stacks of opportunities to explore God. |QUOTE|

'Park Life' will be held in Princess Park and will provide opportunities for attendees to ‘talk about life’. The programme will feature Electralyte, DJ Jim Rivers, speakers, teachers, hosts and artists, who will ‘transform this park into a place where attendees can encounter life in all sorts of ways.

The programme will also be facilitated by ALOVE UK (as a partner of ROOTS) and in various ways, will focus on the four essentials of ALOVE: 'worship, discipleship, mission and social action.'

Andrew Grinnell, ALOVE’s Programme and Resources Officer, overseer of the new programmes comments: “We’re really excited about Blast and Park Life. We’re really sensing that young people want to step things up at ROOTS, so these new programmes will provide an opportunity to shift things up a gear; to infuse the old with some new flavours; to spice things up and go further in becoming all that God wants us to be in the future.”