infusenews

MIND THE GAP: Mortlake & Sheen

Oxygen, Kingston YFC are looking for one special person to join its MIND THE GAP programme in Sept 2008 who can be involved in an exciting partner project in Mortlake & East Sheen called the Mortlake Youth Project.

What is the Mortlake Youth Project
The Mortlake Youth Project was launched in 2007 by the churches in that area who came together with the support of Oxygen to develop a new work. The plan is to use the Oxygen model of church and community partnership to develop a new work that both engages and reaches out to young people in Mortlake and East Sheen.

The work in its initial year was staffed by two gap year workers, now in 2008-9 it is to be staffed by one part time senior project worker and one full time Oxygen Gap Year Worker. The job of this small team of workers is to work at engaging with young people both inside and outside the church, as well as continuing to train, develop and encourage the church on what implications the youth ministry options are brining.

Who are the Churches involved?
The Mortlake with East Sheen Team Ministry are all based in the Church of England parish that serves an area of South West London between the Thames and Richmond Park. The three churches work closely together to celebrate the Christian faith through worship, pastoral care, education, community action and outreach. Much of our ministry is undertaken jointly, but each church also has its own distinctive contribution to make. The churches have a middle to high tradition of worship, as well as a strong emphasis on community and youth engagement.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for someone who can work with the part time church youthworker, supporting them in their work, whilst suggesting and new ideas. As well as church and community based activities they would also be involved in developing Boatdeck 42, the churches new riverside drop in centre.

This post would suit someone who either wanted to enter full time youthwork and would like further experience first, or it would suit someone who was wanting to give heart and soul to a group of young people in order to seek community transformation.

The appointed person would function as part of the wider Oxygen team of Gap Year workers and would be provided accomodation, and allowance and a training budget to support and develop themsleves throughout the year.

1. You can read more about the churches themselves here
2. You can read the Report from the end of year 1 here
3. You can download information and application on the Oxygen's MIND THE GAP year here

Tags: gapyear, mortlake, sheen, mind the gap, youthwork

Teens fear becoming victims of knife crime

More than half of teenagers fear becoming victims of knife crime in the summer months, a survey has shown.

The study also found that 75 per cent of young people do not think London mayor, Boris Johnson will be able to reduce knife crime. The poll was carried out by BBC London and quizzed 501 young people aged between 13 and 18 in the London boroughs of Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Lambeth, and Southwark.

Additionally, 45 per cent of young people said they knew someone who had been a victim of knife crime and 32 per cent said fear was a reason for people carrying weapons. In London alone, 21 teenagers have died through violence this year.

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/834668/Teens-fear-becoming-victims-knife-crime/

Media Research Statistics

1. One in five young men have been threatened with a knife and almost half know someone it has happened to, a survey reveals today.
2. The poll of 1,000 young people gives a bleak impression of increasing street violence and fear, which has left 78% of those questioned afraid to walk the streets.
3. After a spate of fatal stabbings, many felt pressured to carry a weapon (15%) and more than a quarter (27%) knew at least one person their age who did so. Many (11%) had been asked to join a gang.
4. The survey, by Media Research in June, showed young men and women were also increasingly affected by depression, stress and drugs.
5. The 16 to 24-year-olds reported more personal and social problems than those surveyed a year ago.
6. A majority of youngsters also said they had to deal with their worries alone. Almost a quarter could never talk to their parents about their concerns; 8% sought help in internet chatrooms; and only 6% had sought professional help.
7. The survey comes at a time of growing concern about the wellbeing of young people, after a UN report said UK children suffer greater deprivation, worse relationships with their parents and are exposed to more risks from alcohol, drugs and unsafe sex than those in any other wealthy country in the world.
8. But almost two-thirds of the young people polled said they feel the media misrepresents the issues facing young people.
9. Girls were more likely to suffer depression than boys, the survey found and almost 50% know at least one person their age with mental health problems. 56% said they knew at least one person with a drug addiction

VACANCY: Youthworker N. Dorset

The Methodist Church (North Dorset Circuit) are looking for a Church Youth & Children’s Worker for a part–time post in the Sturminster Newton area.

THey have an opportunity to build on existing youth and children’s work in a group of local churches. We seek a third member of our new Circuit team. You will lead volunteers in regular church-based clubs, arrange local youth programmes, and attend larger events. There will be encouragement to develop new work. You need to be enthusiastic about nurturing Christian faith in children and accompanying young people on their spiritual journey.

12 hours/wk (flexible, evening/weekend working)
Funding secure for four years.
Salary - JNC Scale Youth & Community Workers, depending on qualification/experience.

Application pack from:
Janet Cole, 22 Millbrook Close, Child Okeford DT11 8HA
01258 860837 email janetacole@tiscali.co.uk

Closing Date: Wednesday 13th August, for interviews in August.

Young People are good!

Taken from the BBC website....."Reading the great British press, one might be forgiven for thinking that all our teenagers are binge-drinking, drug-addled, knife-wielding thugs ready to leap out and stab a granny for a fiver. There is a real problem with knife-crime in some parts of the UK, let's not pretend otherwise. And there are many other problems concerning young people in this country.

But I thought it might be timely to remind ourselves that youth doesn't necessarily mean yob. So here are ten reasons to cheer our teenagers:

1. Teenagers are more likely to do voluntary work than people from any other generation. In fact, they are 10 times more likely to be volunteering in our communities than regularly being antisocial in them.

2. More teenagers than ever before are staying on at school after 16 to study.

3. And more than ever are going on to further and higher education.

4. Despite the vilification, young people are far more likely to say England is a good place to grow up in (90%) than adults ( 71%).

5. And yet it is young people who are the most likely to be victims of crime.

6. They work hard at school - a record 62% of teenagers achieved 5 GCSEs grades A-C last year compared with 44% a decade earlier and 26% ten years before that.

7. Nearly two-thirds of 10-to-15-year-olds have helped raise money for charity.

8. According to English schools inspectors, bad behaviour in comprehensives is at its lowest level for at least a decade.

9. 175,000 under 18-year-olds are unpaid carers in the UK with some 13,000 providing more care than a full-time job (50+ hours).

10. In a recent survey more than nine out of ten young people said they thought their schoolwork was important and more than three-quarters enjoyed going to school.

Bold & Courageous Gap Years

This summer, amidst the revelling of summer sunshine and celebrations of Olympic competitions, hundreds of thousands of young people will reach a crucial milestone in their lives. August 14th is their d-day, the day that they will finish secondary school and be presented with the results of their A level studies.

For young people in decades gone by this end of secondary school journey used to bring them to a decision making fork in the road. Their options were simple, turn right and choose the higher education path that often led away from home and onto University (or polytechnic!) and the life of a student, or turn left and take a career and the world of work, being paid with no more exams.

However in recent decades a new path has emerged at the end of the secondary school journey, one that heads up right up the middle of these two historical options. This new path, seemingly short when it first emerged, is one that provides a decision making 18 year old the chance ‘to explore the world’ or ‘learn more about themselves’ as they seek new experiences, opportunities and ventures. This new third option is the gap year, a chance to do something different, to take up to 12 months exploring, enjoying and investigating the world. Estimates at the number of young people who now take gap years is set between 30,000 and 100,000 , with the participant spending around £4,800 for their experiences.

Read the rest of this article by clicking here

Make a Difference your own way.....

Have you ever wanted to make a difference? Well, so do we. Sometimes however, life can get in the way.

But what if you could devote a whole year of your time to a charity and get paid to do it? Vodaphone are offering the amazing chance to work for a charity of your choice, plus you could earn up to £25,000 plus £20,000 in expenses for your time. It's all thanks to World of Difference, a programme established by The Vodafone Group Foundation.

They have four places to offer, so if you are ready to follow your calling, apply now. Applications close 31 July 2008.

www.vodafone.com/world_of_difference.html

WANTED: Project Worker, 14 hrs pw

Kingston Voluntary Action (Registered Charity No 257551) are looking for a Project Worker for 14 hours per week, Salary: £10,241 p.a. including OLW

In an exciting opportunity to take forward an important piece of work for the benefit of Kingston’s children and young people. As project worker, you will involve and support voluntary, community and not-for-profit independent organisations in Kingston’s Children’s Trust arrangements. Key areas include representation, capacity building, multi agency working and workforce development.

You will have excellent communication skills, a knowledge of the Every Child Matters agenda and an understanding of workforce development issues particularly in the voluntary and community sector.

For further information and an application pack please
email : lyndae@kva.org.uk
Or download from www.kva.org.uk
Or telephone on 020 8255 3335.