oxygennews

Chessington Urban Nites returns

The Urban nites team started back in Chessington on Wednesday this week. This post Easter group of Oxygen workers and volunteers is a development on the work previously laid down. Where as previous teams wandered the streets looking for where the young people were hanging out, now the team gather in one place where the young people come to them. Amazingly on this, the first week back after a couple of months break the team were descended on by a good group of up to a dozen young people, who arrived shortly after the team and stayed with them for the full 2 hours. Good in depth conversations were held with 6 of the young people all left encouraged and inspire to return. This is a great encouragement and answer to the prayer for the re emergence of this element of OXygen's work South of the Borough. Now building on this positive start the team are looking to build on this 1st week as they return each Wednesday between 7 and 9pm. Please do pray for them as they continue to return, if you would like more information, or would like to visit then contact info@oxygen-online.org

ID Launched at Coombe Boys

Oxygen’s work at Coombe Boys is set to expand this week with a pilot of a new project, ID.

Launched at Tolworth Girls School in 2005, ID gives up to 15 targeted pupils from either year’s 7, 8 or 9 are taken out of school for one afternoon per week. The aim is to provide them an alternative, yet informative space where they engage in positive educational play, learning more about themselves and the world, as well as developing social skills and increasing self worth. As they journey together they are given opportunities to explore belief, belonging and behaviour.

ID is to be run at Coombe Boys School for one afternoon per week as a pilot in the summer term 2008, after which it will be assessed and potentially developed for more afternoons in the 2008/9 academic year.

1. Please pray for Kate Davies as she leads this all new project
2. pray for the oxygen and church volunteers involved
3. please also pray for the young people referred to come along because of their increased level of need

For more information on ID, download the ID information sheet

Borough-thon 27th May

To mark the first seven successful years of their work with young people and to help fund work in the next seven, myself and a group of Oxygen staff, gap workers and volunteers are going to undertake the mammoth task of visiting each of the 18 Oxygen projects in just 7 hours.

Leaving the Oxygen centre at 10am,we will head out to the Cambridge Estate, Kingsnympton Estate, Richmond Park, Kingston Vale, North Kingston, Kingston town Centre, Surbiton town centre, the Alpha Estate, Tolworth Girls School, Hook’s Devon Way Youth Centre, Chessington Methodist Church, Venner Youth Centre, Coombe Boys School, New Malden High Street, Kingston Road, before arriving back at Oxygen by 5pm . Altogether we will cover around 20 miles as they span the entire width of Kingston Borough.

Would you consider making a donation towards our sponsored efforts via:
http://www.justgiving.com/boroughthon

All donations are secure and sent electronically to Oxygen. If you are a UK taxpayer, Justgiving will automatically reclaim 28% Gift Aid on your behalf, so your donation is worth even more. 

Thanks and best wishes,

Richard

The 2008 Borough Community Road Shows

The Kingston Borough Community Road Shows are RBK organised events intended to reach out to the local community to promote services and important issues and they are looking for groups to come along and be involved. They are looking for a wide range of services and organizations for families with children and young people aged 0-19 to be available with activities, goodies and details about their service.

Following the great success of last years Road Show events across the borough, the Extended School Managers are pleased to announce details of the 2008 Road Shows. The details of the dates and venues for this years road shows are:

• Tuesday 24th June 2008, Alexandra Recreation Ground, Surbiton
• Friday 27th June 2008, Dinton Fields, St Agatha’s Drive, Kingston
• Wednesday 2nd July 2008, Dickerage Adventure Playground, Dickerage Lane, New Malden
• Thursday 3rd July 2008, Churchfields, off Compton Crescent, Chessington

The road shows will run after school, 3.00-6.00pm with set up from 1.30pm. There is no cost for being involved. It would be great for us as Oxygen to work with churches in each area to promote the work underway in that location. In addition to working with Oxygen, any group who wish to run their own stall would find themselves coming into contact with children, young people and families from across the community.

For more information on this great event and Oxygen's input contact Richard James on 020 8547 0566 or email richard@oxygen-online.org

The 2008 Borough Community Road Shows

The Kingston Borough Community Road Shows are RBK organised events intended to reach out to the local community to promote services and important issues and they are looking for groups to come along and be involved. They are looking for a wide range of services and organizations for families with children and young people aged 0-19 to be available with activities, goodies and details about their service.

Following the great success of last years Road Show events across the borough, the Extended School Managers are pleased to announce details of the 2008 Road Shows. The details of the dates and venues for this years road shows are:

• Tuesday 24th June 2008, Alexandra Recreation Ground, Surbiton
• Friday 27th June 2008, Dinton Fields, St Agatha’s Drive, Kingston
• Wednesday 2nd July 2008, Dickerage Adventure Playground, Dickerage Lane, New Malden
• Thursday 3rd July 2008, Churchfields, off Compton Crescent, Chessington

The road shows will run after school, 3.00-6.00pm with set up from 1.30pm. There is no cost for being involved. It would be great for us as Oxygen to work with churches in each area to promote the work underway in that location. In addition to working with Oxygen, any group who wish to run their own stall would find themselves coming into contact with children, young people and families from across the community.

For more information on this great event and Oxygen's input contact Richard James on 020 8547 0566 or email richard@oxygen-online.org

Greenbelt Bound Oxygen

Youth festival, music festival, political festival, evangelical festival, development festival, broke festival, harvest festival… there’s something in all these myths about Greenbelt that is accurate, but nothing entirely true. As an event Greenbelt knows no parallels and as a result it has become a must for thousands music and arts lovers from across the world. Greenbelt 2008 features a wide range of music, arts as well as talks by best-selling authors Philip Yancey, Joel Edwards, Brian McLaren and Frank Shaeffer. See the emerging line ups at: www.greenbelt.org.uk

For the fourth year the Oxygen team are planning on attending Greenbelt and are inviting young and old to come along! As a group of oxygen gathered travellers we want to head off and have a great time together, eating, camping, cooking, and enjoying what is on offer. Booking is on a first come first serve basis so don’t miss out getting this application and deposit cheque in so assure your place!

Price: Adult= £100 (£80 ticket and £20 for transport and food) Adult Concession (18plus, on unemployment benefit, students in full time education, or church leaders)= £73 (£53 ticket and £20 for transport and food).Youth (13-17)= £65 (£45 ticket and £20 transport and food), then that cost will need to be added on top). If you would like to come then you need to complete the enclosed application form, getting it with your deposit cheque in as soon as possible.

Tea and Cakes @ Rm1

Old fashioned family time has become one of the highlights of Oxygen's all new Rm1 project at Coombe Boys School in recent months. Each week those young people who are coming gather in the room straight after school and takes their first 1/2 hour to run off their energy, as they play pool, computer games or simply RELAX on the Rm1 sofa. But this post school energetic hyperactivity soon comes to an end and these emerging teenagers are then often found in the kitchens with the Oxygen workers, making cakes, buttering toast and preparing tea that can then be brought in to the Rm1 tables which they and the Oxygen workers gather round for a daily catch up, talking about the news from the day. 

So if you were to spy on Rm1 on most weekday evenings you would find groups of young people and Oxygen workers exchanging stories of frustration and hope, as they eat toast and cake and drink tea and juice. For those of a previous generation who find themselves confused by contemporary youth culture, here is a message of good news. The old fashioned ways of eating and talking together are making their way back and being seen as the some of the most powerful connectors with today’s young people!So if you are interested in sharing tea and cakes with pupils at Rm1 then we would love to hear from you. These young people would love someone to sit and chat with. Age is not important although we would love to increase our ‘more senior’ volunteers!  

Simply email us so we can talk to you about helping out, and who knows we could all be eating your favourite cakes at Rm1 soon!  

   

Oxygen is now on Facebook

Oxygen is now on Facebook. Here we have posted the pictures from thevent as well as news of forthcoming events. Become our friend by clicking here:  

   

 

Street Pastors

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