oxygennews

the basement interviews

Oxygen on Premier Radio

What can be done about the problems of young people and antisocial behaviour, what can we do but also remain true to our calling to share the good news of Jesus relevantly with young people. These are the issues that were discussed on a premier interview recently when Oxygen Director Richard James, joined editor of youthwork magazine Martin Saunders to discuss the challenges of youthwork on the Premier Radio breakfast show.

You can listen to this interview by clicking the player below or by downloading the Oxygen audio podcast (available via www.oxygen-online.org/podcast) The entire interview lasts about 48 minutes, but provides some interesting discussion points.

Boroughthon 2008

Embedded Video

It started at 10.30 and finished just before 6pm, it lasted around 20 miles and involved many sore feet and sweaty people.

It was the the Oxygen 2008 Boroughthon involved the Oxygen team, volunteers and young people spanning the entire length, breadth and width of the Borough to visit the site of each of the Oxygen projects in Kingston Borough. This video gives you snapshots of some of our walk, without any shots of developing blisters

Oxygen on ITN

Urban Nites Surbiton Update

Urban Nites Surbiton was a priviledge to be at this week, I ventured down around 7pm, expecting not many people to be around and even the workers to be only partly present. As I rounded the corner it looked like all the young people from the Alpha Estate had arrived as crowds of yonger and older teenagers gathered around the cage area at the heart of the estate.

We played football, we talked about Family and the K.O.S (you need to ask if you want to know what this stands for!) and we had a great evening out in the sun. At the heart of all that happened was celebration of the Birthday of one of the young people. To mark this young lady’s special day Oxygen volunteer Amanda had baked a cake, and all 30 of us sat in the middle of the estate, singing and eating together!

As I walked away, praying and reflecting on this work what became clear to me was that whilst many people may class some of these young people as anti social or community trouble makers, what they really are is great, normal young people with a love of socialising, flirting, playing, chatting and being michevious!

Urban Nites Surbiton takes place on Wednesday evenings on the Alpha Estate in Surbiton, to get involved or to find out about K.O.S. contact info@oxygen-online.org

Urban Nites Chessington Update

I spent the second part of the evening with the Urban Nites Chessington Team this week. As previously mentioned they are in the process of restarting this work after a break in the winter. As is the way with all the Urban Nites projects when they start, these early stages are about going out, meeting and keeping returning to the groups of young people who congregate in the area. We are going out with cakes, flyers and conversations, telling them about the new work whcih is starting outside the Methodist Church on Wednesday evenings, and how they can come down, get a drink, have a conversation and chat to us each week between 7 and 9pm. This week was a good week, we decided not to set up our table as most of the young people were in the park or outside the station, as such we thought we needed one more week of simply walking around and promoting. So it was we headed out to Churchfields Park, wandered around the streets before going via the cake section of Sainsbury’s to Chessington North Station. During these wanderings we made some great contacts, young people are now remembering us as the group of Christians who come every Wednesday offering cakes and conversation as well as telling them about things that are starting to happen. Our conversations lasted for 20 -25 minutes this week, and we were able to introduce ourselves a bit more personally, as well as find out about some of the life situations of the young people who we had met. Next week we return but this time with the intention of having one group manning a table outside the Methodist Church, whilst the other wanders around pointing the young people in our direction. This is the start of a significant period for we now want to move from seeing the young people welcome us into their space, and see themn come to us so we can welcome them where we meet. This seeminlgy minor, but genuinely significant shift will help us build on the foundations that have been laid down and held up kick start a group that we hope will grow in the weeks, months and years to come.

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

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

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: