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Rob @ Kingsnympton

You know when good progress is being made when the young people ask you to join them in a meeting with one of the staff members. On a Wednesday night, I work with the Youth Service on the Kingsnympton estate, as extra staff. It works really well as it means I see the most of the young people out of everyone who works there. There is a certain responsibility for relationship with that, but I am more than game to live up to that and use the opportunity I've been graciously provided to the best of my ability. Hence, (I hopefully suggest!) that is possibly why the young people have a good enough relationship to ask me into such incidences.

 The meeting was loud and raucous. Everyone wanted to speak. After Omar (The Youth Service worker) had enforced that you could only speak whilst holding the paper batton, things became less proud, but we were stewing round the same points. However, that all changed when a robbery of a young persons money occurred outside and it became apparent that Omar was needed, leaving me in charge of the meeting.

You know when good progress is being made when more gets achieved when you're the only worker in the room. I suggested a couple of ideas for the issue which they responded well too, and together we decided upon a solution. The issue was on what the hall should be used for in anyone session, and we solved it with a three week timetable, cycling the times and lengths of different activities.

You know when great progress has been made when the young people decide, on their own free will that, they want to designate a slot to an activity of your (my) choosing every week, on the reasons that you (I) engage with them on things that I don't enjoy as much as they do (Football... I've tried to be subtle, honest!) and so, with no prompting and completely there suggestion, they decide to give you a slot in the time table every week for an activity of your choice (my) choice.

I didn't know what to say - I was really touched. The poor boys don't know what they've let themselves in for - now I that space it's just about biding the time to show them what I'm about at the right time, and set up an activity that displays God in an amazing and obvious way. I don't know what form that will take, but he has gifted me with this set up (It really does seem like a free gift, it was so out of the blue!) and I have every faith that he is setting this up so Kingdom can be brought to these boys' hearts. And that would quite possibly make me the happiest man in the world.

I Love Kingsnympton

We have just completed our first full week of our Summer Kingsnympton Programme, and it was so good that I wanted to shout about it!

Each week consists of four different types of sessions, there are 2 afternoon sessions that run from 3 – 6, one evening session that runs from 7 – 9 and then one day trip, that starts mid morning and finishes around tea time. The aim of the project is three fold, in no particular order - to engage and build relationships with young people from the Kingsnympton Estate (our target is 75% need to come from this area), secondly to deliver a programme that meets Every Child Matter outcomes, and thirdly to introduce God shaped moments into the running of the club, such as prayer books, discussions activities and God directing relationships.

In this the first week the activities included setting the young people a £10 challenge (getting them see if they can take £10 and double it through a enterprise challenge in 2 weeks), a art and collage activity at which they considered guns and knife crime and the meaning of life, and then finally a trip to the Richmond Open Air Pool. The only down point was when the prayer book was stolen by one young man “wanting to have a laugh?!”A great first week, full of meaning, discussion and prayer, photos from the week you can see on our Flickr Site

However this is where the rubber hits the road, and where we need your prayers. We need some more people to help and we need to pray for what is going on.

• Firstly we are really short staffed, a couple of people we thought were going to be around now have had to drop out. We therefore would really appreciate your spreading the word around, then if you did know anyone who can help then please do ask them to get in touch with Kurstie on 020 8547 0566 or kurstie.wheatley@oxygen-online.org
• Secondly I am really excited about the potential for the work in the Kingsnympton Area and what could be developed into 2008/9. From a poster we saw in the Community Centre we already know that people are praying for the estate, however our hope is to have a person leading and taking the youthwork on the estate deeper within the next 12 – 18 months.

Tags: kingsnympton, oxygen, kingston,

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