Unemployment, crime, domestic abuse, mental illness. All in a day’s work.
To follow is a typical story about a youth worker, working in one of the most deprived communities in England. After reading this ‘day in the life’, please ask yourself this question; would you be able to do what Tom and his colleagues do? Maybe some of you would be able to; maybe you even do? Youth work isn’t easy. It takes strength, courage and belief. Please donate to Church Urban Fund today, so together we can empower Christian community heroes like Tom to change the lives of marginalised young people across England. Without our help, many young people will continue to live in poverty and isolation. told that call from co-worker Jenny. He’s Tom is woken up by a phone last night. e hous her ide outs project was attacked one of the young people at the shaken very g bein out how she is. Luckily, despite does n’t Tom calls the hospital to find tion ques in girl the that s is ok. Tom know and her mobile phone stol en, she have much support. the of the young men who attends 9am Tom is delighted to hear that oneattend anger management sessions . It’s finally Basketball Club has decid ed to it’s begi nning to him to share his feeli ngs, but ing gett ess proc long very been a live in poverty you If ng. feeli anger is a common work. For many young people, difficult to es etim som is rs othe ards tow r or your home life is painful, ange fend off severe rds. Managing that anger can cont rol. Ang er can be turned inwa life. of a more posi tive outlook on depressio n, and be the star t ge as new, he usually finds that plans chan 9.30am Tom plans his day; althoughday is the same. no more urgent chal lenges arise and on food for l cash and carry to stock up 10.30am Tom and Jenny visit the loca also needs to be drawn up and mailed nteer rota the You th Cafe. The new volu . time lunch re out to volu nteers befo
7.30am
s Drop -In, asks Alice , who runs the You ng Mum the mums, who has of one ut abo ce advi for Tom The drop -in offers fallen furt her into depressio n. It is a lifeline for g. orin ment and ort supp advice, rs them a chance to offe It en. Kar many new mums like liness and isolation . simply break the pattern of lone
1pm
area in order Tom and Mike walk around the introduce They ets. stre the on to meet young people -in sessions at the drop to them invite and s selve them crime, alcohol and project. Tom and Mike know that spans generations erty Pov te. esta the on rife are drugs anyone working had n’t have ilies in this area. Some fam physical health and al ment for many years. Some suffer hope. and em este self of lack problems and a real
2pm
3pm Tom sits in on the Work Skills Course at the project. With youth unemployment at a record high, they are doing some fantast ic work such as teaching responsibility, time keeping, money management, confidence, teamwork and self esteem, with the long term goal of getting young people into paid employment. For many young people this step up on to the ladder of employment or training offers vital hope, in a world of emptiness, dependency and boredom. 3.30pm Tom is interrup ted by a call from the local authorit y. The news isn’t good. They have had to cut their budgets and the project won’t be receiving its usual grant this year. In order for the Work Skills Course to continue Tom and his colleagues will have to find new sources of income. If the Work Skills Course closes many young people will simply give up hope of ever finding work. Another few late nights beckon. 4pm Tom welcomes the volunteers for the Mentoring Sessions. They have worked wonders with some of the young people over the past year. The sessions give the young people the chance to share with those that have been there and experienced what it’s like. Subjects can cover how to tackle bullying, self esteem issues, loneliness, abuse, homeless ness and family breakdo wn. The volunteers are trained to be sensitive and non-judg emental. Tom himself remembe rs how he was helped by a mentor when he was on the verge of despair. 4.30pm Alice and the volunteers begin today’s After School Club. It’s a great chance for the young people to share their worries , express themselves and have fun. Games, crafts, activities and trips out often involve many of the project workers . For many young people this offers them the chance of respite away from their roles as carers for sick and disabled family members . 7pm Tonight is Youth Cafe night so Tom decides to get some grant research in before it starts. At 7pm the young people start turning up. Many of them have had it tough, and its often felt that people don’t understand the situatio ns they live in. Luckily Tom and his colleagues do understand. Tom is glad to be able to show that they are loved and prayed for. He is glad to be the ‘Good News.’
Names and photos have been changed to protect those described
Young people need our help – Why a donation to Church Urban Fund is so vital There are 175,000 young carers in the UK. 13,000 care for over fifty hours a week1
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80,000 young people a year experience homelessness in the UK2
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In 2010/11 ChildLine counsellors dealt with nearly 670,000 contacts from children about various problems including bullying, sex abuse, violence and mental health issues3
More than 400 sexual assaults on children are reported to police every week (2010-11)4
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One in ten 16–18 year olds is not in education, employment or training5 Young adults are much more likely to live in low-income households than older working-age adults (31% compared to 19%)6 In November 2011 youth unemployment hit 1.02 million.
The Princes Royal Trust for Carers, 2Centrepoint, 3,4NSPCC, 5,6The Poverty Site
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Church Urban Fund, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ T 020 7898 1647 F 020 7898 1601 E enquiries@cuf.org.uk W www.cuf.org.uk Registered Charity number 297483.
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