It has now been eight months since I started working as a volunteer for the Trust. Lack of funding has not affected the volume of work within the communities that we support, help and provide for young people in need of the Trust’s support.
In the summer, camps and outdoor activities saw record numbers of young people taking part. The Football League that we run continually provides a platform for young people to challenge their aggression and teach them team building and working together. Acocks Green, Yardley, Gospel Lane and the Smithswood areas of the city are the main source of the football teams taking part.
Outreach work is, and will always be, the main source of contact with gangs of young people. It is in the front line of tackling anti social behaviour, drug abuse and crime prevention.
Most people that I speak to always mention the fear factor regarding gangs on street corners, etc, but people will be surprised at how well we are accepted by young people when they realise that you are there to help them.
The Trust also finds itself in the forefront of supporting young people in the juridical system. This support comes in many forms – getting young people legal advice, supporting them and their families through Court proceedings, visiting offenders while in prison and also providing support and advice on their release. This work involves long and exhausting hours with a lot of time spent around family and friends in waiting rooms, Courts and prisons alike, but it is also a time to listen to people and often feel the pain and hurt that they are going through.
The summer programme is now at the forefront of my thoughts and prayers right now. Questions like:
• What funding is available
• How do we use that funding
• Which group of young people do we target
Please pray that God gives me wisdom, patience and a vision to reach out to the young people that are in need of his love.
Phil Bodenham
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