St Saviour’s Church Project

Our aim is to provide, promote, develop and resource an holistic approach to youth work for all young people within the area of Iford and Holdenhurst, independent of race, sex, background or social environment.

St Saviour’s Church
Boscombe East
Bournemouth
BH7 6RB

Telphone: 01202 418844

contacts: Simon Hill and Stuart Watts, project workers or Mel McPherson, manager.

website: www.unitedbenefice.co.uk

email:  simoninthesouth@hotmail.com; stuartjameswatts@hotmail.com

A Rank key-worker project 2006-9 (formerly a Youth or Adult? Project 2001-6)

Our mission

We aim to provide for the social, personal, emotional and spiritual needs of the young people in our area and to inspire and equip them to become the best they can be

Our vision

We believe that the Christian faith offers ‘life in all its fullness’ and our hope is that young people with whom we work will recognize and respond to this.

Our work

Building on our participation in the Youth or Adult? scheme, we are now developing our work with Key Worker funding for our main youth worker, and some GAP year support as well. Our work involves a programme of activities that cares and provides for young people’s social, personal, emotional and spiritual needs. We also try to encourage and enable them to take responsibility and move forward individually. This includes a mixture of open youth clubs, church groups and schools work in partnership with various other agencies and individuals from the area. 

 Youth project members relaxing by the church!

GAP year students

From 2006 our project has expanded to include gap year students. We encourage young people who have grown up through the project to take a year out and give something back. They can take on leadership responsibilities with existing clubs, and also develop their own initiatives. This year the students have started a girl’s vocal group called Soul Sistas, and they are also working on developing a link with a community in Durban, South Africa, with a view to spending some time over there in the summer of 2007.

Rock Solid Club

Rock Solid is an open youth club run from the Townsend Youth Centre, based in the heart of the Townsend Community. Townsend is one of only 3 council estates in Bournemouth. Townsend has been designated an ‘Urban Priority area’, and has a reputation for high crime rates and vandalism. Drink and drugs occupy most of the young people’s lives. We aim to provide life skills in various forms including domestic, educational, vocational and social. ‘Townsend Together’, is a social action group set up to tackle the problems that can occur in the community. This body includes local police, council workers, social workers, the Heath Authority, the local school, community members and us. This group has been in place for about 3 years. According to recent figures published by the police, in the last 3 years, crime has fallen by 20% in general, burglary has fallen by 54.5% and vehicle crime has fallen by 61.4%.  This coincides with the forming of Townsend Together, and the opening of the youth centre. There is a renewed sense of community and optimism within Townsend, which we hope will continue.

Detached Youth Work

Detached work continues to provide us with a great opportunity to catch up with young people who attend Rock Solid between club nights, get to know them and their families better and also promote our work to new people. Each week varies in terms of who we need to visit and the situations that crop up that we can respond to. Generally, young people welcome our presence, and often we get into deep discussions about school, families, relationships and beliefs. It also enables us to keep in touch with former club members.

St Saviours Youth Club

This is a popular club which serves as an effective transition from children’s to youth work in our project. We advertise in local schools and staff the club with volunteers from the church and former youth group members. Young people value the club as a place to meet together, especially as members have often grown up together but then separated to different secondary schools.

The youth club offers a safe space in their area, where young people can be themselves and also try new activities, as well as all of the usual sports, crafts and games on a regular club night.

 GAPPERS hard at work

Cell

Cell groups are run by young people for young people. We encourage our older members to develop their leadership skills by running a small group that cares for their younger peers. Currently we have four groups meeting regularly, run by our GAP year students and other 17/18 year olds in the project. Each week, the groups of approx. a dozen young people meet to share their experiences, develop their understanding of the Christian faith and gain support and encouragement from older mentors.

Pathfinders

Pathfinders supports young people in their Christian faith and encourages members to apply their Christian values in their everyday life. Each Week involves a variety of games, competitions, music, drama, discussion and prayer. Some topics covered this year include: dealing with bullies, how to handle your parents attitudes to school and homework and relationships with peers.

CYFA

Within CYFA, we have a varied programme which includes the use of film clips, board games, discussions and drama as well as Bible study and prayer times. The emphasis is on an interactive style which encourages the young people to think through the claims of the bible and the implications for their own lives.

18-30’s

This group continues to provide valuable support and friendship for 18-30’s in our project. Most of the members who attend are key volunteers in many different area’s of the project. We have several long term members of CYFA who are now excited at the prospect of moving up to 18-30’s as they become young adults.

Schools Work

We are regularly involved with two secondary schools in our area, running weekly lunch clubs and assisting with assemblies. This gives us an opportunity to meet and encourage young people who we also see in the evenings or at weekends. Also, we can promote our work to more young people through contact in schools.

For more information on the work of the project and the wider church of St Saviours and the parish of Iford and Holdenhurst, visit our website on: www.unitedbenefice.co.uk.