Value

It's been a while but I'm back and settled in now. The whole experience was well worth while and I would totally recommend it for any one. If there is one thing I can pull away from the whole time is that of the importance of Value, a constant theme that ran through the whole of my time and was an important issue for all I spoke with.

The value we put on ourselves determines the value we can place on others.

The whole time has reminded me of what is important, why we do what we do and what we do is at the heart of Prospex. It has given me new ideas and a renewed energy to be what God has called me to be. The young people of our world are so highly important and need to be made to feel valued. We need to change the way we and others perceive them and start to welcome them back as a major part of our Society. They have so much to offer and we can learn so very much from them. Lets try to change, lets try to be different because I reckon a little bit of difference can go a very long way and with any luck in time we might see a totally new and exciting community that doesn't exclude but includes.

Let's keep up the good work and continue to fight for the rights of our young people and in the end make the difference. There will be more to come so make sure you watch this space!! But for now laters!!!

The blog will appear shortly as part of the web site and will be a Prospex blog where different workers will contribute.

Snow, rain and sleet.

Unfortunately the Bronx didn't come off today the weather was really bad would you believe snow rain and sleet all and all a very cold day. I may well get there tomorrow but we will see. The one thing I have realised tho and don't really understand is why on earth we are always so intent on pigeon holing people, putting them into categories we seem to have a fixation today to make sure that people have a name either by class, ability or back ground.
I think this is really unfair and almost definitely contributes to the break down we see in our community today, it breeds disunity and disorder meaning very often that people end up with a very low self esteem or self worth. This often makes them out casts, not able to move or even breath in many ways, making it very difficult for individuals to change their circumstances or positions and having a belief that they can. Take the Bronx as an example, people put in one place and painted with the same brush, treated in a particular way because of where they are from, the salary bracket or what is perceived, of what they are about because of where they live or their background. We can't always be personally responsible for this and so this very much need to challenge this idea and attitude now a days for crying out loud are we living in the dark ages or what????!!!!!
I believe it is only going to change if we take a personal responsibility to individually check how we are and how we treat others around us. This experience has really challenged me to see that it's not just a Cally thing or British thing, no in fact it a world wide attitude that needs to be challenged and changed and so if anything to day I challenge you.
How do you treat your next door neighbour or that person you always catch on the tube that is a little different or smells? Be Different make a stand, make a change and in time, together we can make a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goddard Riverside Community Centre.

Most projects over here seem to be mainly funded by the Government they seem to be (that is the government) much more pro-active than our own, placing a lot of value in the earlier years of education. Again most projects out here seem to be based around Education and getting young people into further education.
I went and observed an after schools programme that had 42 young people attending called Goddard Riverside Community Centre in NY, it is a mentoring programme and can you believe that they have 42 volunteers involved so that being one mentor per young person. Fantastic hey!!!!????? we can learn so very much in lots of ways but to be honest they are very very much behind in other ways.
I managed top walk into this club with really no questions or checks asked about who I was or really what I wanted to do, other than a short introduction.
I've been invited back so will return tomorrow and possibly Thurs to observe another programme. As far as I'm aware they do do checks on employees but there is no law stating they have to..????!!!!

The Bronx.

I Met Rob this afternoon and he showed me around his neighbourhood which was fantastic to see.
Interestingly enough it felt much more like home for me than I thought it might. There were a lot of social housing blocks and most earn an average wage of $15,000 a year which is very low, We talked and walked and it was so very interesting to hear that in spite of being what 4000 miles apart from our youngsters at home the story sounded so familiar indeed, the area in so many ways over the years has been forgotten and left although there was a real sense of community with a real sense of low self worth and despondency that hung on every corner. On most corners you would find a graffiti shrine for one youth or other who had either been lost to the law, crime or just a sad accident but never the less remembered and loved by many, we were able to go into one of the many blocks that stood tall and the same situation remained, stairwells that smelt of urine, drug and alcohol remnence left and disgaurded. There is really so much I could say and I want to tell all but just cant find the words right now, I have been invited back on Thursday so will see more and take more photos. I will write more then and find the words so until then.......

The Dome

I went to see a Project I mentioned today called the 'Dome'. had a really fantastic time and met a group of young people they were working with. We managed to break the language barrier and got to find out what life was like for them and surprise surprise not alot different to the lives of our young people, they laughed at the thought that the Bronx was in any way bad and in actual fact said that it was Brooklyn & Harlem that were bad!!. so guess where I want to go!!!!!!!!! They have the same attitude and problems/relationships as our young people have with the police. They also have the same daily struggles as our young people have in fact there were very few differences at all. (Even in the way they look) They have given me a DVD and a book of NY slang they have put together. It was so very helpful and interesting. One of their workers has offered to show me round the Bronx and his manor that I'm very much looking forward to we will do that on Sunday. I then hope to be able to work on building some more contacts. Being the ideas person that I am I can't help but think it would be such a great idea and opportunity to look at doing some sort of exchange programme that we then can build upon. It is so important for our youngsters get to understand about the lives of other young people in other parts not only of the country but hey why not the world. It was so interesting and a challenge to hear the stories and lives of others very rewarding !!!!!!!!!!

Fairbridge Trust

One of the most exciting projects I've observed over my journey of the country was that of the Fairbridge Trust. Working in 15 of the most deprived areas of the UK providing a variety of long term personal support and challenging activities that bring about change in the lives of many young people. It was very refreshing to see that the organisation was very fresh and was always looking for new and innovative ways of reaching many young people who would possibly other wise miss out on the much needed support and input. They very much focus on the individual and their needs they are prepared to think outside of the box and this was extremely exciting to see.
Two things really stuck out at me in what I observed that I think set them very much apart from many other project and in the main contribute to their success. The first being their professionalism in the way they are structured and organised along with there methods and processes they impart in their contact work. They showed a genuine heart for the work. Secondly and almost more importantly it was so very obvious to see that they were passionate about what they were doing and the young people they came into contact with.

Passion must be the most important element to the work is it not? If we don't have passion then what do we have? Gordon Ramsey said on his most recent Hells Kitchen Programme the other day that Passion was the most important thing that we can have. Perhaps it doesn't matter really what its for but it's the driving force behind what we do.
Are you passionate about what you do???

Message Trust.

One of the Projects I really wanted to see on my travels was that of the Message Trust set up by Andy Horthorn originally as a Schools Project taking Christ to young people through music. It has aways struck me a project that thinks a little differently and lets say 'Outside the box' they have over recent years developed an exciting project called 'Eden' that is designed to take the gospel to communities in a very practical way by moving a team of willing, passionate and committed people into a specific area of need to work, get along side and build relationships with the residents supporting them and addressing the issues with practical help and support. This isn't for everybody and takes a real heart, courage and belief in a God that will provide our every need. We are called to be the most effective we can be as Christians and its through the practical application of our faith that will allow us to be exactly that!!! Isnt it??