On Wednesday 16th March 2010 over 60 students from the Petchey Academy in Hackney signed up for a day of volunteering with Community Service Volunteers in aid of 'making a difference in their local community'.
Cathedral Camps ran part of the day, getting the group to help clean, polish and garden at St Barnabas church just around the corner from the school.
Recently joined full-time volunteer Sherneice said:
"Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet new people and have fun whilst doing something positive for Hackney. I love being able to volunteer so close to home as it makes the experience more personal."
CSV Young Hackney Volunteers Project Manager Mirabai Ruskin says:
“The day was a great success. It was great to introduce the students to the Cathedral Camps project and St Barnabas church. This was a great opportunity to allow them to show the positive contributions they have to offer and to introduce this newly re-opened building to its ‘neighbours’. I am extremely proud of all those who got involved and have continued to stay in touch with the project”.
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Jon Dean is a Cathedral Camps leader and on the Youth Board. On Wednesday 23rd February 2011, he organised a team of young volunteers from Kingston University to assist with a deep clean of All Saints Church.
Over twenty volunteers turned up, from a wide variety of backgrounds, and spent the day tidying, cleaning, polishing, and taking stuff to the charity shop. The church warden was really happy with the day, and the volunteers want to do similar events in the future.
This is Jon's experience:
"Cathedral Camps encourage young people to play a role in preserving our historic buildings, of any religious denomination, either for one day or over a week in the summer. At All Saints Church our young people found out about the fascinating history of the building, its exciting future, and the role it plays in Kingston life. Small events like this play an important part in bringing students in touch with their local communities."
If you're interested in becoming a ReFresh Youth Leader email Rebecca: rwilkinson@csv.org.uk to find out more details; or click on our leaders page.
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All Hallows - CONEL school
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In 2011 Cathedral Camps has continued to work with the Leighton Project and their local churches to provide one-off volunteering days for their students.
In February and March they spent three days at the Luthor-Tyndale Memorial Church in Kentish Town. Pr. Cláudio Flor said of the group:
"They came quietly and were even a little shy, but as the day unfolded, they showed what they are made of. They caused such a positive impact. They worked hard and made a difference. The church was shinning. The garden was ready for spring (14 bags of greens: how did they managed that in such a short time!). We are so thankful for the positive leadership of Rebecca and Claire and for the way they encouraged the young people’s group. Leighton project was quite a blessing for us! "
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