Pinehurst Youth Chaplaincy
We are currently involved in delivering a creative innovative youth chaplaincy to the Pinehurst Estate in Swindon
The Pinehurst estate is purpose built residential housing areas with vast proportion being social housing, and a lower number of owner occupied. The estate has a high level of deprivation and social exclusion, which is reflected in the wide variety of problems experienced by the community such as crime, vandalism, drug / alcohol abuse, domestic violence etc. It has well above average levels of lone and teenage parents and unemployment and also has a high density of those receiving school meals and open cases with Social services. Local statistics taken from the 2001 census show there are 1,338 children and young people (0-18) in Pinehurst. The main local secondary school, Headlands, before it became Swindon Academy in the summer, was recently the worst performing school at GCSE’s in the whole of the country. Part of the estate is also served by Nova Hreod school which was recently operating under special measures.
The chaplaincy consists of two main parts. The first involves the development of a Christian pastoral Chaplaincy to the two secondary schools which serve the estate providing a broad input across the curriculum and school community, working with individual pupils, providing advice and resources and engaging pupils in new and innovative projects. We are involved in pre-exclusion work, lessons (RE, Personal, Social and Health education including sex and relationships education and Citizenship), mentoring, workshops (e.g. anger management or self-esteem issues), community impact projects and creative activities to help pupils explore values and beliefs. The second part of the project involves extending this work in the schools into the community with particular creative focus on being a part of the new Anglican church plant to the neighbourhood.
The project aims to:
- act as a creative and holistic expression of local churches, demonstrating the Christian faith in action to the school and surrounding community.
- raise the self esteem of young people and helping develop the emotional life of young people, particularly in regard to being able to express their feelings and explore what a person ‘is’ and what gives value and identity to human life.
- help young people explore spirituality and faith and develop capacities for independent and critical thought including encouraging the setting apart of moments for stillness and reflection
- provide learning material and situations that encourage moral responses and obligations towards other people and promote racial, religious and other forms of harmony
- help pupils recognise and respect the diversity of the different cultures represented in the school and wider community
- involve young people and wider community in the development of a dynamic, creative and appropriate faith community including discipleship programmes and involve young people in making a difference in their community
This project is funded by the Diocese of Bristol and is delivered in partnership with Shine Pinehurst, The Pinehurst Initiatve, Swindon Borough Council Youth Service, Swindon Academy and Nova Herod Schools and other local ministers and ministries.