Week 6

Monday (27th) Text and instagram messages with young people desperate to camp somewhere over half term. Tentatively planned weds eve.

Tuesday (28th) Rich very unwell so cancelled camping trip….

Wednesday (29th) am meeting with Chris Richmond (the Gambia Education Project) re: possible trip to Gambia and child sponsorship.

Outcomes: He will come and talk to the young people about it sometime in the summer, he has lent us a book with photos and information about the project and people to show the young people. Later phone call from him confirmed that he has potentially matched up a girl from a very poor family who will have to leave education unless she can get sponsorship. She would need approx £300 a year for 2 years, which we felt was achievable for us to raise by fund raising as a youth club. (He felt it was inappropriate for the youth club to take on a long term sponsorship as the young people themselves will move on and away and it could leave a Gambian young person in the lurch).

There are opportunities for the youth club to visit the project in the future. First step is for our family to go out and see the lay of the land. If we can we will do this February 2020. (We have also personally undertaken to sponsor a girl who we would meet).

We will bring this information to the young people and let them decide weather they want to carry out this fund raising or not. Based on previous conversations I will be very surprised if they don’t.

Thursday (30th) am admin – we have the Rural Dean coming to God Group next week! P.S. have just heard that the young people organised their own camp last night. I think that counts as a success.

Friday (31st) Evening and night – reconnaissance hammock camping trip with Abi and Mia in local woods, to check viability and possible issues with a youth club camp in the woods. Issues identified included, toilets, members of the public, privacy boys vs girls…..

Saturday (1st) am camp continued

Sunday (2nd) am big lunch prep and supplies bought. then big lunch postponed apart from extra young people in our house.