God, Guns and Gangs
On the 28th February, Oasis is hosted the first Urban Youth Work Summit - a one-day conference entitled 'God, Guns and Gangs', designed to equip youth workers and church leaders working with young people affected by, or engaged in youth violence.
These three things - God, guns and gangs - are intrinsically linked. At the heart of our ethos is the fact that people are created and loved by God. Oasis believes that every person matters. That young people are rich with potential and life, and deserve every opportunity to live well and contribute to their communities in a positive and exciting way.
When we see the headlines, it's easy to feel a sense of fear. Or hopelessness. The media seems to portray young people as a 'problem' to be solved; perpetrators of anti-social behaviour who have an increasing tendency toward gang culture and violence. But at Oasis we know that everyone has the potential to change. By giving them love, support and encouragement, we've seen the toughest young people change. With the right people around them, young people can choose a different path.
The important thing is not to give up on people. That's one of the fantastic things about Oasis - in all our work, we don't give up, even if doing that would be easier. Oasis is full of people who keep going, who forgive, who keep working hard despite the cost. Seeing those lives changed keeps us going. On the face of it, dealing with youth crime is a hopeless situation, but it's not hopeless. And we're proving it.
Young people today are trying to grow up in a culture which is shifting and changing, volatile and untrustworthy. The church plays a critical role in this. Church is stable; it's a safe and loving environment. It's got the infrastructure and the resources to make a difference to the lives of young people. But so often, churches are simply not prepared.
I remember working with one church, where we'd put on a youth event. I went out onto the street and there were loads of kids hanging round so I invited them in. They all came; we must have had about 20. The church told me I'd have to tell them to leave because they were trouble-makers; they had pens so they might graffiti. It was a heart-breaking circumstance, and sadly since then, I've met many youth workers with the same story - their churches are unwilling to work with non-churched youth.
The Urban Youth Work Summit is one way in which Oasis is equipping churches to be outward-looking and to deal with events that are happening on their doorsteps. We're challenging people to believe that we can all make a difference. If every church was working with young people in their area, we could wipe out the problem. At Oasis, we want to be an example of how things can change. And we want the church to join with us in that.
Abbe Stapleton is the Housing, Youth and Community Team Leader at Oasis. The Urban Youth Work Summits are run by Oasis in partnership with XLP, Youthwork Magazine and JUMP. For more details, and to hear recordings of the seminars, log onto www.oasisuk.org/UYWS