BY MOLLY BEEGOO Fundraising can seem like a daunting challenge. People envision enormous events that are timetabled to the very last second. In reality, fundraising can be near effortless. You can raise money for Viva with just a few clicks on the computer when online shopping (see Amazon Smile or Give as you Live), half […]
Category: In the UK
What My Year At Viva Has Taught Me About Jesus
BY HANNAH BARR My first few days working at Viva were terrifying! They coincided with the 2017 international team meetings, which meant I had a real baptism of fire; not only did I have to be introduced to and get to know everyone who works in the head office, but I also had to meet […]
Marshmallow burgers for dinner today!
BY HANNAH BARR There’s an old episode of ‘The Woodentops’ in which the twins, Willy and Jenny, are washing their hands for dinner and start singing their own song with the lyrics, “What shall we have for dinner today? Sawdust and hay for dinner today!” I was reminded of this story as we took a […]
Exploring the hidden curriculum
BY HANNAH BARR Another year and another cohort of young people have completed ‘Find your fire’, Doorsteps’ ten-month programme for helping young people at risk of disengaging identify what they are good at, what they feel passionately about, to attach value to those things, and help them look at ways of developing in them. Sarah […]
Digging deeper into prayer
In their busy lives, Christian youth workers are often more responsive rather than reflective, and don’t always have the opportunities to stop, share, plan and pray. One of the aims of Doorsteps, Viva’s partner network based in Oxford, is to provide this space. We are identifying a greater collaboration between youth projects, and currently have […]
BCDO 18: an unforgettable time
BY ANDREW DUBOCK As a Viva staff team, we don’t get out of the office very much together. But when we do it’s usually memorable. A few weeks ago, we returned again to the Big Church Day Out to set up a stand in the Bazaar and share with passers-by stories of how Viva changes […]
“I’ve waited years to hear about mental health in this way”
BY HANNAH BARR Around 90 people who attended Doorsteps’ mental health conference last month have returned to their communities informed and supported about the subject and empowered to make a difference. The event at St Andrew’s Church, north Oxford, entitled ‘A Christian Response to Child and Adolescent Mental Health’, drew participants from across Oxfordshire, and […]
Making mental health more visible
BY HANNAH BARR This is Mental Health Awareness Week (14-20 May), with the NSPCC revealing that schools in England made almost 125,000 referrals for specialist help since 2014, with more than half of these coming from primary schools. Across the age spectrum, the stats on mental health struggles look bleak. Last week, British universities said they […]
Together: a better way
“It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this” is a well-known quote from the classic 1986 Nintendo video game ‘The Legend of Zelda’. Find out why Hannah Woods recalled the phrase as she reflected on a growing schools’ work with which Viva’s partner network Doorsteps is involved. I’ve done youth work in East Oxford for 12 […]
‘Sorry, I Went Sad Again, Didn’t I?’
On ‘Blue Monday’, Hannah Barr writes about why good mental health is feeling the full range of emotions – even sad ones – and how Viva’s programme in Oxford is giving young people the space to reflect on their feelings and get support if they need it. We can learn a lot from a girl called Riley… […]