A young man from Old Trafford who turned his problematic behaviour around to become a leader among his peers has won the Volunteer Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards, presented by Manchester youth charity, The Message Trust.

John McGuinness, 15, was until two years ago regularly being excluded from school and grounded at home. Anger and confusion at the early death of his father led to John making some destructive choices and getting a bad reputation in Old Trafford.

Ben Woodfield from Eden Old Trafford, a youth project run in association with The Message Trust, is John’s youth worker. He explains:

‘We knew John from the age of about 10. He was known in Old Trafford as a little rascal – or words to that effect! – and it was clear that his behaviour was starting to get out of control.

‘We began to get to know him, his mum Barbara and her partner Nick, and gradually John got involved in some of our youth activities.

We saw he was obviously a strong character and had leadership written all over him so we started mentoring him and as he entered his teenage years, we started to see a change. He began to get his head down and realise that some of the decisions he was making weren’t good for him.’

John found himself wanting to to put something back into his community and the Eden team helped to steer him towards suitable opportunities. But his discipline and commitment surprised everyone. Beginning with a regular slot playing in a church band, John began to get involved with his local community on a volunteer basis.

John started taking an active role in the work of Trafford Housing Trust, completing the first stage of an apprenticeship as part of their Repairs team. He also led the way in putting together a proposal for a new permanent play area for children on his estate.

Michaela Baker from Trafford Housing Trust comments, ‘John is inspirational in his commitment to see his local area improve. He gets involved on many different levels – he helps plan programmes, runs litter picks and gets fully involved in decision-making groups – often sitting with people with more experience than him but contributing at the same level.

‘He’s really well thought of within the Trust – people look up to him.’

John recently sat his GCSEs and has secured a place at Trafford College to study plumbing next year. He hopes to continue his work with the Housing Trust alongside his studies.

The Volunteer Award, one of five,was presented at this year’s Urban Hero Awards at Manchester’s Palace Hotel on July 9. The awards recognise young people who stand out as having made major changes in their lives or particularly positive contributions to their communities.

Ben Woodfield explains the reasons the Eden team nominated John:

‘People in the local community have been so impressed by him. He’s proved to us that he’s not just saying he’s changed – there’s real fruit to those words.

‘This is the story of a young guy who has started to make positive decisions in the face of some of life’s harder experiences and in an environment where some of his peers are failing to make those good choices.

‘We’re very hopeful for John’s future and excited about who he’s becoming.’

John’s Award was presented by Mick Spratt, MD of Wigwam Acoustics, the Award sponsor.

A young man from Old Trafford who turned his problematic behaviour around to become a leader among his peers was named Urban Hero of the Year 2010 last night (Friday, July 9).

John McGuinness, pictured right, also picked up the Volunteer Award for services to his local community at the third annual Urban Hero Awards, presented by The Message Trust.

The Awards recognise young people who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities over the last year – or have bravely overcome a major obstacle in their lives. All of the nominees have been directly impacted by the work of The Message.

Around 700 people gathered to celebrate the achievements of the winners. VIPs including Lord Mayor Mark Hackett, Chief Constable Peter Fahy and business leaders Sir John Zochonis and David Briggs joined celebrities including Olympian Diane Modahl and a host of stars from stage and screen.

Five awards winners were named before the overall Urban Hero of the Year was announced.

Fifteen-year-old Andrei Keating won the Achiever Award for impressing family and friends by transforming his attitude to school and achieving significant qualifications over the last year. Click here for Andrei’s story.

An innovative partnership between the church, police, local authorities and the housing association in Limeside, Oldham won the Champion Award. Click here for their story.

Nick Shahlavi, a former drug dealer who transformed his life and is now helping others transform theirs walked off with the Inspiration Award. Click here for Nick’s story.

And sixteen-year-old Cody O’Grady from Openshaw who has been fighting aggressive cancer this year was named winner of the Courage Award. Click here for Cody’s story.

But the Volunteer Award and the overall Urban Hero of the Year title went to John McGuinness, 15, from Old Trafford.

Until two years ago, John was regarded as a local trouble maker, regularly excluded from school and a problem at home. But it all changed when he started getting involved with Eden Old Trafford, a youth project run in association with The Message.

As he began to be mentored by members of the Eden team, his leadership abilities quickly became obvious to everyone around him. Before long, John was volunteering regularly for his church, his local housing trust and other community activities.

Ben Woodfield, John’s youth worker commented, ‘This is the story of a young guy who has started to make positive decisions in the face of some of life’s harder experiences and in an environment where some of his peers are failing to make those good choices. We’re very hopeful for John’s future and excited about what he’s becoming.’

As well as his trophy, John was presented with ten drum lessons with LZ7 drummer Rob and a top-flight drum kit.

Staged at Manchester’s Palace Hotel, the night also featured live performances from The Message’s schools bands LZ7, Twelve24 and theatre company In Yer Face.

‘We work with 100,000 young people a year and this is just a snapshot of all those lives were involved with in Greater Manchester and beyond,’ said Message CEO and host of the evening, Andy Hawthorne, as he asked guests to give generously to support The Message.

‘But I’m frustrated. There’s so much more to be done. But there’s no way we can do it on our own. Thank you for all your support.’

The Urban Hero Awards 2010 was sponsored by Stagecoach and a host of north west businesses: Wigwam, Safe Records Management, Stephensons, The Grand and Jurang.

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Urban Heroes in the Press: On Friday 16 July, the Manchester Evening News printed a special eight-page supplement celebrating the winners of the Urban Hero Awards 2010. Make sure you pick up your copy.

Watch each of the winner’s nomination videos via our Media Hub.

A gift to The Message Trust today will allow us to raise many more Urban Heroes in the year to come. Click here to give online.

Four exceptional youngsters and a pioneering group from Greater Manchester are to be honoured on Friday at our third annual Urban Hero Awards.

The awards recognise young people who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities over the last year – or have bravely overcome a major obstacle in their lives.

All of the nominees have been directly impacted by the work of The Message Trust, a Christian charity working with the hardest-to-reach young people in Greater Manchester’s schools, communities and prisons.

Five category winners have already been named as winners of the Achiever, Champion, Courage, Inspiration and Volunteer Awards.

They include a former drug dealer now helping young offenders in prisons; a school drop-out now back in full-time education; and a notorious community trouble-maker who is now an active local volunteer. A pioneering group which worked together to help combat antisocial behaviour among young people in Oldham is also receiving a special award.

The overall Urban Hero of the Year will be named and presented with their award at a glitzy red carpet ceremony at the Palace Hotel, Manchester.

This is the third year the Urban Hero Awards have taken place. In 2008, teenager Anthony Martindale from Harpurhey scooped the award for services to his local community. Last year, Stephanie North from Openshaw (pictured above) won the award for courageously pursuing justice in the face of bullying and threats to her family.

The event, which will feature performances from In Yer Face, Twelve24 and Lz7 is sponsored by Stagecoach and a host of north west businesses: Wigwam, Safe Records Management, Stephensons, The Grand and Jurang.

Joining him and drummer Rob are singer-dancer Nana, who choreographs and dances with Futunity dance group, and Nic Scholey, formerly with Blush.

‘I believe the new four-piece is going to take LZ7 to a whole new level,’ said Lindz. ‘Nana’s a real soul man – a cross between Seal and Will.i.am, he’ll make a great wingman. Everybody already knows and loves Nic, who sees this a perfect opportunity to continue her heart for young people. Her singing will bring another string to our bow.’

Lindz’s right-hand man from the start, DJ Face (Louis Read), leaves the band to join an Oasis Trust academy in Southampton: ‘He’s faithfully been by my side for the last five years. He’s sown so much into the band and will be sorely missed.’

LZ7 will be performing at all the major festivals this summer ahead of the chart release of single This Little Light and a new album. ‘Whenever we’re not in schools we’re working to make this album the album of our lives,’ added Lindz.

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This article first appeared in the Summer issue of Flow Magazine.

Until recently Greater Manchester was known as the ‘ASBO capital of the UK’ reflecting the high number of antisocial behaviour orders imposed across the city since they were introduced in 1999. Around half were imposed on youths under the age of 17.

But that’s beginning to change thanks in part to new partnerships between the police, communities, churches and organisations like The Message. Leading the way is the innovative Eden Bus project. Its two double decker buses show up weekly in some of Manchester’s toughest neighbourhoods, acting as a focus for long-term youth work, and a remedy for youth crime and antisocial behaviour.

Bus Project Manager Julie Mason explains: ‘On our estates in the city there are so many young people just hanging around, nothing to do, nowhere to go. At the same time, within our churches we’ve got hundreds of people who really care about the kids in their own communities. What the Eden Bus does is put the two together.’

Each bus is fitted out with hi-tech gadgets and games but more traditional games, including skipping, football and rounders, are just as popular: ‘We try to get kids involved in activities which cause them to chat to each other and interact with the adult volunteers on the bus’, adds Julie.

The Eden Bus team works in partnership with local churches who supply volunteers with a heart for local young people. Increasingly support is also being provided by police and local authorities who are beginning to see the bus as a powerful way of fighting nuisance behaviour and crime.

One partnership that has seen particular success over the last year is in the Limeside area of Oldham. There, local police turned to churches and third-sector organisations to help tackle problem behaviour among young people around Limeside.

In the autumn of 2009, neighbourhood police Inspector David Stopford began planning with local groups for a three-month dispersal order. But the approach was different from the beginning.

‘Dispersal orders are often initiated by the police on their own, without partners,’ Inspector Stopford told us. ‘It’s one tool in the toolbox to deal with young people acting in an antisocial manner. This is fine but what you can end up doing is simply moving a problem from A to B, and not really solving the root issues.’

‘What we tried to do this time is to work with partners to provide positive diversionary activities for young people. So it’s not just been about law enforcement, it’s been about providing good facilities for young people to go to, rather than hanging around on street corners.’

By the time the dispersal order began in December, several new initiatives for young people were in place, including the Eden Bus, strongly supported locally by New Life Church in Failsworth.

The partnership was a huge success. Inspector Stopford’s team saw a reduction of over 50% in calls about antisocial behaviour from the general public from December to March. Reports of associated crimes such as criminal damage and vehicle crime were also down. It’s a trend that he believes will continue:

‘It’s had a great impact. Right from the launch of the initiative in December, the young people have understood why we’re running this dispersal order and seen how groups of young people can be intimidating to other residents. They’ve also seen our motivation to put something on for them – facilities, initiatives, opportunities – and these things will continue even though the dispersal order has finished.’

The project has also succeeded in changing young people’s attitudes towards the police, their community and the church, believes Julie Mason:

‘We can certainly see a difference within the young people and the way they interact, both with us and the police. They were quite sceptical at first but that’s disappeared. They’re starting to come to the bus volunteers with issues and asking for support in the things they want to achieve in their lives. It’s a real testament to the people working on the project.

‘Barriers between young and older people in the community are beginning to break down. I’m delighted that the Eden Bus has played a part in that.’

To find out more about the Eden Bus project, visit www.message.org.uk/bus or call Julie Mason on 0161 946 2300.

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This article first appeared in the Summer edition of Flow Magazine.

The Summer edition of Flow Magazine is out now! 

This issue, we look back on ten years of ‘word and deed’ evangelism since Message 2000 and look forward to this summer’s Shine Your Light campaign. We also find out how Eden Bus is working in partnership with local authorities and churches to fight antisocial behaviour in communities around Manchester. Plus all the latest news, great teaching from Andy Hawthorne and Simon Guillebaud, and much more.

Thanks to supporter David Esther from Upton, Wirral, who emailed us to say:

You have done it again!  “Flow” is a great publication!

When “Flow” arrived in the post this morning, I immediately opened it and read it cover to cover – unlike any other Christian publication that I receive regularly (including one that is lying unopened alongside my computer now!).  Why did I open it so quickly? It was because I read the first two issues and I therefore knew that “Flow” was worth reading … its freshness and readability make “Flow” a great publication.

For an organisation that communicates so well by electronic means – especially through your weekly prayer letters, it must have been a big decision for “The Message” to produce a new hard copy magazine after so many years.  For me, it was a decision that has worked!

Flow is being sent to all our regular supporters by post. You can also read the new issue here.

Helping the poorest of the poor has always been at the heart of The Message, with our long-standing association with Compassion in aid of Haiti just one expression.

For the last 20 years, Message co-founder Simon Hawthorne (pictured right) has been leading an initiative to help the poorest people in the vast country of India.

The Dalits, sometimes known as ‘untouchables’, are the victims of India’s strict caste system. Approximately 250 million people suffer poverty and prejudice as a result of this religious ideology.

A recent survey conducted among rural villages in India found caste discrimination was overwhelmingly prevalent. Dalits are frequently forbidden from using communal water supplies, prevented from attending schools and denied other basic human rights. This makes them a target for human trafficking – particularly young women and girls.

Since 1995, Simon’s organisation Life Association has built schools and orphanages providing a loving home for Dalit street children in Mumbai. But now he feels the time is right to do more.

‘This is a modern-day story of slavery – with strong parallels to the Israelites before the exodus,’ explains Simon. ‘We feel that God has heard the cries of the Dalits, just as he heard the Israelites in Exodus 3. Now our role is to raise awareness of their plight, working with schools, churches, the government and other organisations.

‘The Dalits urgently need a voice, one that applies international pressure on the Indian Government to enforce their own laws and introduce a fair system that protects the rights of the individual.’

Life Association is now working to spread the news of the Dalits’ plight in schools and churches, through child sponsorship and by selling candles made in the slums of Mumbai.

More details on their website: www.lifeassociation.co.uk

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This article first appeared in the Summer edition of Flow Magazine.

The Message will be welcoming two very special guests to our monthly Prayer Days over the summer and we want to let our valued supporters have special access to what they have to say.

Shane Claiborne, activist and author of bestseller The Irresistible Revolution, and legendary speaker and author Tony Campolo will be addressing Message staff over the next few months. Both are sure to bring thought-provoking and challenging messages and we’re really looking forward to what they have to say.

We thought you might be too. So, for the first time ever, we’ll be producing their addresses as video podcasts available for free download from our website.

Keep an eye on the Media section of our website or subscribe via iTunes.

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This article will appear in the Summer edition of Flow Magazine.

Word 4U 2Day is the youth version of UCB’s Word For Today, written by Bob Gass and distributed throughout the world. Over 120,000 young people get each issue, published in one of three languages: English, Portuguese and Filipino.

The Message’s In Yer Face team rewrites each day’s content making it more relevant for young people. The team also narrates the daily UCB Radio version which is then distributed via podcast and accessible by subscription from iTunes.

Team leader Matt Britton comments, ‘One of the things we at In Yer Face love doing is writing Bible studies for young people…we also have a lot of fun recording them for UCB Radio, so that people can listen on the move’.

Read today’s Word 4U 2Day.

Sign up to receive a printed version of Word 4U 2Day in the post.

Subscribe to the Word 4U 2Day podcast.

Sign up to receive it by email.

come to an end. Blush scooped an exclusive Gospel Music Award (GMA) for Best Group in December 2009, fighting off competition from such big names as the London Community Gospel Choir, Four Kornerz and Hillsong London.

In a series of ‘God-incidences’, each band member has seen exciting things happening in their personal lives which have resulted in the band deciding to call it a day.

Speaking about the decision, Andy Hawthorne commented, ‘In every way Blush is coming to a good end. Jess and Jim are expecting their first baby at the beginning of June; Holly is love-struck, getting married to James and moving to London to be a part of a church plant; Pippa is going to work for her church, Ivy Manchester; and Nic will be continuing the heartbeat of Blush through a new music venture.’

Band leader Jess Cook explains from the band’s perspective: ‘Since last year, we’ve heard God very clearly speaking to us about “only doing what only we can do”. That’s enabled us to focus our work on helping girls and young women see their true value in God’s eyes and for that reason, this year has been the band’s most effective and authentic ever.

‘We’re very strong as a four. But we’ve come to realise that God is now moving us all on individually.

The heart for young women and girls continues just as strong as ever through each of our ongoing journeys and we are planning new things to help the girls we’ve worked with over the years.’

‘Of course it’s a sad day for everyone at The Message,’ added Andy Hawthorne. ‘But it’s been an extremely fruitful seven-year journey for the girls.’

The band  ended this chapter of their lives with a farewell gig on May 7 2010 at Wythenshawe Forum that was an awesome send-off.