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 Openshaw who has been fighting aggressive cancer this year has been awarded the Courage Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards, presented by Manchester youth charity, The Message Trust.

Cody O’Grady, 16, was nominated by his youth leader who has watched how he and his family have bravely coped through diagnosis, treatment and its side effects.

Sam Ward from Eden Openshaw, part of The Message Trust – a  youth charity working with the hardest-to-reach young people in Manchester’s prisons, schools and communities – explains:

‘Ten months ago, Cody came along to our football training session on a Wednesday night. He seemed to have a really sore eye but he said he’d been prescribed some antibiotics and so we thought nothing more of it.

‘But a couple of weeks later Cody turned up at a club and his face was a whole lot worse. What he first thought was a sinus infection actually turned out to be aggressive cancer. He was referred to Christies Hospital for treatment.

‘We got a call at 2.30am one morning from Cody’s dad, Steve. He said Cody was in a bad way. When we arrived, Cody was struggling to move and could hardly breathe. We rushed him to Christies who told us this a serious tumour that was heading towards the brain, which would be fatal. They started chemotherapy that night.’

Cody’s treatment has put him in incredible pain. Successive courses of chemo-and radiotherapy meant he lost weight at an alarming rate. Cody also had to overcome his claustrophobia as he spent many hours in scanning and radiotherapy machines.

Without a car to take them to and from Christies, Cody’s parents Steve and Debbie relied on support from the Eden team and the local church, Openshaw Community Church, to visit Cody. The Eden team also organised weekly prayer vigils throughout the treatment.

Cody’s father, Steve, is proud of how his son has coped over the last year:

‘He’s never complained. He’s never once moaned. Six months of chemo, six weeks of radiotherapy – now he’s on maintenance therapy. He’s got me through it, to be honest. He really deserves this award – he’s a belting lad.’

Cody’s 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.

Sam Ward explains why he chose to nominate Cody for the Courage Award:

‘It’s the way Cody has coped with cancer that makes him so courageous. He just got on with it – the way he’s coped with the treatment and the side effects. He has been in severe pain but never even wanted pain relief. He just wants to get on with life.’

Cody’s Award was presented by Gordon Haynes, MD of Safe Records Management, the Award sponsor.

A teenager from Harpurhey has won the Achiever Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards, presented by Manchester youth charity, The Message Trust.

Andrei Keating, 15, has impressed family, friends and teachers by transforming his attitude, achieving significant qualifications over the last year, and telling others about his story.

Andrei’s start in life was difficult, losing his father at an early age and growing up in an area officially listed as one of the most deprived in England.

But his real problems began in school, following a family tragedy. The emotional damage led to a long period of absence and eventually exclusion from school.

His last chance was a place at Harpurhey’s Lighthouse Group – a special education centre working with teenagers who have been excluded from mainstream schools, working in partnership with The Message Trust.

Graham Boxall, youth development worker at the centre, remembers when Andrei arrived: ‘He first came to us in January 2009 – angry, aggressive and negative about most things. He was argumentative, always trying to prove his point and he struggled to engage in class learning.

‘The team worked closely alongside him, getting to understand him and build a close relationship. We supported him to deal with his emotional issues, directing him and helping him.’

Thanks to this support, Andrei began to see things differently:

‘It was like looking from the third person,’ remembers Andrei himself. ‘I could see what I was doing to other people. I was losing a lot of my friends because of the way I was acting. I took a step back, saw what I was doing and decided I needed to change. I saw that I couldn’t keep going in that direction.’

Staff at the centre remember how one morning, Andrei walked into the centre, sat down and declared, ‘I want to work. Let’s stop messing about and get on with it.’

They assumed he was playing a joke. But Andrei turned out to be very serious and has applied himself ever since. He worked hard towards an ASDAN bronze award, and recently achieved his silver award.

‘Support from the Lighthouse Group and Eden Harpurhey team was like a circle of positivity,’ says Andrei. ‘I didn’t think I was much of an achiever. But I’m proud of myself now.’

With a couple of qualifications now under his belt, Andrei is aiming for a career in music as an MC, rapper and producer. He has said that he only wants to rap using positive lyrics.

Andrei’s 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.

Graham Boxhall explains why they nominated Andrei:

‘We nominated him for the Achiever Award because of the change we’ve seen in him. We know his background and how tough it’s been for him. For many people these events could easily have led to a path of self-destruction and possibly crime.

‘But Andrei has managed to break free from what may have led to this destructive lifestyle by listening to and and being influenced by positive people around him, staying focussed on his education and spreading a positive message to his peers and anyone who’ll listen.’

Andrei’s award was presented by Andrew Leakey from Stephenson’s Solicitors, the Award sponsor.

You can watch a sixty-minute video of Shane answering questions at the Eden Formation event over on the Eden Network website. Enjoy!

Message HQ hosted team leaders and church partners from as far away as London and Newcastle, for a day spent together hearing from National Director Matt Wilson and special guest Shane Claiborne (pictured right).

‘It was a huge day of partnership – of meeting one another, encouraging and praying for each other, and hearing ideas,’ said Matt.

‘Everyone there has invited Eden into partnership with them at the local level to move forward their with their work with young people in some of the nation’s most challenging high-density, high-population neighbourhoods.’

Strategic leaders travelled from as far afield as London, Newcastle, Middlesborough, Bradford, Sheffield and Humberside to be part of the day.

With less far to go were those from Eden’s birthplace, Greater Manchester. In the last year, five new projects have launched in Manchester, bringing the total to 11. New since May 2009 are partnerships in Westwood and Limeside in Oldham; Leigh; Gorton and Eccles.

It was a real milestone moment for Eden,’ reflects Matt. ‘It’s so important to us that we are creating Eden partnerships, not Eden projects. Eden works with, for and through local church and relationship is at the heart of it – we are journeying together.

‘There was a lot of warmth and a great buzz generated in the room among those who share a heart for the least, the last and the lost.’

You can watch a sixty-minute interview with Shane Claiborne on the Eden Network website.

A line-up featuring Matt Wilson, Andy Hawthorne, Pete Greig (24/7 Prayer) and worship leader Tim Hughes will share the Eden vision and plans for rolling out the first Eden projects across the city.

The special event takes place on March 18 with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets priced £5 are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 08456 52 52 52.

Watch the promo video for the event below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Find out more about Eden’s national vision on the Eden Network website.

***

London is one of the world’s most popular tourist cities but my time in London hasn’t involved the usual sightseeing. Instead I’ve been well off the beaten track exploring London’s many council estates – places you’ll never see in the travel brochures.

The differences between Urban Manchester and Urban London include both the obvious and the subtle. Urban London estates are more obvious on the landscape – tall, concrete, fortress-like, and often very compact, unlike Manchester’s endless sprawls of low-rise council semi-D’s and terraces.

Another curiosity to me is the way that the London estates often sit side by side with rows of pricey gentrified houses. The most striking symbol of this wealth–poverty divide has to be the East End communities along the Dockland Light Railway where overcrowded council flats are overshadowed by the glittering towers of Canary Wharf.

In the face of extreme overcrowding and huge ethnic diversity, establishing Eden teams in London is a big challenge. Your prayers are needed on both these fronts. Because living in the community is central to the way Eden goes about its ministry, we need to see some real breakthroughs in the provision of property.

We need divine favour with local councils, housing associations and private landlords if we’re to find homes for all our workers. We also need to get our recruitment message through to non-white church networks if our teams are to reflect the diversity present in the communities they are serving.

All the signs are that God is making a way where there was no way – which is exactly what we’re believing for!

If you want to become part of the adventure in London, or want to get a ticket for the launch celebration on March 18, visit www.eden-network.org.uk/london

Eden that first aired on national TV over Christmas is now available to view online.

‘Eden: A Story of Hope’ can be viewed for free via the Eden Network website.

The 25-minute film traces the history of Eden and how it has impacted the lives of the young people living in partner communities, together with Eden’s vision for the future. It features interviews with Eden workers, and National Director Matt Wilson (pictured).

The Eden Network is a series of community-based partnerships which aim to improve the lives of young people living in the most deprived communities in the nation.

There are currently 10 partnerships running across Greater Manchester, with youth workers moving into each community and working with local churches and organisations to provide activities and a ‘safe place’ for young people to hang out.

New partnerships are also being set up in other parts of the UK including Sheffield and London, marking the start of nine Eden ‘hubs’ in the most deprived areas across the nation.

story of Eden on national TV this Christmas.

UCB TV will show the 30-minute documentary about Eden titled ‘Eden: A Story of Hope’ twice over the Christmas period, on Sunday December 27 at 9pm, and on Wednesday December 30 at 7.30pm,

The programme traces the history of Eden and how it has impacted the lives of the young people living in partner communities, together with Eden’s vision for the future. It features interviews with Eden workers, and National Director Matt Wilson (pictured).

The Eden Network is a series of community-based partnerships which aim to improve the lives of young people living in the most deprived communities in the nation. 

There are currently 10 partnerships running across Greater Manchester, with youth workers moving into each community and working with local churches and organisations to provide activities and a ‘safe place’ for young people to hang out.

New partnerships are also being set up in other parts of the UK including Sheffield and London, marking the start of nine Eden ‘hubs’ in the most deprived areas across the nation.

Watch the documentary on UCB TV, Sky Channel 586 or via UCB’s website.

Broadcast Times: Sunday December 27 at 9pm, and Wednesday December 30 at 7.30pm.

***

Do I feel like a missionary? No, not really – I just live here.’

Twenty-one year old Harriet Atkins makes the challenge of living on Eden in one of the nation’s most needy estates sound like the most natural thing in the world.

But her journey from a middle-class home in one of the nicer parts of Manchester proves that this is a woman
sent by God and called for a purpose.

‘I grew up in a Christian home but to be honest I felt like God was passing me by. I knew he was the reason I’d had a great childhood but I didn’t have an understanding of who he was to me. ‘One day a person I really admired asked me, “Have you got a relationship with God?” That was where my journey with Him started.’

After feeling God speaking to her at a Planet Life event as a teenager, Harriet was accepted to the Genetik youth training course at 18.

‘Genetik was the most amazing time of my life – understanding the promises God had made over my life, getting to know the Holy Spirit, learning my Bible – I couldn’t get enough of it.’

As a passionate Genetik graduate, her skills in youth work were quickly in demand at her parents’ church.

‘It was a nice middle class area so the kids who had been brought up in nice Christian homes were really engaged. But the ones who were either rebelling or hadn’t been brought up in such great homes seemed to be neglected. I found my heart was broken for these girls.’

Harriet began a small prayer group in her basement with three of the girls. Before long this became six.

‘Because I was only a couple of years older than them, the issues they were going through were the same ones I had gone though and had seen breakthrough in. My heart ached when I heard them say things like “God does things for other people but not for me.” That is exactly how I used to feel.’

During this time it became clear to Harriet what God wanted from her life:

‘Being in a youth group, working with the hard-to-reach ones made me realise what I was supposed to be doing: realising potential in young people.’

Harriet’s involvement with Eden Harpurhey came through a chance conversation with then team leader Lucy Smith. As she described her heart for mentoring young girls, it became obvious that she was a perfect fit for a new role as a mentoring coordinator.

‘Studies have shown that mentoring is the number one need in Harpurhey for young people. There are so few role models for the kids who have been left behind.’

Harriet fell in love with Harpurhey’s people, the community, the church and the way Eden functioned as part of the church.

‘The Eden team in Harpurhey “do” church. Before, I thought you “went to church”. But they live church out in community with the people, the kids, the families.’

Harriet’s work is a crucial part of the Eden team on the streets of Harpurhey. With the team, she interacts with dozens of young people on a weekly basis from detached work on the streets, a drop-in centre run in partnership with the local Lighthouse Group centre, and one-on-one discipleship and prayer with young people.

‘We work with a lot of young girls who have no self-esteem whatsoever. One girl in particular we’ve really seen blossom. She had been told all her life she looked like a man which was patently not true. Yet whenever I saw her she was covered up head to toe in baggy tracksuits. Over weeks and months, we gradually got her to realise that she is in fact beautiful and to understand that her identity doesn’t have to lie in covering herself up. It was about getting her to a place where she had heard and she knew that she was totally loved by God.

‘We helped her make a ‘God wall’ which she plastered with scripture and God’s promises to her. On a particularly low day, she took it all down saying she no longer believed any of it. One of the other young people came in and said “Don’t you dare take that down”, and read them all back to her, one by one. Her confidence has gone up ten-fold. Educationally, she’s doing really well. She passed her exams and got a fantastic job she loves. Everyone she knows is just overwhelmed with the change they’ve seen in her. God wants to do that kind of transformation every day.’

How does she feel about living in one of the most deprived parts of the UK where health is poor, unemployment is high and police sirens are part of the ambient noise?

‘There are some people who say to me, “How is it living in Chavland?” which is a common view. And it’s funny listening to other Christians talk about their problems and thinking, “You have no idea!” But I’ve never once felt unsafe. I know we have a massive God. It’s home.

‘Eden is great because it gives people a format for how to live as a Christian on an estate among people who are broken. I just feel like if Jesus were walking around now, this is where he would be living.  He wouldn’t be living there as a mentoring coordinator, he’d literally be just living there, being light in the community and doing life with people. That’s Eden.’

Find out more about Eden at the Eden Network website.