In North London, Eden Tollington N4 is partnering with Tollington Parish, a Church of England team of three churches: St. Mark’s Tollington, St. Saviour’s, Hanley Road and Emmanuel, Hornsey Road. Tollington is classified as a UPA (Urban Priority Area) which has seen multiple waves of immigration, becoming densely populated and wonderfully ethnically and religiously diverse.

The church runs night pastors, youth clubs, work with refugee communities, drop-ins for mums and toddlers, Alpha in the community centre, and much more, including the hugely successful annual Soul in the City event aimed at young people and families.

The new Eden Tollington team is led by Jahaziel Elliot. A successful and award-winning rapper, Jahaziel felt God calling him and his family more deeply into the life of a needy local council estate. Jahaziel is also the subject of the latest film in the Being Extra Ordinary series. In the film, he talks about his experiences moving his family on to the estate and what he thinks success really means.

Watch it now and comment on the Eden Network website.

Find out more about Eden in London and how you can get involved.

We’re all thrilled that the LZ7 single debuted at number 26 in this weeks single charts. Now let’s see what God will do with this fantastic ‘lamp on a stand’.

Thanks to all our supporters for getting behind the song. Today LZ7 are back in school doing a full schools week in a school in Bolton, please pray that many young people would respond to the gospel this week.

Please also pray that radio and music TV stations get behind the track and hundreds of thousands of young people find out about Jesus because of the single.

We obviously want to keep this in the charts so if have not bought your copy of This Little Light it’s not too late Click here

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 fought 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.

***

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.

A young man from Openshaw who fought aggressive cancer this year was 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 watched how he and his family 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 coped over the last year:

‘He never complained. He never once moaned. Six months of chemo, six weeks of radiotherapy – then maintenance therapy. He got me through it, to be honest. He really deserves this award.’

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.

Prior to the Awards, Sam Ward explained 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.’

At the point of nomination Cody was responding so well to treatment that doctors informed him that he was heading for remission and that only maintenance therapy was required. He was expected to gain strength and return to the standard routines of life.

But as the Awards night approached Cody suffered two significant attacks, both of which left him comatose for days. At first doctors thought this was simply a reaction to his many months of treatment but tests revealed that Cody’s cancer had reappeared in the lining around his brain.

Cody was told that he had only months to live as there were nothing further the doctors could do. With only a handful of people knowing the prognosis, Cody stood strong in front of the many hundreds of guests at the Urban Hero Awards Ceremony.

His courage was clear for all to see. Cody fought on, living each day at a time. He came to know Jesus and valued times of prayer.

A rapid decline saw Cody readmitted to hospital in late August but he requested to be allowed home. Doctors granted his last wish.

Cody passed away peacefully in his own bed on September 8th, 2010.

A former drug dealer who transformed his life and is now helping others transform theirs has won the Inspiration Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards, presented by Manchester youth charity, The Message Trust.

Nick Shahlavi, 27, from north Manchester found himself in a world of drugs and violence from his early teenage years.

‘I was raised by a good mum who did her best, but I found it hard to come under any kind of authority and stick to the rules. I had a lot of anger. I fell into a life of drugs – any kind of drugs.

‘It got heavy – dealing, career criminals, kidnappings, beatings, death threats, suicidal behaviour, crack and coke addiction.’

Things changed for Nick following what he describes as an ‘incredible set of miracles. The power of God transformed my life, renewed me inside and set my heart on fire for other people who are in the same predicament as me.’

Earlier this year, Nick was invited to become an intern with Reflex, part of The Message Trust, a youth charity working with the hardest-to-reach young people in Manchester’s prisons, schools and communities.

Now part of a small team, Nick runs courses and outreach work, building positive relationships with convicted young offenders in three of the region’s prisons.

‘My story inspires the guys on the wings,’ says Nick. ‘I’ve experienced a lot of the same stuff that they have been through or are going through. I’m truthful about how eager I was to pursue a life of crime as a career.

‘And I can tell them that if it weren’t for God, I’d be dead – either by my own hand or someone else’s hand. I know that for a fact.

‘I can be a voice of hope and encouragement to them. I’m a walking testimony of what God’s done for me and what change is possible.’

Nick’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.

Matt Hawthorne, a colleague on the Reflex team nominated Nick for the award. He fist met Nick eight years ago, when he was still deep in a life of crime. He witnessed Nick’s transformation 18 months ago and has been impressed with his passion and boldness since then:

‘I’ve seen his heart for serving and his gift for communication. He’s been leading loads of his friends from his old lifestyle to Jesus and out of crime, drugs and the occult.

‘I’ve nominated Nick because he has transformed his own life through an incredibly difficult past and is now inspiring and encouraging others around him.’

Nick’s award was presented by Paul Nadin of Jurang Fair Trade, the Award sponsor.

An innovative partnership between the church, police, local authorities and the housing association in Limeside, Oldham has been awarded the Champion Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards.

The Award, presented by Manchester youth charity The Message Trust, recognises their unique achievement in both reducing anti-social behaviour in the area and championing partnership as the best way to achieve it.

The partnership started life in late 2008 as New Life Church in Failsworth began working with The Message to bring an Eden Bus youth project to the area. Funding and support from the local housing association, Regenda, helped get the project off the ground.

It quickly gained momentum involving young people from the neighbourhood, having an immediate and positive impact on the local community in Limeside.

So when local police began planning for a three-month dispersal order in the Hollingwood and Limeside areas in late 2009, they were keen to tap into the enthusiasm and passion the team displayed.

Inspector David Stopford explains: ‘Dispersal orders are usually initiated by the police on their own – 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 were able to do [in Limeside] 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 project and New Life Church’s Street Link initiative.

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, 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.’

Neil Newberry, team leader of Eden Limeside, adds: ‘The difference has come from the agencies coming together and putting their cards on the table. We discovered we had similar aims and goals and we decided to pool our resources and work together.

‘Because of this, the atmosphere has changed. The young people have seen us working together and seen that we’re in it for the long-haul. They can see that the partnership’s goal is to benefit them. So they’ve been much more engaged with activities and really want to belong to the community.’

News of the success is spreading. According to Neighbourhood Manager John Norris, no other region has had the same amount of support and passion from local groups. In fact, the partnership has so inspired the local council that they have commissioned a DVD to be made that will promote ‘best practice’ to other areas how partnership can make the difference.

The Champion Award, one of five, was presented at this year’s Urban Hero Awards, taking place at Manchester’s Palace Hotel on July 9.

‘Winning the award has been fantastic,’ says Newberry. ‘I know that we’ll be celebrating this through the whole of Oldham.’

The award was sponsored by The Grand, Clitheroe and collected on behalf of the partnership by Neil and Lydia Newberry.

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.

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.

…

This article first appeared 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.

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