In January, two youth groups from Selly Park and Moseley joined together to face the cold and raise money for other children who have no choice but to sleep on the streets.
On the night of Friday 27 January 2023, after months of planning, fundraising and putting on of warm clothing, 17 young people and their leaders met to spend the night outside! There were no tents – just a fire pit, sleeping bags, bivvy bags, tarpaulins and plenty of layers of clothing ... and freezing cold temperatures.
That night the youth groups played games, participated in Bible Study and prayers and enjoyed plenty of food and hot drinks, while getting to know each better and learning about God in the wider world.
On Saturday morning, after awakening to the frozen dawn, the youths left their cosy nests to enjoy breakfast together before putting their things away and moving to St Mary’s Church in Moseley to make and sell bacon sandwiches to everyone attending the Moseley Farmer’s Market.
You might ask why did they do all this? To raise money for Amani, a charity that supports Street Children in Tanzania, that the youth groups had been learning about in the previous months. Having been inspired to raise money for the charity the youths set themselves a goal of raising £2,500. Through their hard work and enthusiasm they smashed their original goal and instead raised £8533 (this includes £2500 in match funding from the Rev Ted Baines Charity).
Quotes from the group:
This has been so much fun! When can we do it again? (aged 11)
This took me way out of my comfort zone, but I only had to do it for one night, it made me realise how tough life can be for these kids on the street. (aged 14)
I’m so proud of myself I didn’t think I could it. (aged 11)
As a youth leader, you always want to instil in your young people a heart for those less fortunate than themselves. This event took some of the young people way out of their comfort zones, and put them in a position where they could empathise with those children who find themselves on the streets. Their willingness to forgo home comforts for the night and put up with freezing temperatures was brilliant to see and will hopefully lead to a lifelong heart to help other people. (Rachel Fasham, Children’s Families and Youth Minister at Christ Church in Selly Park)
So often in the media we hear negative things about today’s youth and it can be hard to find the positive examples. This event was an amazing example of how a local group of youths made a real impact, not only by raising money for a fantastic charity but also by being brilliant examples to the rest of their congregations and communities. The enthusiasm and hard work that each of the children involved in this event showed was truly inspirational, they pounded the streets asking for sponsorship, some spent their first night away from their parents in years and all of them performed acts of service while sleep deprived! It was truly a remarkable opportunity to watch the children grow in faith, confidence and love in one 18-hour period. (Rachel Kinning, Intergenerational Ministry Coordinator, Moseley Parish)