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A Church near You (www.acny.org.uk)
This site allows visitors to search on their postcode to find the nearest church and to see what goes on there. We have a basic entry on the website for every church in the diocese including contact details. It is now the responsibility of each parish to take on their entry and develop it. You can add or change service times, contacts, news, photography, links and much, much more, and, of course, put in full details about your youth work.You need to contact our IT manager, Steven Hall, who is a really good guy who will be more than helpful. His email is steven.hall@peterborough-diocese.org.uk.

Activity Trailer for Hire
Northamptonshire Knights Scout Fellowship have created a wonderful activity trailer which is available both for scouting and non-scouting youth groups. The trailer includes Giant Twister, Giant Draughts, Lawn Darts, Giant Noughts & Crosses, Giant Dominoes, Giant Connect 4, Ten Pin Bowling, Slingshot Target Game, Frisbee and Boules. Superb and a very different kind of a night with your youth group or to use for fundraising or something similar. Contact Patsy or Jennie on 01536 517539.

Adolescents
The Trust for the Study of Adolescents produce a range of excellent material to help us consider how we support young people. There are books, training courses, a website and lots of useful information on everything from suicide and self harm to emotional stability, peer support, moving on from junior to secondary school, understanding drugs and much, much more. Check out www.tsa.uk.com.

African Praise
Is your clergy person looking dowdy? Then why not buy them an African clergy shirt? To support mission in Africa, a wide variety of good looking, colourful and, let’s face it, different clergy shirts are available from African Praise. www.africanpraise.co.za

Alcohol and Drugs Awareness
This is an issue we mustn’t ignore under any circumstances. We need quality resources and information, updated regularly, and be able to challenge our young people and they, in turn, challenge their peers. The Christian agency Hope UK produce superb resource material and an excellent website on www.hopeuk.org.uk. Drugscope and Alcohol Concern – Making Sense of Alcohol - is an excellent book with loads of information. If you would like to take a look at it, Paul has a copy, to help advise you about what you might do about drugs in your youth work situation.

AMAZE
Amaze is the Association of Christian Youth and Children’s Workers. It exists to support everyone involved in working with young people in a church setting, giving help with best practice, employment, support, ideas, training and much much more. At the Diocesan Office at Bouverie Court, we keep a number of copies of both the Best Practice Manual and the Employment Manual, both of which you are welcome to borrow. In addition, we encourage everyone to join Amaze and particularly those in employed situations for assistance with job descriptions and contracts. etc. As a diocese, we have a contract with Amaze and if your parish is considering the employment of a youth worker, either part-time or full-time, then we have paid so that the consultations can be free to the parish to assist and enable very best practice in terms of written material. www.amaze.org.uk

Are you into Art?
If you would like to buy some art by Christian artists, then why not take a look at the wonderful pictures on www.colinsart.org.uk.

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Banking
Many youth groups simply have accounts at their local branch of a multi-national bank. Have you thought about changing to a Christian bank and one which runs on ethical principles? Reliance Bank give their profits to the Salvation Army who own the bank and, in recent years, have given well over £1m to the work of that wonderful organisation. Why not take a look at heir web pages at www.reliancebankltd.com. Alternatively, the Co-op offer a range of ethical banking opportunities for groups or you might want to challenge whichever bank you are currently with to see if there is another way of banking with them whereby even your banking is on Christian principles.

Bible Study Notes
Get daily bible study notes via email direct to your computer or the computers of your young people. Over 9000 people do every day from www.word-on-the-web.co.uk.

Books
Paul has a vast range of new publications from a variety of Christian publishers. If you would like him to bring them to your leaders, give him a call and he would be delighted to bring them out or, alternatively, make an appointment to come and view resources at Bouverie Court.

BREATHE
This is a brilliant installation, looking like a large parachute, which can be travelled round by up to 36 young people at once, engaging with their own spirituality. It is based in Leicester and can be booked to come to an event, church etc. Why not contact Lat Blaylock at lat@retoday.org.uk.

Building Faith in our Future
A new email system with loads and loads of information about buildings and other links. If you would like a copy about what is happening in the Church around the country, then ask Paul for a copy or email rebecca.payne@c-of-e.org.uk.

Bungoma
Our diocesan link is with the Diocese of Bungoma on the Kenya/Uganda border. There are loads of opportunities to link your youth group, church, school etc. with a similar organisation within Bungoma for exchange of ideas, information, to be able to resource projects and development overseas and, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, to be able to allow youth workers and/or young people to actually be able to travel to Bungoma to see for themselves the kinds of activities that are going on. Many folk within the diocese have met up with visitors we have hosted from Bungoma and, as resources develop over there, there will be the chance for trips. If you are interested, contact Paul.

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Caris
A girls’ magazine from a Christian perspective. Check out www.carismag.co.uk and particularly the fact that they will send you free copies. It looks like a very interesting product and might be something worth spreading round your youth group.

Cars
Paul, like many other Christian ministers, drives a car supplied by Autosave, the excellent organisation in Sheffield who help provide appropriate vehicles at very reasonable prices. Take a look at their website www.autosave.co.uk.

Cartoons
Our good friend, Dave Walker, has created the unique cartoon church website at www.cartoonchurch.com. Do please support his very innovative ministry. Paul has paid for a licence to be able to use his material around the diocese and recommends that you do the same for your own situation. Otherwise, just take a look and have a laugh at the wonderful material. You can print off cards, Powerpoint presentations and so on but please, please, do buy a licence to encourage Dave to continue with this excellent work.

Chocolate (Fairtrade)
Fairtrade chocolate comes from a variety of sources. Our very good friends at the Day Chocolate Company create Divine chocolate which now comes in a whole range of different formats from drinking chocolate to after dinner mints and all points in between. They also have a range of other materials and resources to help back you up as you help your group think about Fairtrade and chocolate. Contact www.divinechocolate.com for all sorts of useful resources and information.

Child Protection
Please make sure you have a parish Child Protection policy. You should not be operating youth work without it. If you need help in putting the policy together, the Diocese has a range of resources. See the Child Protection section of the Downloads page on this website.

Christmas
For those of you who have enjoyed The Labyrinth, Liverpool Diocese created a Christmas labyrinth and we have a soundtrack with readings and meditations to accompany the walk round the labyrinth. You will need a player and a copy of the disk for each user. Full details can be obtained from Paul.

Christmas
Many Christian organisations are offering gifts that you can purchase for Christmas as an alternative – everything from a goat to a toilet and all stops in between. Numerous organisations have such gifts. Why not keep an eye out and perhaps do some sort of project with your youth group by way of buying something special for Christmas.

Christian Aid
Christian Aid produce so many good youth resources – it’s almost impossible to list them all here. The best thing to do is to go and have a look at their website – www.christianaid.org.uk – and check out all the different resource materials, ideas, activities, mailing lists etc. Some particularly good resources that Paul would recommend are a little leaflet which can be given away called War and Peace and a regular youth leader’s update called Youth Topics, which Paul considers to be one of the best things around. Also, get on to their Empower Information and Resources Mailing List for superb youth work materials and resources. There are prayer lists, there are special days and activities and so much more. Take a good look at what Christian Aid can offer to your youth work, there’s masses. Buy a goat, buy a school, pay for a nurse, a school lunch and much much more.

Christian Life and Global Mission
Is that something that concerns you? Well, there is a DVD set and teaching material available. Watch a trailer at www.interserveonline.org.uk.

Christian Musicals
Roger Jones has been renowned for many years in creating excellent Christian musicals, eminently usable for youth groups and young people generally. Take a look at the Christian Music Ministries catalogue which can be ordered through their website on www.cmm.org.uk.

Christian Downloads
With more and more people using ipod and similar materials, why not encourage young people to download Christian stories. Go and take a listen at www.audiopot.org.uk, an excellent source for creative Christian audio.

Church House Publishing
The Church of England’s own publishing house has recently produced a wide range of eminently useful resources. An excellent book, reflecting on lifestyle from our good friend Stephen Cottrell, formerly of Peterborough Cathedral – Expressions, the DVD 2, helping people to think about changing the church in which we live. How many light bulbs does it take to change a Christian? – a pocket guide to shrinking your ecological footprint, and much much more. www.chpublishing.co.uk

CMJ Music
Our good friends from Birmingham who create wonderful worship resources. Check them out at www.cmjmusic.com.

Comedy
The Isaac Project is a national comedy movement for Christians in the comedy business. Excellent stand ups who may be able to add to your event or activity, to visit to help you with a fundraiser or something similar. Why give them a call if it is something you might be interested in. You can get hold of them at info@isaacproject.co.uk.

Community Links
Community Links exists to help you work in your community with ideas, resources, information and much much more. Many excellent books are produced, a number of which Paul uses on a regular basis. Take a look at their website – www.community-links.org.uk.

Computers
All sorts of useful resources in terms of software, dance mats, clip art, worship backgrounds and much, much more available from www.wesleyowen.com.

Connect
Excellent new resources from Scripture Union. Short snappy books on real issues that concern young people today to help them think about what the Bible says about different issues. The first two are on Beauty and the Ipod are available for viewing from Paul or can be purchased via your Christian Bookshop – really good material.

COSY - Church of Scotland Youth
The Church of Scotland is really developing in terms of youth mission and discipleship. They have an excellent coffee house packed to help you think about the way you are working with young people and other resources – We Believe in Young People, credit cards, Keep the Faith DVD, Youth Strategy booklets and We Believe in Young People wristbands are just some of the resources available. Why not check out their website at www.churchofscotland.org.uk and follow the youth links. Their Youth Officer is Steve Malham and he has some very, very innovative ideas.

CPAS - The Hub
An excellent resource for youth leaders, The Hub is a CPAS Network for Youth and Children’s Leaders supporting local churches, giving guidance, resources for everything you need to make and grow young disciples of Jesus Christ. Just £8 a month buys into a wide range of resources and benefits, free information, monthly copies of magazines and much, much more – well worth a look. Take a look then at www.cpas.org.uk/thehub.

Constitutions
More and more funding bodies are asking for youth groups to have constitutions. Paul has copies of one or two if you are under pressure from folk to have one. It is a very good idea to have one. It legally establishes your group and, if you want a bank account, the chances are your bank will ask you for one.

CROPS - Christian Options in Peterborough Schools
Our good friends at CROPS have created an on-line youth forum. If you would like more information see www.crops.org.uk. They currently have over 170 members. It is carefully moderated and it is thought to be one of the best forms of youth work happening in the Peterborough area in terms of the amount of work that is being done.

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Developments
A free magazine produced by the Department for International Development to increase awareness about development issues. They may have resources and information which would be useful if your group thinks about the world it lives in.

Directory of Grant Making Trusts
The latest edition of this popular fundraising reference guide has just been published. The 20th edition covers 2,500 grant-making trusts and includes their contact details, what is and what is not funded, type and range of grants made, and examples of recent grants. The extensive indexes - by geographical area, field of interest and type of beneficiary, and type of grant - allow users to target the trusts that are most relevant to their needs.

For more information : order Directory of Grant Making Trusts
Charity Commission – dedicated unit to support faith-based charities
The Charity Commission has launched a dedicated unit to provide support and expert advice to faith-based charities. http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=329242&NewsAreaID=2

or see the Faith and Social Cohesion Unit pages at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/

Discipleship
Are you looking to disciple your young people into the fullness of the Christian faith? There are a wide range of recommended resources – Youth Emaus 1 & 2, CY, Quest, Foundations 21, Youth Alpha, Rock Solid 1 & 2, Christianity Explored, Credo, Developing Discipleship, Christian Basics, Come as you Are, Foundations of Faith, God for Grownups, This is our Faith, Christ Empowered Living, Freedom in Christ, Lost for Words, Start and much, much more. If you would like information about appropriate resources and information with regard to discipleship, contact Paul. He is always pleased to show you resources so that you can material suitable to where you are at.

Drugs - see Alcohol and Drugs Awareness

Drugs Guidance for the Youth Service
An excellent booklet with loads of information coming from Drugscope with numerous links and other useful resource information, details of policy, good practice and so on and so forth. www.drugscope.org.uk

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Eco-Congregation
The world around us concerns most of us and many young people are concerned about green issues and similar things. Eco-Congregation seek to help people think, act and engage with such issues. Take a look at their website – www.ecocongregation.org. They have an excellent regular newsletter, telling about different things that different church groups are doing.

East of England
There is a monthly email newsletter for all those engaged in all forms of work with young people in the East of England. It has a wide range of information such as conferences, training, funding and much much more. It is issued from the Hertfordshire County Youth Service and you can get put on the mailing list by emailing maureen.stockwell@hertscc.gov.uk.

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Fairtrade
Are you a Fairtrade church? You really ought to be, serving Fairtrade tea and coffee when appropriate and promoting Fairtrade resources. We are hoping that every church in the Diocese will become a Fairtrade church. Likewise, we are hoping that every youth group that has a tuckshop will begin to have Fairtrade items at least, if not solely. See the Fairtrade page on this website for more information.

Fair Trade tuckshops
If you would like in your tuckshop or for special events to stock Fair Trade material, there is a wholesaler in Northampton which may be the place for you – www.dailybread.co.uk is a co-operative committed to fair trade and their shop in Northampton stocks a wide range of chocolate, drinks and other items, particularly valuable if you are going away on a self-catering residential and would like to commit yourself to a fair trade practice. If you would like more information, contact them or, alternatively, they are just up the road from Bouverie Court and Paul is a regular visitor.

Family Matters
Care for the Family is an evangelical Christian agency encouraging families in a variety of different ways with materials, training events, get togethers, magazines etc. etc. Take a look at www.careforthefamily.org.uk. They have also published a new book by Robert Parsons on parenting teenagers. See www.careforthefamily.org.uk/teens

Flash paper
Many of you will have seen Paul with his amazing disappearing flaming paper, known as flash paper, which can be got from tricksfortruth.com. Paul also has ideas and information on best ways of using it or can, occasionally, access odd or single sheets from his own resources. If you would like to chat, you can contact him via the usual routes.

Flushout
A Flushout is an action pack to help you flush out poverty. Helping Christian Aid to bring taps to villages where they need clean and tidy water. An excellent way of helping to raise money for a vitally important issue while reflecting on how fortunate we all are to have clean water as a matter of course.

Frontier Youth Trust
For many years, FYT have offered support for all those working on the fringes of the church with young people at risk, offering as they do marvellous resources, information, events, activities, etc. Well worth a look at www.fyt.org.uk. Paul particularly commends Inspire and Inspire Too, two excellent books with CD-ROMS attached with loads of really good ideas for creative youth work to help improve and reflect on our good practice, looking at choices, self-esteem, rights and wrongs, justice and soul searching – absolutely superb.

Funding
See Funding.

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Grove Booklets
The excellent Theological Reflection Tools have at last started a youth series. The first book is Responding to Challenging Behaviour and the next four will be Sustaining your Spirituality, Can we have a Chat - working Safely One-to One, Young People as Prophets and Reaching and Keeping Volunteers. Strongly recommended at just £2.95 each – an excellent tool. These should be available from your local Christian Bookshop, otherwise contact Paul as he has the facility of bulk buying.

Happy in my Skin
A brand new book on youth ministry with young people from minority ethnic groups. If this is an area of ministry which you are engaged in, then it offers some very interesting reflections, materials, resources, etc. and also there is the link newsletter from the Community for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, more details of which are in the book.

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Ice Breakers
We all need short, sharp activities as evenings begin and there are a variety of very expensive books. However, there are a number of websites which feature Ice Breakers. If you email www.cellchurch.info/ you will find 100 free Ice Breakers. In addition there is a church website which has a large number of Ice Breakers on it – www.stjohnsbaxenden.org.uk/ These are wonderful tools to introduce different subjects in fun ways and also to get your evening off to an unusual or different kind of a start.

IGNITE
This is a large youth organisation based in Wales, again with loads of information. They have a Tenth Anniversary Big Ideas Event being held in Cardiff. If you would like more information about them or their events, then go to www.igniteme.org

Illusions
www.tricksfortruth.com is the home of our friend, Paul Morley, and his excellent resources to enable you to use a wide variety of illusions to help put across the Christian message. Many of you will have seen Paul Niemiec use fire paper on numerous occasions, all of which is supplied by Paul, as well as everything from guillotines to small hand held tricks and lots, lots more. If you are the kind of person who could usefully use this material, then take a look at the website and see what he’s up to.

Iona Community
Innovative Resources for Worship come from the Iona Community. Excellent material in the Celtic and contemporary style as well as the superb facilities on Iona itself. Take a look at the website www.iona.org.uk.

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JAM is a magazine for Christian young people in the modern style – loads of stories, information and things to inspire young Christians creating positive youth culture. Full details available from Paul or contact www.jammag.co.uk. Perhaps you could get enough copies to give one to each member of your youth group.

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Kevin Mayhew are one of the foremost Christian publishers in the country and currently are producing more and more excellent material for young people, particularly Reflective Worship and Teaching Materials which are some of the most borrowed resources at Bouverie Court – well worth a look at their website www.kevinmayhew.com

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Laughter
If you need a laugh every day, then one of the best places to get them is Mikey’s Funnies. You will be emailed something amusing, often eminently usable with your group, every day. If you would like more information, check out www.mikeysfunnies.com.

Legal and Health Matters
Paul has two new books – Working with Young People – Legal Responsibilities and Liability, and Health and Safety in Youth and Community Work. If you would like to take a look at those or would like copies for yourself, then the ISPN numbers are 0946109 46X and 1 898924-02-3 respectively. Alternatively, contact Paul for details of the publishers. As the whole world becomes more litigious and as professionalism comes into our work more and more, these are issues which should concern us all.

Life Actually
This is a relatively new publication from Scripture Union, designed for Year 11 students, to help them deal with the choices and challenges which lie ahead. This is credible advice, facts and real life stories on everything from exams, relationships, money, stress, parties and dealing with parents. This book also invites readers to explore where God fits in. It is written by Jenny Baker, who has produced a whole range of very good material over a number of years and is strongly recommended.

Life Words
Small user-friendly booklets full of scripture, suitable for giving away to young people. All sorts of formats on all sorts of subjects – excellent material, eminently usable at events, services or simply to keep in your wallet or handbag if you want to share some details of the Christian faith with a young person. www.lifewords-global.com/uk

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Magic
The Revd. Mark Townsend has recently stood down as a full-time vicar to become nothing less than a full-time Christian magician. He is available for bookings and has a wide range of folk willing to speak for him who have obviously enjoyed his entertainment no end. Check out www.magician.org/member/marktownsend

Managing for Better Outcomes in Youth Work
This is a new publication from the National Youth Agency. It may not suit everybody, but it does give cause for reflection about why we are doing what we are doing and what we are hoping to get out of it. Whilst it is an acutely secular book, lots of the performance indicators, principles, ideas and things are very transferable to our circumstances. Why not take a look at the website and see if it is a thing for you – it’s www.nya.org.uk – where you will also find a vast range of other resources which you might find of interest.

Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns
Working with young people from minority ethnic groups. The committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns have, along with Christian Education, produced Happy in my Skin, an excellent resource on how we can develop effective youth ministry to people from minority ethnic groups, with contributions from practitioners working with black, Asian and traveller communities. Happy in my Skin also addresses the issues of social justice, of finding God’s heart for those who have been marginalised from the life of the Church.

Mission Shaped
Why not talk with your young people about being ‘Mission Shaped’. There is a whole range of new books and other resources. One is a group study course called ‘Four Studies and a Party' – vision, evangelism, growth all in a mission shape 4 set Bible study.

Music
Our friends at CJM continue to produce wonderful music. Joe Boyce and colleagues have a range of superb worship CDs and many of our friends attended their wonderful event at Northampton Cathedral at Easter. www.cjmmusic.com

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NAYC - Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs
They offer a wide range of support, training opportunities, information, resources, visits etc. to all those working with young people across Northamptonshire. www.nayc.org

NCVYS launches Factor in Faith Guide
Factor in faith was launched on 7 November at NCVYS’s annual conference. It is a practical guide for voluntary youth organisations to make their services more accessible to young people from all communities regardless of their faith, race or culture.
To download the document go to the NCVYS website.

New Resources
Paul has received a variety of new resources, including Young People and Worship, Young People and Mission, Mission-shaped Youth and a variety of other recent publications. If you would like him to come to your parish and share resources with you, then please don’t hesitate to contact him.

Northampton Young People’s Directory
If you are in Northampton or the Northampton area, there is a small A4 folded leaflet called the Young People’s Directory which covers everything from pregnancy testing to drugs and alcohol, young parenting, sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, counselling and advice, disability and a wide variety of other services. It has excellent relevant and up-to-date contact details for all sorts of agencies and organisations and it may well be a useful resource for your young people to have but, certainly, a very valuable one for you to have as a youth leader. It is probably best to contact the Primary Care Trust at Northampton or it should be in your local doctor’s surgery.

Novels
We are led to understand that more and more young people are reading novels these days and Lion have created a teen fiction section and their first three novels are High Crag Linn, The Sorcerer’s Daughter and Assignment Earth, all in the fantasy realm in one way or another. It looks like very interesting stuff and can be checked out either via your Christian Bookshop or via Lion Publishing at www.lionhudson.com.

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Posters
Why not make your place look a bit more interesting with some lively challenging Christian posters? I know that sounds fairly unlikely but Victory Tracts produce some very interesting material, some of which is eminently suitable for youth group environments. Paul has a number of copies of their catalogue. Alternatively, you can contact them via www.victorytracts.co.uk. They are not cheap but it may be that they are a good way of enhancing the environment that you are working in.

Printforce
Printforce produce excellent small booklets of games, activities, ideas, programming etc. www.printforcebooks.com

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Questions young people ask
Paul offers assistance with confirmation preparation and, not least, leads confirmation retreats for young people in a variety of places around the diocese. To begin each new confirmation session, he gives young people the opportunity to ask questions. Here are a range of real questions young people have asked at the beginning of a recent confirmation course which you might find useful to stimulate thought and discussion:-

Why is God always referred to as male?
What is the difference between Catholics and Protestants?
How do we know God is here?
Is God a spirit?
Is God male or female?
Why does the Church, as an institution, so often seem to forget grace?
Why are some people so anti-religion?
When Jesus was born, he was given gold, frankincense and myrrh – why?
Does God actually exist?
Is He real?
Why does God take well and healthy people’s lives and not the ill and sick who are in pain?
Does praying work?
Does God interact in daily life today?
Is Jesus a miracle-maker?
If Jesus is a miracle-maker, did He feel pain on the cross?
Is there any proof that religion is real?

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RE:ACT 2008
Part of Hope 08, encouraging us to impact on our local communities with the good news of Jesus by hosting a family fun day, followed by Church Outdoors. Loads of information and support available. If you would like to be part of this, then contact www.urbansaints.org./

Residentials
The Christian Adventure Centre at Viney Hill in the Forest of Dean is strongly recommended for an activity holiday if you would like to go a bit further afield.www.vineyhilladventure.co.uk
The Frontier Centre, run by the Barnabus Trust, at Irthlingborough, is also strongly recommended. Our good friend, Mike Creece, and his wonderful staff offer a vast range of opportunities for youth group visits, stays and much more.
Chellington is just over the diocesan boundary in Bedfordshire. It is a converted 12th Century church, now a wonderful youth residential facility for up to about 30 young people. It is right in the middle of nowhere, ideal for a weekend away or even an overnighter. www.chellington.org.uk
Fancy a boat? Well, that’s to say a narrowboat. There are three boats available, two wide-beam boats with skippers or a self-steer narrowboat from Reach Out Projects, who also run the Chellington Centre. For more information, give Ann Green a ring on 01727 818168. The boats are based at Hemel Hempstead, not far south of us. If you fancy a residential experience with a difference, these are excellent resources.

Risk Assessment
This is something that scares or confuses quite a lot of us. A simple straightforward guide is Five Steps to Risk Assessment from the Health and Safety Executive. Why not take a look at their website and see the range of materials that they have available, but, particularly useful, is this easy guide. Their website address is www.hsebooks.co.uk.

Ruckus is the latest online publication developed by the National Youth Agency. Specifically designed and targeted at young people, it is partly written and steered by young people and focuses on issues important to them. The first issue covered a range of topics including body piercing, opinion pieces about religion, a look at what the 2012 Olympics will mean to young people in the UK and a whole range of other materials. You might want to take a look at a free pdf download version which you can find at www.youthinformation.com/templates/internal.asp?NodeID=91964.

Rural
Are you in a rural area? Then you need to see Rural Youth Network, a regular update on all things rural and young people. Loads of links, information, news, resources, training, funding and much, much more. If you would like further details, then contact www.ruralyouth.com

Russell House Publishing create some of the very best books on all sorts of aspects of youth work, mostly outside of the Christian sector but much generic material hugely useful to anybody undertaking to work with young people in a wide variety of settings. Whilst, because of low print runs, a lot of the material is very expensive, it has on many occasions proved to be enormously valuable to a wide variety of people. Why not contact them and get hold of a copy of their latest catalogue. Email help@russellhouse.co.uk.

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Scrap Stores
Imagine a place where you could get card, paper, material and much much more completely free of charge. Well, it’s not quite that brilliant but almost. Our local Scrap Stores at Peterborough, Milton Keynes and Corby offer a facility whereby you can join – fees range round about the £30 mark – and then go and access recycled resources from local industries. It’s good for everybody. Industry recycles, the Scrap Stores become self-sufficient and we all access enormously useful resources. Corby is the Northants. Children’s Resource Centre, Peterborough is called Restore and, if you would like further information about either of them, then contact Paul.

Set All Free
The Act to End Slavery’s 200th Anniversary is celebrated in 2007 with numerous resources, information and much, much more. Take a look at www.setallfree.net

Software (Christian)
if you are looking for the very best software for worship, teaching, resources, Powerpoint, dance mats and much, much more, then check out Wesley Owen at www.WesleyOwen.com.

Sound System
Many of you have borrowed and/or seen Paul’s portable sound system and asked about it. It is an Peavey Escort 2000, a brilliantly packaged, easily portable, 5-channel, 150 watts stereo mixer amplifier. If you would like more information, then why not Google Peavey Escort 2000 and see what is available. More than 30 churches have now bought their own.

Spacehoppers
Paul’s set of adult sized racing spacehoppers have proved a great hit all over the Diocese. Why not get a set for your youth group by contacting Addject. They are not terribly expensive and they also offer a range of other resources which you might find of interest, including huge pick-up sticks, giant noughts & crosses sets and other things. Their website is www.addject.com.

Speaking Volumes
A new agency called Speaking Volumes is attempting to place Christian books, videos, DVDs etc. into libraries and schools. They have been hugely successful in this ministry and are looking for more and more opportunities. If you would like further details, then take a look at www.christianbookpromotions.org.uk. Maybe you know somewhere that could do with such a range of material or, maybe, as a church or a youth group you would like to sponsor a pack going into a school or a library somewhere near you.

Stories of faith - 12 Disciples
Gritty, unforgettable stories of faith, hope and love that highlight how young people connected to Youth for Christ are being good news. This is essential reading for those who know that newspapers aren’t telling the whole truth about young people. Uncensored stories of young people encountering the reality of issues like teenage pregnancy, suicide, youth crime, bullying, self-harm, alcohol and drug abuse and family breakup, from Andy Flanagan and Ann Culver published by Monarch at £7.99 and available from your local Christian Bookshop.

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Tear Fund
This is a Christian development agency. They produce loads of useful information including a youth leader magazine, NETWORK. Also catalogues for purchasing materials, youth work information and resources. www.tearfund.org/youth

Teenagers – What Every Parent has to Know
Sounds like a fairly imaginative title for a book. You can order the book or check out the tour that goes with it from author, Rob Parsons at www.careforthefamily.org.uk/teenagers where you will also find a range of other information.

The Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship
Developed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, along with the British Council, the Global Fellowship programme has been designed to provide an opportunity for young self-starters of school and college leaving age from all over the country and all backgrounds to venture out and explore the cultures and societies that will increasingly shape our lives in England.
The six week programme will include: Cultural and language immersion; work in a school or college where they can contribute as a language teaching assistant; time spent with a global company, being introduced to business operations and local community impact programmes.
The Fellowship will be open to all young people who are 18 and 19 years old at the beginning of the Fellowship programme.
For more information please visit www.globalgateway.org/pmgf or Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288 info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

The Ten Commandments
Active Media Publishing have created a wonderful DVD resource called Exodus 20. It is an excellent 2-CD ROM set of material made by students for students on the Ten Commandments, ideal for use in schools, youth groups, Bible study groups. There are 10 short films, each one dealing with a different Commandment - superb material, eminently usable, strongly recommended. Paul has a copy if you would like to view it or visit www.ampublishing.net/productsportfolio.html

Theatre
Loud Mouth Educational Theatre Company are specialists in education and training on young people’s issues. Based reasonably locally in Birmingham, their work ranges from training courses for teachers, youth workers and others to working directly with young people of all sorts, shapes and sizes on topics from Challenging Stereotypes, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Teenage Pregnancy. Supporting Young Parents and they do it through a whole range of different models. Probably worth checking out their website and seeing if they would be a useful resource for you. They are at www.loudmouth.co.uk.

Time toTalk report
DCSF has issued Time to talk consultation – report of findings which gives the findings from community consultation activities on how to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and their families. http://www.dfes.gov.uk/timetotalk/documents/7361-DCSF-Consultation-TEXT.pdf

Transforming Worship Website
Transforming Worship is a new initiative from the Church of England's Liturgical Commission. The website brings together a collection of resources and links to liturgical sites to help churches plan their liturgy. It also details the Roadshows - training days which will be happening throughout England over the next few years, and important for those involved in CME to note. The first series includes workshops on leading All-Age Worship. See www.transformingworship.org.uk/TransformingWorship/

TRAX 16
This is a download podcast that explores mission, discipleship and the Church. Each month a new TRAX 16 can be downloaded on line and it is around 20-40 minutes of lively presented interviews with young people and music. It is part of CMS and you can get all the details by visiting www.trax16.com.

Tree Aid
Check them out on to find out how you could help in a very different way to make a very big difference. www.treeaid.org.uk

TSA Publications (Trust for the Study of Adolescents)
has recently issued a new catalogue looking at a wide variety of issues that concern young people. If you would like to see the catalogue, then please contact Paul or check out publications@tsa.uk.com.

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UK Youth
Formerly Youth Clubs UK, they continue to produce material on everything from Bullying to Disaffection, Leading Groups, Cyberspace, Understanding Anger, Creating Good Clubs and much more. They produce regular information to support people in youth work in all sorts of situations. Take a look at their website at www.ukyouth.org/resources.

Urban Saints (formerly Crusaders)
They offer a vast range of wonderful resources, not least the on-line Energise, a complete web-based support package for youth and children’s leaders with meetings, sketches, helpful ideas, on-line training and much, much more. It’s a buy-in package and you can get full details by contacting Urban Saints Resources to get hooked up for a 3-month free trial. Full details from Paul.
Urban Saints run Infusion, a programme to help develop older young people helping teenagers develop in their Christian youth and children’s work leadership skills.

Voluntary Sector Support Unit, Northamptonshshire County Council
The unit has a regular newsletter which will help you access funding, information, resources, grants and much much more. If you would like to be part of it, then check out www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/community/vssu.

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World Affairs
If you are interested in world affairs and your youth group would like more information, then www.dfid.gov.uk is the Department for International Development’s website. It has loads of recent news, statistics, goals, real life experiences and much more information which may help you in your considerations.

World development
A large number of Christian organisations now offer the resource for youth groups to be able to engage in this very exciting way of helping folk throughout the world develop in education, health, self-help and much much more. Check out Christian Aid, Tear Fund, Trade Craft, World Vision and many other organisations, as well as Oxfam and others who will be delighted to inform you just how much your money will buy. For instance, just £2 a month, via Christian Aid, can help with Cow Power. A cow can make an enormous difference, as Paul saw during his visit to Kenya. In the first instance, it provides milk, secondly can give birth to other cows and, thirdly and eventually, the meat can be used. There are so many ways of helping with relatively or, in some cases, very small amounts of money. Please encourage your youth groups to actively get involved.

World Issues
Are your young people interested in a better world? If so, there is a brilliant free resource from the Department of International Development. It’s a Rough Guide to a Better World and how you can make a difference. It is in the same format as the Rough Guides which older young people will have used for world travel. It has numerous very, very good contacts, resources, information and is an excellent tool both for yourselves as leaders and also for young people to reflect on the state of the world. Considering it comes from our own Government, it is one of the best things that they have produced in donkeys’ years. If you would like to find out more, have a look at www.roughguide-betterworld.com.

World Vision - free magazines
www.worldvision.org is the website of our good friends down in Milton Keynes. One of the largest growing Christian relief agencies in the world, they have a magazine for young people called BUG, so called apparently because, if you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t gone to bed with a mosquito in your room! An excellent magazine, giving young people a great deal to think about and completely free so check it out on the website.

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You Fish Shoes
is an excellent new book (try saying the title!) connecting 30 key issues with the Christian faith. Paul has access to copies for those who might require one.

Youth for Christ are one of the biggest Christian youth agencies in the world and they produce an excellent Resources for Youth Ministry manual, featuring mostly American material but much of it is first class and a lot coming from Youth Specialities, who are undoubtedly one of the foremost of the Christian publishers in youth work anywhere. So why not contact Paul and have a look at their manual or, alternatively, check out their website at www.yfc.co.uk.

Young Lives
If you are in the Peterborough area, then Young Lives is the site and the sound for you. If you contact zoe.dear@connexionscp.co.uk and ask to receive the Young Lives email, visit their site at www.young-lives.org.uk, there is loads of information about training, activities, resources, funding and much much more.

Young People Now
For youth work outside of the church and for a national perspective, then Young People Now is the magazine for you. Again, loads of information, resources and much more. Contact Paul for details.

Youth Work Magazine
If you want to keep up-to-date with all that’s best and the rest in Christian youth work in this country, then the magazine itself and their excellent website are two of the very best ways. You can purchase Youth Work Magazine through your local Christian bookshop or order it direct. Alternatively, take a look at www.youthwork.co.uk. News, information, instant programme ideas, jobs, adverts, what’s on, you name it, it’s an excellent one-stop shop.

Youth Work Online Directory
The publishers of the Youth Work Magazine are developing a Youth Work Online Directory. Why not take a look and if you have a resource that you can offer you can perhaps sign up or, alternatively, you can have a look at who’s available both in this area and beyond. Take a look at www.youthwork.co.uk/directory.

Zogg Game
If you have been looking for a really odd game that is a bit different and fun, our good friend, Nigel Pimlott, has recommended the Zogg Game. Check it out at www.nlpls.com/articles/perceptualPositions.php which explains the process in technical detail. It is a very interesting game which was used highly successfully in one of our recent training programmes.