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The Happiness Club at St Andrews CE Primary in Kettering has recently been visited by Lucy Moore, Head of the Growing Faith Foundation at the Church of England.
The Growing Faith Foundation is a national movement that aims to change the culture of the Church of England, placing children and families at the centre of all mission and ministry in the church. It comes from a vision set by the House of Bishops in 2019 and involves churches, schools and families all working together to encourage and develop children and young people in their Christian faith.
The Growing Faith principles are key to the work of our Gen 2 Project Team, and the the Happiness Club in Kettering is run by Claire Barber, our Youth Mission Enabler for the Kettering Deanery. The club is one of the Growing Faith Foundation’s funded research projects, exploring intergenerational school/church connections. Children and older church members meet for 6 sessions combining chat, group activities, a weekly challenge and cake!
The activities are based on Action for Happiness’s 10 Keys for happier living and help the group focus on areas such as giving, relating, exercise, awareness, emotions, acceptance and resilience.
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At the end of the 6 weeks, Family and friends are invited to the members’ graduation as Happiness Ambassadors for the school and church community.
Claire Barber, Growing Faith Mission Enabler, has seen a very easy camaraderie bubble up: 'It’s so special hearing the conversation and laughter – both adults and children said that before the club, they had no reason or opportunity to mix with people of a different generation, other than family. You can see how beneficial this is to both age groups.'
For more information on how you can get involved in running a Happiness after school club or other Growing Faith activities contact Charlotte Nobbs, the Diocesan Children’s Mission Enabler.