3.45pm – Oh dear, wrong time to get on the bus. As the bus stops outside McDonald’s she can see a multi-coloured swarm of school uniforms. Her brain tries to remember what schools the different uniforms are from.
We have all been there, recognising some uniforms but not others. You regularly hear about what is happening in the schools that young people in church attend: who has fallen out, who’s dating, which teacher annoys them, the stress of assessments… But why build a bigger relationship with your local school?
Getting to know the local schools means you’ll be able to understand better the challenges the youth group are facing. School is a big influence on the development of the young people. God cares for the people who are in our schools and is at work there already. Building a relationship with the school can give an opportunity to get involved in what he is already doing.
The key is building a relationship of trust and going in with humility. God loves our schools but that doesn’t give us a right to be there. It’s a long-term process. The school need to trust you before they will let you in and it might take years for something ‘significant’ to happen. When I started a new post in Wood Green, I was able to pick up on the work that other youth workers had done in a local school, but it didn’t increase footfall in the church building.
It’s not always a long process – Emi, a children’s worker, went into a school one morning and asked if the head teacher was available. He got to see her and assembly opportunities followed.
Where to start?
Pray
Commit yourself to PRAY for the school: personally and with your church, prayer walk the school. Read the school’s website and try to get hold of a prospectus – pray through it. Like all mission, reaching out to schools relies on prayer.
Be present
Be present: if you there is a school fete or concert that you can go to, GO. The primary school behind my house has a Christmas concert and invites people in the local roads. I went and got to chat to the head teacher over a cup of tea.
Research
Do your research and find a person of ‘peace’: who would be a good person to build a relationship with? If you know a member of staff or student in the school already, they may be able to introduce you to someone. Contact the person and ask for five minutes of their time to introduce yourself – ask, ‘How can we serve you?’ There is a lot of pressure on teachers and school staff, so be supportive and open to helping the school in what they are already doing. A project/presentation you would like to offer the school is more likely to be accepted if you already have a relationship.
Communicate
Communicate: find out what the school are expecting of you and be clear what you can do. If for any reason you can’t make a lunchtime group, make sure your main contact knows. You don’t want to annoy them.
What happens next?
Once you have a build a relationship with the school, the sky’s the limit in regards to what may happen. You may get to deliver a weekly lunchtime club, deliver lessons – whether it’s seasonal or thematic, mentor students or listen to readers, do assemblies, become a governor, help out on school trips, support members of staff, have the school visit your church building as part of their RE curriculum…
The potential for becoming a regular face in school life is huge. It can transform your youth ministry from being church-focused to being community-focused. Start dreaming.
Susy Dand is a Youth Worker and Chaplaincy Assistant at two secondary schools in West London.