Project History

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The Beginnings of Canvey Island Youth Project

Taken from Tim Clapton's speech at the Annual General Meeting 1996.

In 1986 I was employed by the Diocese of Chelmsford to 'provide a pastoral support to the young people of Canvey Island'. This was to be a 'detatched' youth work project, but it was expected that as a youth worker, I would be part of the Anglican team ministry, which at the time was under the leadership of Tim Stevens. This integral relationship within the team was crucial and set the ethos for the youth work for the following six years.

The team ministry wanted a youth worker, not so that the numbers of young people attending Church would increase - but so that the Church could respond to the many needs of young people on the island and thus hasten God's Kingdom of justice and peace. I remember being given a Christmas card by some young people from Dinant Ave. which was addressed to Tim 'the God Man'. These kids were not saying much about me - but they were saying an awful lot about how they perceived the Church. Other organisations such as Social Services, Probation and schools, were treated with some suspicion and always left the island on a Friday afternoon. But the Church didn't, they would Baptise the Islanders children, marry those in love and bury those who died. There is little doubt the Church had a good reputation and it was considered natural that we should wish to respond to the many young people of Canvey.

In the first year or so the task was to meet and talk with the young people of the Island by attending the local schools and meeting them where they were - around the streets of Canvey. It became clear very quickly that the Canvey young people were feeling marginalised from the rest of the community,that they didn't really have a place or a role and were really waiting to earn some money and set up on their ownor with others. Unemployment and Homelessness were obvious problems and both were symptoms of a community which had lost touch with its young people.

Perhaps one of the most useful services provided at that time was the 'availability of someone who would listen and support. There have been many occasions in that small room by the side of the church hall when the air would be thick with smoke, coffee cups everywhere and there would be laughter, tricks and jokes - sometimes there would be tears as the most sad stories were told and often new plans and arrangements made.

We became knowledgeable about the issues of homelessness as increasingly more and more young people found their way to the office. Other agencies began referring young people, and we soon found the skills required to obtain benefits, temporary accommodation and negotiate with parents.

Wit the increased demand and the seriousness of the situation it became evident that we could not continue in an ad-hoc fashion - but in some way we needed to formalise our procedures and services. People volunteered as Support Workers ( a number of them, I believe, are still active in this role which is a credit to them). This was the beginning of the Youth Trust with a tentative constitution and some links with the County Council Youth Service.

If I have any criticisms of this time it is that we were not deserately clear about what we were doing. While engaged with the Youth Trust I was also doing school assemblies, funerals, co-ordinating some Church groups and youth work activities such as the infamous 'Inter-Church Youth Group'. Then there was the play scheme, the weekends away and Easter Vigils. It was very easy for vision and objectives to become blurred. It was clear however, that the service we provided and the developments which took place just would not have been possible without the aid of people like Steve Saxby and later Bernie and Nickie. Likewise we were given full support by the Reverend David Thomas, the Team Ministry and the general Church.

To conclude I would like to say that I know how hard and emotionally draining it is to work with young people on Canvey. It seemed we were always striving for integrity or trying to patch up or define relationships. I congratulate you and salute you in your endeavours and wish you well for the future.

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