Hexham & Newcastle Newsletter

July 2012

Light the flame with

CAFOD’s summer of sport!

Inside:

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Plus news, resources and activities...

CAFOD’s Torch Liturgy

http://www.cafod.org.uk/secondary

This prayer comes from CAFOD’s special prepared Olympic liturgy that touches on Olympic values in the context of global justice. Download the full text at: http://www.cafod.org.uk/secondary

God of Justice, Thank you that you are a God of love and justice,

and that you have planted a sense of fairness in

each child. In this year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,

we ask for fair play

between nations (pause) between organisers (pause)

between sponsors (pause)

between athletes (pause)

between judges and referees (pause) between faith groups (pause)

for those living in poverty or are oppressed

(pause) for the vulnerable (pause)

Help us to play our part and act justly, love

tenderly and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

2

Anne Marie Hanlon, Anna Morgan Sacco & Ged Naughton

CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle, St Bede’s Presbytery, Carr

House Drive, Durham, DH1 5LZ

Tel: 0191 384 4847

E-mail: hexhamandnewcastle@cafod.org.uk

Web: www.cafod.org.uk

http://cafodhexhamnewcastle.wordpress.com/ 3

Dear friends and supporters of CAFOD,

This summer our televisions will be awash with sport: football,

cricket, cycling, tennis and obviously the Olympic Games.

Sport brings people together in CAFOD’s partner countries as well,

and it’s common in many places to see young people playing with

homemade footballs or gathering to watch the big sporting events

at the local video club.

This newsletter covers the theme of ‘young people and sport’.

Inside you’ll find resources, web links and other useful information.

Meanwhile, at the time of writing, more than 65,000 cards have

been sent to the Prime Minister as part of CAFOD’s Thirst for

Change campaign, and more than £9 million has been donated to

CAFOD’s Lent Water Appeal. Thanks to all who have given their

time and efforts to make such a huge impact this year.

Thanks also to Paul Green for the wonderful pictures of John

McBride and the Olympic Torch.

Best wishes,

Anne-Marie, Anna and Ged

July 2012

An Olympic Torchbearer from Consett who ran barefoot has donated his torch to a sports club 8,000 kilometres away in Kenya. Council worker John McBride, 48, ran barefoot in the Olympic

Torch Relay at Barnard Castle o n Wedne sday, June 20. Two days later he left for Kenya, to present his t o r c h t o

members of the St John’s Sports Society, i n t h e K o r o g o c h o

slum in Nairobi, who inspired him to run barefoot. John presented the torch at Mass at St John’s on Sunday, June 24, to a congregation approaching 1000

people.

John said: “When the t o r c h e s started selling on e-bay for t e n s o f thousands of p o u n d s , people were

telling me all my troubles are over.

Barefoot torchbearer carries the Olympic Flame

John running with the torch in Korogocho (top) and

With helpful airline staff at Heathrow 4

“But there was never any chance I’d sell mine. I wanted to do something which captured the Olympic spirit, and I know in Korogocho, the torch will act as a symbol of hope. “It will stand there

as a reminder to all those young people that their d r e a m o f competing in the O lympics fo r Kenya is not a distant fairy-tale,

but something they can reach out and touch with their own hands. “I run barefoot for CAFOD because, when I went to Korogocho two years ago to see their work in action, I saw so many children playing in the streets without shoes, and that small act of removing my trainers reminds me of the reason I’m running. I was w e a r i n g t h e

official tracksuit when I ran my leg of the relay, but my bare feet showed who I was doing it for.”

From Consett to Kenya

John with the torch freshly lit in Barnard Castle 5

Father John Weebotsa, who runs the St John’s Sports Society, said: “Life is hard for young people in Korogocho. Almost 200,000 people live here, packed into less than a square mile of space. There is very little here for young people, and even for the ones who make it th rough secondary schoo l , unemployment is high, and many fall into drugs, crime and violence. “The Society is one of the few places where young people in Korogocho can escape their everyday lives. The boys and girls can play football, basketball, netball, boxing and karate. They have fun, but they also learn confidence, team work and

discipline. “And in a community which has been divided in the past by ethnic rivalry and violence, my dream is that the Society acts as a haven of peace. We can show that sport can create change in Korogocho, that the slum reality is not the real one, that these young people can have a better life, and we can build it together. “Most of the young people at the Society dream of representing Kenya at the Olympics. “They want to be champions for their country, and show that young people from Korogocho can do something special.

John running with the torch in Barnard Castle

6

“The Torch John is giving to us will stand in pride of place in the Society;

it will i n s p i r e t h e d reams of our y o u n g people, a n d m a k e

t h e m be l i eve t h a t t h e i r d reams can be realised. That is what the Olympics really

means.” Each year John runs the Great North Run to raise money for CAFOD, completing the final mile

barefoot as an act of solidarity with young people in Nairobi’s Korogocho

s l u m

w h o c a n n o t a f f o r d shoes. John has run the G r e a t N o r t h

Run for C A F O D for the last 15 y e a r s , a n d b e g a n

running the last mile barefoot four

years ago. He visited Kenya and the St John’s Sports Society in Korogocho with CAFOD for the first time in 2010.

The proud McBride family! 7

Step into the Gap

Above: Josh and Philip

Above right: BOCAP drama in action 8

In August 2011, I discovered CAFOD’S Step into the Gap programme just as I was looking for something to put a shine on my credentials for employment. But having since journeyed to Liberia with Vicky and Clare, I realise what a

narrow view of the programme I had. I can say with confidence that I have been enriched by the experience and

it is my hope that I have influenced those that I met in Liberia in return. Mother had told me to “be prepared”. Like a boy scout. Of course, I ignored this advice, despite her reminding me that she had knowledge of working in the Global South. I told myself that because she’d been to South East Asia in the late 1970’s her advice was irrelevant; I was going to West Africa in 2012, a different kettle of fish altogether. What a fool I was! “The first thing that will hit you will be the heat. Be prepared for that. Keep hydrated, use lots of sun cream and wear a hat.”

She wasn’t wrong... Disembarking the aeroplane at 5am, proceeding to an arrivals and customs area not dissimilar to a Turkish bath and then—disorientated and bathed in sweat—emerging to be accosted by a

swarm of

lads wanting to ‘help me’ with my luggage, left me with the thought I had made a big mistake.

But by 11am, I had changed my tune: “Everybody’s just so canny. This is going to be

topper.” Although the open arms of Monrovia provided a heartening start to our expedition, it was our time in Gbarnga that will remain at the forefront of mind. Gbarnga, described as the second city of Liberia (‘Birmingham with palm trees and dust’) is the base of the Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS). CJPS is an organisation that has

A firsthand account by Josh McKenna

Applications for Step into the Gap have closed for this

year. Check again in 2013. 9

already made huge inroads into improving the lot of young Liberians. The friendship they gave to our little entourage made our ten days with them ten of the best days of my life. This was shown most clearly in my darkest hour, when I was struck down by malaria. Their organisation, in my time of

crisis, was astonishing. One of the greatest orators we met in Gbarnga was

Philip McKay, of the Bong County Awareness Programme (BOCAP). Had you seen him on the streets of Britain, you might think him an unsavoury character. But he proved the adage never to judge a book by its cover. Philip gave us his personal message for young people in the UK: “We are all human and we can work together. We need to share the resources we have, and by doing that we can work in one direction for the general cause of our country and global community.”

BOCAP highlight the issues of HIV/AIDs that can strangle development before it begins, through street drama that features some truly BAFTA-standard performances. Young people are involved in all

elements of

BOCAP’s work, embodying their commitment to President Ellen Johnson’s vision of a Liberia with

youth at the helm. Philip told us how he had worked to finish the BOCAP proposal to get accreditation as an official

organisation before our return to the UK, so that we could assist them in their mission. Having received so much inspiration from Philip’s energy and dedication, I feel duty bound to plug BOCAP at every opportunity. They are already a success story of CAFOD’s work in Liberia and it would be a travesty for their work not to have the chance to flourish.

Josh doesn’t want to change the world 19-year-old Josh McKenna’s blog is called ‘I Don’t Want to Change the World’, but we don’t believe that for one second! Josh has spent this academic year, on a gap year with CAFOD

as part of the Step into the Gap project. In spring, he visited CAFOD pa r t ne r s i n Liberia, West

Africa. Since he came back, Josh has been working to put on an African day at his parish, St Joseph’s Sunderland. He has also spent a lot of time, before and after his trip, in St Aidan’s school and several of the local primary schools, as well as generally promoting CAFOD in the parish. But Josh also has a ‘virtual’ audience for tales of his African visit and reflections on global poverty and injustice, because Step into the Gap has turned him into a prolific blogger. And he recruits readers to his blog

by diligent use of Facebook and Twitter. Josh said: “I think I’ve changed the role a bit. There’s a lot to be said for

d i r e c t presentations, but there’s also a lot going

f o r s o c i a l media. “I seem to get more response through blogs. It seems to be eas i e r fo r

someone to say ‘I read that and it’s class’ in a

Tweet or email than going up to someone in person. I’ve been putting things on my blog and people are asking questions all the time. Then they can report it, or tweet their own followers to say ‘Have you seen this?’” “I wasn’t expecting how much it could branch out. I just starting writing a blog in Liberia as a way of communicating all the stories we were coming across. Within minutes of posting the first one, I had a comment: ‘Great read’. Although the majority are people I already know, 379 people read on blog, so I presume it’s expanded further than just my friends.”

For more, see Joshlad.blogspot.co.uk 10

CAFOD H&N on Facebook and Twitter

Thanks to Josh’s example, CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle has now

set up pages on Twitter and Facebook.

Please visit us on Facebook at CAFOD H&N and like the page

Follow us on Twitter at @CAFODHN

R e a d o u r b l o g a t h t t p : / /

cafodhexhamnewcastle.wordpress.com/

We will be doing our best to keep you informed of forthcoming

activities and of recent campaigns and activities, as well as

passing on information from CAFOD in the rest of the world.

And please send any photos you have and a few words about your CAFOD activities to hexhamandnewcastle@cafod.org.uk

so that we can use them in later issues of this newsletter as well as publicise them through social media.

Stories about young people on our CAFOD blogs (yes, we have blogs!)

are linked together at www.cafod.org.uk/greatgeneration Just type “CAFOD Great Generation” into your favourite internet search engine to find them.

We have also linked many of these to www.facebook.com/

CAFODGreatGeneration to widen their readership.

Like us on www.facebook.com/CAFODGreatGeneration and find out

how you can get involved today.

Are you 11-18? Want to keep in touch? Sign up to our Great

generation e-news at www.cafod.org.uk/greatgeneration and let us know your stories to be in with the chance to be featured or even guest edit a forthcoming edition.

Youth leader? Sign-up to our Great Generation e-newsletter at

www.cafod.org.uk/youthleaders

CAFOD Youth Blogs/Facebook/e-newsletter 11

CAFOD and the Olympics

Online resources 12

“On your marks! Get set!

Go!” Get young people involved in global justice through sport! To coincide with the 2012 London Olympics, CAFOD has produced a

series of 12 activities to encourage young people to take action for justice. And each one uses sport as its theme. All To Play For Discover obstacles to development in unfair handball.

Picture This Capture 2012 on camera. Olympic Quiz Test your knowledge. Right on Cue How to resolve conflict through theatre.

Run the Good Race Match up Olympic values with scripture. Change your Tune Write a rap for peace.

The Perfect Finish Budding artist? Use your talents for peace. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Promote Fairtrade at the games using roleplay. What’s the Story? CAFOD partners using sport. Olympic Assembly CAFOD and sport.

On Your Marks Organise a sporting fundraiser Olympic Curriculum Links Teacher? Find your subject. You can find these activities at:

http://www.cafod.org.uk/extra/passiton/olympicactivities.html CAFOD has also produced a series of Sports Icebreakers. You can find these at www.cafod.org.uk/resources/youth-leaders/ggyl-youth-group There are also several more downloadable resources at this address, including ‘Fair Play or Foul?’ - nine easy-to-use activities for young people in schools, youth groups and residential centres, exploring how football is used in CAFOD’s work around the world.

A Sporting Chance

Films to download and watch at: http://passiton.cafod.org.uk/A-Sporting-Chance

13

Some of the world’s greatest athletes come from poor nations and win their medals despite having very little in the way of funding and

training facilities. Sometimes countries cannot afford to send a team to the Olympics. But this does not mean that sport is less popular in developing countries. Sport is popular all over the world. Sport is more than a way of keeping

fit. It can break down barriers and bring communities together. It can build confidence and teach leadership skills.

Kenya has some of the best long-distance runners in the world. Other sports popular there include basketball, karate and boxing. All of

these sports are played at the St John’s Sports Society in Korogocho, a huge slum in St John’s have gone on to be sports coaches in other communities in Kenya, and some have even represented their country in their national sports teams. Isaac is about to have a trial for the Kenyan Olympic Boxing Team.

Also see films about the Philippines and El Salvador, as well as the UK and Kenya.

http://www.cafod.org.uk/resources/great-generation/gg-youthgroup

14

Nelson Mandela's invitation to young people to be a great generation starts with you. You have all it takes to inspire others to join with you in taking a lead to make the world a better place. Explore the tools, activities and ideas on these great generation pages to help you and others to make a difference. You can use them to bring together other young people, or use with a group you already belong to. Together with others, you can be that great generation.

Are you ready to make your generation great? Young people in the UK and around the world are inspiring others to help change the world? Are you willing to join them? watch an inspiring film from cafodtv at the address below Tell us your news! Do you have a story about what your group has been up to that you would like to share? Send us your story and a photograph to youth@cafod.org.uk

Our favourite resources How to lead a group Tips for leading activities and action groups

How to organise an event Choose and plan your event What makes a great leader? How you can use your talents More resources What can you do with CAFOD?

World Hero activity Interactive gameshow-style activity. World Hero PowerPoint

Hip-hop workshop Run your own hip-hop workshop, inspired by the work of CAFOD partner in Kibera, Kenya. World statistics icebreaker

Sometimes, always, never Ideal for getting a large group moving around a room/hall and is great as a warm up. Icebreakers Speaking up and speaking out

Resources to help you explain what CAFOD is all about to other young people which you can use to invite them to join you.

Pass on the peace!

http://passiton.cafod.org.uk/ 15

Inspired by the 100 days truce that accompanied the Ancient Olympics, CAFOD is encouraging young supporters to upload video clips and posting personal messages to all those in the world who are not living in peace in 2012. The Flame National Youth Congress

at Wembley Arena provided the perfect backdrop for the official unveiling of Pass it On. Four young ambassadors joined Abdi D i m a ,

representing C A F O D ’ s K e n y a n partner, the St John’s S p o r t s Society, on the Wembley stage to launch Pass it On. They shared their own personal accounts of how they have seen sport bring people together before orchestrating an 8,500 strong Mexican wave around the arena to symbolise ‘passing on’ peace to everyone in the room. Abdi said: “I live in Korogocho, one of the largest slums in Nairobi, bordering the city dump.

“Life has been very hard but the sports society helps kids in the slum to have fun, and at the same time it teaches them confidence, team work, tolerance and discipline. O u r m o t t o i s “Pamoja Tunaweza” (Together we can), and we are open to everyone

regard less o f the i r e thn i c background and religious beliefs. “My life would be a disaster without

k a r a t e . Without it I could have fallen into

the many traps that await young people in Korogocho. Instead I am p a r t o f s om e t h i n g p o s i t i v e w h e r e people can

come together, play together, get to know each other and feel comfortable. We are building peace in our own community.” So far, hundreds of people have shown their support for Pass It On, by uploading their image to the website, including Olympic champion Jason Gardener, MBE.

‘Just One World’

Football brings people together 16

The CAFOD ‘Just One World’ Football Tournament is an opportunity for

Catholic Schools to learn about issues for children in developing countries through the shared experience of playing football. The Senior School acts as ‘Host’ and invites teams of pupils from years 5 and 6 from their feeder primary schools to participate in a one-off football competition. The competition provides opportunities to raise awareness of CAFOD’s work, to raise funds to support that work, and to deliver aspects of the school curriculum using CAFOD educational resources. It may also be useful as a way of assisting the transition process between primary and Senior School. In its own right, it can be used to teach teamwork, equality, participation and fair play.

Entry to the competition is open to both boys and girls and should not

be exclusively for the members of the schools’ football teams. Just as football fires up people here in the UK, so it does throughout the world, especially in some of its poorest areas. CAFOD partners are using sport and in particular, football, in community development and peace building to tackle the conditions that have forced young people – boys and girls – to fight in wars, left them homeless or without families, or exposed them to violence or abuse. These partner organisations understand the importance of involving and encouraging young people to take part in development, so they are using football to create a sense of ownership, belonging and cohesion.

Contact CAFOD H&N for a pack

Football Tournament

17

Feeder primary schools will be invited to put forward teams of pupils from years 5/6 to take part in a football tournament which will take place on a named date, in the afternoon/evening after school. Using the theme of ‘football for development’, each school taking

part will be asked to form a mixed team; raise sponsorship for CAFOD's programmes working with young people using sport as a tool for community building and cohesion; take part in an action or activity that affects these children To provide a bridge between the

Senior School and its Feeder Schools, pupils from Year 7 will also be invited to participate. In both cases, the teams will be open to both boys and girls - no child will be excluded. Each school will enter a squad or multiple squads of players, with, for

example, no more than ten members for an eight-a-side tournament at least two weeks before the event, so that organisers

can draw up rotas and schedule games. Exact names and numbers will be needed for the CAFOD office to be able to produce sufficient certificates. Beforehand, each team is given a country where we have examples of CAFOD sport and development

projects, which they will represent in the tournament. They can learn about their patron country before the tournament and design flags, pennants, T-shirts, write their team’s code of conduct and make up a team chant.

As well as the footballing prizes, schools will be rewarded for their efforts in the above categories. This football tournament will highlight to pupils, staff, parents and families some of the issues of global justice concerning young people which CAFOD partners

worldwide are tackling on a day-to-day basis, through the beautiful game: football!

Lent message of thanks

Well done to all! 18

Dear friends,

Following the exceptional response of the

Catholic community to our Lent appeal I

would like to thank you personally for all you

do for CAFOD.

The total for the Lent appeal is now in excess

of £9m (before we receive UK Aid Match

Funding from the Government). We had been

planning a £2m programme to ensure the

provision of safe water for thousands of

people. We are now significantly scaling up

that programme which means that many

thousands more people currently in dire need

will be provided with sustainable water

resources for the long term. This will have a

huge and transforming impact on their lives.

We will provide updates on progress in future

issues of the CAFOD magazine (‘Side by

Side’) and on our website.

In addition to donations given to support

those most in need, 65,000 campaign action

cards were handed in to 10 Downing street

calling on the Government to take action to

ensure clean water is provided for those

living in poverty. More than 30% of those

actions were taken by children and young

people. In a letter to CAFOD following the

Lent campaign Andrew Mitchell, the secretary

of state for international development, said:

‘Let me start by congratulating you on the

success of your ‘Thirst for Change’ campaign.

I received huge correspondence from

CAFOD supporters on this topic, particularly

from school children. It is really encouraging

to know that young people in the UK care so

deeply about the problems facing others

around the world.’

The life saving work now underway could not

happen without the dedication of people like

you. CAFOD is most grateful to you. In fact

you are very much part of CAFOD - whether

you hand out the Fast Day envelopes, speak

at Mass, organise events, visit schools or

engage with the local media. The range of

work undertaken by volunteers is really

impressive and inspiring and is also highly

valued by the communities with which we

work around the world.

If you have any feedback, suggestions or

comments about CAFOD’s work please let

us know. We are very keen to listen to our

volunteers and to ensure that your

perspective informs our work.

With best wishes,

Tom O'Connor

CAFOD

Director - Communities and Supporters

Direct dial +4420 7095 5300

Mobile +447721 923166

Applications for 2012-13 have been completed, but

keep an eye out for next year! 19

Great North Run 2012

CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, working with

communities in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America,

supporting people to find their own solutions to poverty. The agency works

with all people regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.

Registered Charity No.

285776

Why not volunteer with CAFOD at this year’s Great North Run

on September 16?

CAFOD will have 100 to 200 runners from all over the country and it is our job to make them feel welcome in the region and valued for the efforts they are making on behalf of the world’s

poor.

We particularly need cheerers to go out on the course,

especially at the final stretch, to shout our valiant runners home.

You’ll need to be fairly fit and not put off by bad weather!

Get in touch with CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle if you or your

school or parish group wants to get involved.