There are loads of events coming up soon, including a car-wash day, a treasure hunt and bbq and, hopefully, An Evening with Autumn's Child and friends. We're constantly adding new events, so watch this space...
If you have details of a Uganda 2008 fundraising event that is not listed on this page, please email them to admin@stmikesyouth.org.
Uganda 2008
When is it? 19 July - 3 August 2008. We leave on Saturday 19 July and return on Sunday 3 August. The quick-minded among you will have realised that these dates include the last week at school. For Year 13s and Year 11s, no problem. If you're in Year 12 or Year 10, you need to negotiate with the school. My experience is that they generally think that something like this is a good idea, and I'm happy to speak to them if necessary.
How much does it cost? To send people on a mission like this costs about £1350 per head, which is obviously a lot of money. But don't be put off … you don't have to pay all that money out of your own pocket! Our plan is to raise the money for the whole group together, as well as applying for various funds that appear to be available for projects like this. You may have to raise some money yourself … all will become clearer after the open meeting (see over).
Is it safe? Yes, absolutely. Uganda has had problems in the north of the country during the 90s and more recently, but Rukungiri, where we would be based, is as far away from those problems as the south of France! If Mission Direct feel there is any reason for concern at all, the mission will not go ahead. Indeed, they have just stopped their work in Sri Lanka for similar reasons.
How does it work? St Mike's Youth has booked the whole mission for that period, so the whole team will be made up of Mettle members or others invited by us. A complete team comprises 20 people, so we can't take any more than that. We must have about 14 people for the mission to go ahead. Cath Hetherington and I will be going with the group, which will be supervised by Mission Direct's workers in Uganda.
What will we do? It's still hard to say, but Naomi Bradley, who went to Uganda with Mission Direct this summer, spent much of her time building and painting. There will also be opportunities to meet with some of the children and to see the sights of Uganda.
How old do I have to be? Mission Direct have had children as young as seven on their teams. We are only offering this to Mettle members, so to come with us you have to be at least 14 at the time of the mission.
I hope you will be as excited about this as we are!