When the therapist met the evangelists

Chapter 12. When the therapist met the evangelists

a story of the enablement of an inner-city community

Julie Coleman, Jeff Kirby and Vanessa Kirby

This is the story of Connect Befriending Scheme – a project that works because it effectively empowers and enables some vulnerable and lonely people living in an impoverished inner-city area of Sheffield, UK. This is not an occupational therapy project but work developed by Anglican Church-funded community workers, otherwise known as Church Army evangelists. It is discussed in this book because the project was encountered by the author, an occupational therapist, and she felt right at home. As one of the volunteer befrienders I began to see parallels between the approach used by Connect and the principles of community-based rehabilitation as explored by Sakellariou and Pollard (2006) and Kronenberg et al (2005) (see also Chapter 16 and Chapter 16). What follows is a description of the project and a discussion of what makes it relevant to this book.

Connect Befriending Scheme is based in the political ward of Burngreave, a multicultural inner-city community 1 mile north of Sheffield city centre in the UK. It is the second poorest ward in Sheffield (Hanson 2003). Some 42% of the population of Burngreave is made up of black and ethnic minority groups (National Health Service 2004).

Because it is poor it is also rich and diverse. I like it because people are really friendly, welcoming and tolerant. It’s the place I choose to live and I am proud of it. There are some who cannot see the richness here and only see the poverty, the crime and are fearful of the mix of cultures.

Connect Befriending Scheme is a simple idea. Its aims to do something small, to link vulnerable and isolated people living in this community with volunteers and share friendship. This need was identified by the community itself via a survey that was conducted by the local Anglican minister Martyn Snow (Advisory Group for Christchurch Pitsmoor 2002).

Funding was found to employ two community workers, Jeff and Vanessa Kirby, to set up the project in January 2004. Their first task was to invest 5 months of their time networking and engaging in research in the local area and visiting a similar befriending scheme in another city.

The Kirbys got to know people, found out how the neighbourhood worked, and made connections. They ran stalls at community events and publicized the project in the local community magazine. They visited as many of the community organizations as they could to look for potential volunteers and build links with groups and individuals who might be in touch with people who could benefit from a befriender. They listened respectfully, paying close attention to the detail of every relationship with each group and each person. In responding to people’s concerns they were clear about the mission of Connect but prepared to be vulnerable. This approach enabled them to establish a visibility and credibility in the neighbourhood with many different groups.

By July 2004 Connect was able to recruit its first volunteer befrienders. These were local people from a range of ages and backgrounds, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the area. Befrienders were given a training programme, designed by the community workers to enhance and promote connectedness. Supported with expenses for travel and childcare, it involved a commitment to 1.5 hours a week for 6 weeks and was compulsory, as were criminal record checks.

The training programme aimed to harness and increase volunteers’ awareness of their own skills in relating to others, focusing on listening, and personal boundaries. It was fun and creative, using role play, with a strong social element to the training with time for refreshments and chat. Jeff and Vanessa also spent time with the befrienders to assess their strengths and attributes. The programme acknowledged that people volunteer not only out of a desire to help but also out of their own needs. We all are vulnerable and, through the befriending training, people developed their own skills and found friendship and practical help from other befrienders.

The befriending relationship is one in which the friend and befriender give and receive emotional support and share precious time together. The relationship offers both friend and befriender the space to mature socially (Argyle & Henderson 1990

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