Turning last chances into second chances

Turning last chances into second chances


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Published: 25 April 2011

2,500 teenagers are excluded every school day in the UK. Exclusion is often a symptom of underlying issues such as family breakdown, bereavement, bullying, abuse, crime and gang culture that can leave young people broken.

In Manchester the number of secondary school pupils who are permanently excluded is twice the national average. Such missed educational opportunities leave these young people with little hope for the future.

Yet one church is reaching out to these young people in their local community. Christ Church Harpurhey, along with The Message Trust, is working in partnership with The Lighthouse Group (TLG) to deliver alternative education to excluded young people.

Combined with intensive mentoring, this helps young people work through the issues that have brought them to the point of exclusion.

TLG exists to let these young people know they are valued and to change the self-image of those like Hannah who said, “In all honesty I didn’t really like myself before I came to TLG but I do now… Having support has made everything so much better.”

Christ Church plays a vital role in this transformation, connecting with the young people through youth activities and offering them acceptance within the Church family.
Amazing transformations have taken place since 2009 when TLG Manchester opened its doors. Young people have gained nationally accredited qualifications - having achieved little before - and are successfully returning to school to complete mainstream education.

TLG is seeing God work in these young people’s lives. He is showing them, through the love and support of TLG staff and the wider Church family, that there is hope for their futures.


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