What is SPEAR Bristol?
SPEAR Bristol Foundation is a youth employment organisation that supports young people facing the most challenging barriers to work. It lasts for six weeks and is delivered by highly trained coaches, all with the aim of getting young people ages 16-25 ready for work or for education. This group is hosted in one our parishes, Christ Church Clifton, who have an active involvement in the group.
Our team had the pleasure of shadowing one coaching session and visited Christ Church a second time later in the week to celebrate 11 young people who were graduating from SPEAR Bristol Foundation.
The graduation ceremony
As part of the graduation ceremony, each participant spoke about their personal journey to getting to SPEAR. It was incredibly moving and the whole room was filled with admiration for these young people who bravely stood in front of a crowded room openly speaking about their personal challenges. It was clear that this was a transformative experience for every young person taking part in the initiative.
“We were able to personally experience the warm atmosphere at Christ Church, not only by the SPEAR coaches Izzie and Fleur but also by the young people themselves. After six weeks of intensive work with these remarkable coaches, the young people had picked up this learned behaviour of welcoming strangers such as us, even before their graduation ceremony when they were so nervous about presenting.” – Elizabeth Bergeron.
Get Involved
If you know a young person who would benefit from this program, they can get in touch with the SPEAR team here.
If you’re inspired by this work, SPEAR Bristol is also looking for a recent graduate to be part of their coaching team. This is a one-year paid opportunity for a young Christian with a heart for social justice. Find out more about this coaching opportunity here.