Charli from Droitwich writes...

News from Droitwich Spa where the youth group there have found a great way to turn loose change into a big difference. Our reporter Charli writes...

"We are the sacred heart youth group, a youth organisation set up a few years ago for the teenagers in our parish. We take 11 to 16 years olds and give them a safe place to come and socialise every Thursday evening.

Within the Sacred Heart youth group we encourage our members to not only mix with their peers but also take interest in world affairs around them. This is where Cafod came in.

About a month ago we were lucky enough to welcome Ali, a member of Cafod, to come and talk to us about her work and the experiences she has had while working for the charity.

She explained to us the huge social divide between ourselves in the western world and those living in the slums in Africa. Through games and discussion she really provoked us to think about all the things we so often take for granted.

Everyone enjoyed the evening and at the end of the night Ali set us a fun challenge to raise money for Cafod. She left behind a map of the world and asked us to fill each country on the map with our loose change each week.

With the support of our young members and a very generous donation from the parish Justice and Peace group, the map was soon filled with money.

On the right you can see the members of our youth group donating their usual “tuck” money to Cafod and placing it on the map.

The generosity of the whole parish was most appreciated and the satisfaction was immense.  We raised almost £50, which will go to sustain communities in Africa that really appreciate the support.

The Sacred Heart Youth group would like to thank Cafod and Ali for a great evening and fundraising idea- we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience!"  

(written by Charli, 16, from  Sacred Heart Youth group, Droitwich Spa)