Debbie Rainey, full-time youth worker, Staple Hill Methodist Youth Project

“The girl was apprehensive about going, she had had a run of bad luck, but after a while she opened up, joined in and widened her horizons,” says Rainey. “She even used the trip to give up smoking.”

Obviously not every day is as exciting as a trip to China, but Rainey’s job is certainly varied – she says she can never predict what kind of day it will be. She works a 37 hour week, carrying out two and a half hours of detached work on two evenings a week and working at the church-based youth club between 8pm and 10pm every Tuesday.

Rainey always takes something to eat and drink for the young people she meets in the evenings. “It’s a good way in because they have to wait for the hot chocolate to cool down before they can drink it, and then we can chat to them about stuff.”

Rainey started out as a teaching assistant, carrying out youth work to supplement her income, before getting a full-time job with the Youth Justice Board working with at-risk young people. She then moved to the Methodist project, which supported her to gain a diploma in Informal and Community Education from YMCA George Williams College.

“I started in September 2003 as a full-time worker split in half between Staple Hill Youth Project and Badminton Road Methodist Youth Centre, then in April 2005 the local authority made Staple Hill a full-time position offered for commissioning in a tender process,” she explains.

“The Staple Hill management committee was apprehensive of taking on a full-time provision, so they approached the Methodist Church to ask them if they'd be willing to help support us.”

The Methodist youth workers are not allowed to promote religion as they are funded by the local authority, says Rainey. “When we first meet young people, they ask if we are Bible-bashers but we are able to show them that churches are about more than getting them to come to a pew and pray – they are about morality and living a good life,” she explains.