Iona Community Reaches out to Young Offenders

The Iona Community is to submit a report to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in which it celebrates its achievements in advancing Christian understanding, justice and peace throughout the country over the last year.

One of the greatest successes of the community is the work currently being undertaken by its Glasgow-based youth team as it continues with a number of projects across the city, including global education in schools, with socially-excluded young people and in youth leadership development.

The Glasgow group recently teamed up with Polmont Young Offenders Institute to develop the Jacob Project, which offers young offenders and ex-offenders positive alternatives to re-offending.

Members of the Iona Community youth team actively engage with the young people as part of their chaplaincy assistance. They also offer young people the opportunity to join in citizenship and skills education in the community's Camas programme, and provide a through-care service to young people leaving the Polmont YOI so that they have the best chance at making a new start in life.

The youth team has also maintained its links in the Middle East following a visit by the Community's Youth Co-ordinator to Lebanon in the aftermath of the last summer's conflict. Since the end of the fighting, Scottish youth and school groups have been actively fundraising to provide bicycles for young people in Palestinian refugee camps in South Lebanon.

Another success story has been the Community's Growing Hope Appeal, which has now raised £750,000 towards the development of sites on Iona and Mull, including the renovation of the outdoor education centre at Camas on Mull over the last 12 months and the development of a new visitor centre on Iona.

The Iona Community, which has campaigned intensively against the replacement of Trident, is currently reviewing its operations on Iona in order engage seriously with other faith communities.