Bringing hope

The Damascus Road Experience

Nearly every month during 2007 reports of fatal incidences of knife violence  - particularly among the under 16s - has been a major cause for concern for society.

In March the Home Secretary convened a meeting with community activists in an effort to find a solution to the knife crime trend that has shaken London and though unreported, is often a daily occurrence for many young people and adults across the UK.

Bringing Hope was invited to attend and following the meeting submitted a paper in response to the action plan to address the issues drawn up by the Home Office.

The report, entitled "the Damascus Road Principles", describes the transformation experience of people classed as "disaffected", "hard to reach" and hopeless with violent and drug induced mindsets through the example of the Apostle Paul after his encounter on the Damascus Road.

The government, church leaders and others who want to help the above are challenged to consider developing strategies to bring out the potential in people by looking beyond the traditional, reactive, punitive and retributive policies. Some suggested methods include training peer mentors, schemes such as social entrepreneurship to offer alternatives to destructive lifestyles and through an approach that puts public and social health alongside or even before crime control and community safety agendas.

These approaches have proven to be effective and workers with Bringing Hope and other grassroots agencies are living examples of transformation through the aforementioned strategies.

The report can be read here. It has been widely distributed to Church leaders and their networks across the country and to Christian MPs with an aim to explore and openly debate the Christian approach to the social concerns around issues such as guns, drugs, knives and gangs.

You can hear more about the work of Bringing Hope in a recent  The Sunday Programme [40Mb] interview.