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‘The Owl and the Pussycat?’ - ‘Flame Trust’, a charity set up to support the work of Dave Pope, sponsors ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ project, and the ‘Our World’ event is one of its initiatives. Dave set it up in 2003, as a result of his extensive travels around the world. It was obvious that so many children had very little to play with compared with children at home and he decided to do something to make a difference. The project started out by collecting new, and nearly new toys and educational resources, and sending them to needy areas of the world. People were encouraged to hold ‘Attic Attacks’, and pass items on that could be re-distributed to those who would benefit most. Materials were shipped to schools, children’s homes and other contacts for distribution in South Africa, Bulgaria and Egypt.

‘What is ‘Our World?’

Download the latest PowerPoint here ('right-click' and Save Target As - 75MB file size).

Our work has grown and developed in different directions over the last few years. Educating children about life for others around the world has long been on the heart of Georgina Varney who is the Project Manager. Looking at the current situation in our world has become a very important subject in the news, politics and also amongst our children. What can we do, and how do we see our part in this world? How do we help those in other countries who are financially less fortunate than us? Our Project Manager has developed an interactive event for children and young people to help them understand some of the issues that children in other countries face on a day-to-day basis.

‘Our World’ is a fun interactive event to help them think about some of the main issues.

Water is something we all take for granted, but how would our lives change if we had to collect it everyday?

Where is Uganda? Could you point to it on a map? Most of us as adults know where Africa is but exactly where is Uganda?

‘No school’ sounds great to most children, but how would that affect their lives?

Imagine cleaning shoes to earn money for your family, every day!

Through using games and hands on experiences, we cover five basic subjects that help the children to think about the bigger picture.

What is the Aim?

To enable children to have fun whilst learning more about the world they live in.

To help the children understand how precious our world is, and to see how much they take for granted.

To help them realise that we can all do something to make a difference in our world, no matter how small it is.

To understand how God is at work in other parts of the world.

At the end of one of the events, a father came up to Georgina and told her that his child had just come over and said that he needed to mend the tap in the bathroom. He said that it had been dripping for a while, and she told him it was a waste of water, and that children in other countries don’t have very much water and have to carry it!!

If we can help make our children be more aware of the world, and those who live in it, we are giving them a very precious gift that will stay with them into adulthood. In a world that is more about give me, ‘I am the most important’, we have forgotten that God loves us all equally, not one of us is more valuable than anyone else.

How can I use this event?

‘Our World’ is very versatile and can be used in a number of ways:

(The minimum time for the event to run is between 1 1/4 hours - 2 hours)

An evening event.
A daytime event (it can be made shorter using fewer elements).
A morning event with craft activities.
A day event, as possibly part of a church Anniversary weekend, church weekend away, Mission Sunday as the theme for the children.
‘Our World’ can fit into any space or programme.
'Our Word' can be adapted for all age groups

Who runs the event?

Georgina Varney will come and run the event for you. Georgina started working with children when she was a teenager. As Pastoral Assistant at Godalming Baptist Church for seven years, she was responsible for the work with children, and during her time there the team re-organised the children’s work and were regularly getting over eighty children a week at ‘The Zone’. Georgina has been involved in taking school assemblies for many years and regularly visited ten schools in the Godalming area, and is still involved in taking assemblies. Georgina has run a variety of groups within the church including a drop in ‘After School’s Club’. Over the years she has been involved in many different areas of ministry including preaching, teaching, ladies groups and other events.

Georgina feels very privileged to have been able to lead twelve all age teams, on short-term missions to countries such as India, Nepal, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Philippines. The teams were involved in building and working with local children. Her time visiting other counties has enabled her to develop this project from first hand experience and knowledge. She has seen how God can take ordinary people and use them to make a difference in others parts of our world.

Georgina is CRB checked and has references from schools, should you wish to obtain a copy please contact the office.

What would we have to do?

All you need to do is provide the children, venue, refreshments, a few helpers and some cardboard boxes.

What are the costs of running an event?

The cost for the event varies depending on the length of the session, and what is provided e.g. crafts, travel expenses etc.

To get a quote or for any further information please contact Georgina:

Tel: 01384 346562 – e-mail owlandpussycat@blueyonder.co.uk

Flame Trust P.O. Box 15, Dudley, West Midlands. DY1 1YQ