a working weekend part I

Friday morning began @ 8am, where me and Rod made a trip out to the verify some camp site information, then we went back to the office to go through more maps and materials to be collated electronically

After which I then walked back to the YDC, packed and then bundled into a ute (along with 9 others) to head up to L’Abri, setup the camp and then waited for the aftercare group to come along

Aftercare in this context is far from the more familiar ideals where kids are dropped off because their parents are both working; the aftercare group here deals with kids that outside of school (if they go) have less than ideal home situations, and therefore spend as much as time as they can out of home, which here means the streets. Abuse, alcoholism, random boyfriends or girlfriends of their single parents are the norms in these households; parents or older siblings dying from aids is an all together normal story too

These are adolescent boys that don’t have much going for them in life; ages 14-19, they face a life in a country where there’s above 50% unemployment , where in one case a 17yr old boy had lost a father last year, his elder sister this year (both to aids), his elder brother had just returned from jail and found no issues with stealing from his family to fuel his drinking habits

For three days L’Abri takes them out these harsh realities, and tries to impart some life lessons and skills...