Introductions.

My name is Paul Langtree and I work for a Christian youth work charity called east to west in Egham (Surrey, England). My official title is ‘Police Community Youth Pastor’ (or ‘PCYP’ for short). I started on the 1^st of October 2010. This is an unusual role, working in partnership with Egham Police to provide support to young people in Egham and Egham Hythe, who are coming to the attention of the Police. My base is Egham Police Station.

I’m 29 years old, married and have an baby boy. I have spent most of my working life doing youth work in Surrey including church youth work, schools work, working as a Connexions PA and working for the YMCA in Woking.

east to west is a charity of Compassion, Mercy and Justice reaching out to vulnerable and 'at risk' young people. east to west sees itself as a community of both paid and voluntary Christians who outwork our mission, passion, ethos, commitment, method and inclusivity in partnership with the Local Church.  You can find out more about east to west and the role of the PCYP at www.easttowest.org.uk, including a short video about my work which was made by my predecessor.

The PCYP post is all about responding to the needs and issues that surround youth crime and anti-social behaviour. Its creation was in response to local need and the recognition that crime and anti-social behaviour are often the outworking of a young person’s response to their life journey so far and of expressing their vulnerability and frustrations in their lives.  In other words involvement in such activities is a direct reflection of a young person’s sense of community and belonging. Therefore the Youth Pastor is in post not simply to seek to curb behaviour but to address the issues and frustrations behind the behaviour and to enable a young person to unpack the reasons why they behave in such a way and to bring Hope and a way forward in their lives. The PCYP works in partnership with and receives referrals from the police and local authority who will highlight the young people who need the additional support due to their behaviour in their community.

Ideally I would update this blog weekly, but in reality it might not be that often. I hope this blog will appeal to residents of Egham, people I work with and to people interested in youth work and/or Police work and how the two can overlap.