Alpha Friends

Cathy Scott, an Alpha Advisor from Callander, Stirlingshire was recently announced as one of the winners of the Vodafone World Of Difference competition.

Vodafone have been funding her to work for two months for Alpha Scotland on a Caring For Ex-Offenders Project (CFEO). Cathy is an elder at Callander Kirk, and has also been assisting with developing Alpha Scotland connections with the Church of Scotland during this period.

Over 1100 applicants applied for the Vodafone competition which was launched  in the UK this year. The new programme was created to empower people to make a difference by putting something back into their communities.

132,000 people have been following the progress of the winners on the World Of Difference Facebook group. So Cathy has been busy blogging each day letting people know about CFEO and Alpha.

Caring for Ex-Offenders has been running since 1997 with a vision to help exprisoners build a new life upon release. It grew out of the Alpha for Prisons ministry. Many men and women come to faith while they are in prison, and then wish to be linked with a church when they leave. In the UK, 3 out of 4 prisoners between the ages of 18 and 25 re-offend and are jailed again within two years. So one aim of CFEO is to break the cycle of crime, linking ex-offenders with supportive churches. The church can support them by helping with basic needs.

CFEO works alongside prison chaplains, churches, Christian organisations and statutory and public bodies. It is recognised as a key service provider of resettlement services. The CFEO Office also trains and supports churches nationally and internationally to be involved in this work, and also to train and equip those churches to care for ex-prisoners.

CFEO works with ex-offenders of all categories of prison, trying to work out strategies to help them with the readjustment to life in the community.

Cathy has been researching what is happening on the ground with CFEO and prison minsitry in Scotland. As well as networking, she has also had opportunities to visit several prisons and prisoner support groups. The visits have mainly been in Scotland but also with the CFEO team in London.

'It has been such an amazing privilege to be chosen by Vodafone and to be working with Alpha Scotland on the Caring for Ex-Offender's program' said Cathy.

'Hearing stories of people's lives being turned around in prison and ex - offender's re- building their lives and living as part of the community again has been fantastic'.

'I think every ex- offender of any faith or no faith should have the opportunity to be linked to a CFEO trained Church on their release from prison if they so wish. There is a whole wealth of work being done by lots of Christian Ministries including Alpha but there is so much more to do. I feel we are just scratching the surface'.

Alpha Scotland Director Paul Davie said, 'It has been such a bonus for us to have Cathy working on this exciting project. Without the funding from Vodafone, and Cathy being willing to give her time.  It wouldn't have been possible to make the project a reality. The contacts made and information that we have gathered will enable us to strategically move CFEO forward in partnership with local Churches and Christian ministries. It has been a fantastic development and a boost for this great work.'

For more information on Alpha For prisons go to alphafriends.org/prisons
and for CFEO go to caringforexoffenders.org

To read Cathy's blog click here