For so many children, summer holidays are something to look forward to with a sense of excitement - no more school for months; holidays with the family around the corner; maybe a week at a Christian camp connecting with new friends… ‘Hooray!’
That is the case for my kids as well. They've been counting down the days until the school holidays.
My family weren’t well-off when I was growing up. We didn’t go on a lot of holidays, but we made do the best we could.
My home always felt safe, and I didn’t think about where our next meal was coming from, or how to fill my days with things to do.
This isn’t the experience for all the students I work with in Tower Hamlets. Almost half of children in the borough are living in poverty, and time away from school only serves to intensify this.
Far from a time of carefree fun, for the many students we work with, finding affordable food so that they won’t go hungry is part of their families’ worries during the summer break.
Before, these children were getting a lunch at school for free, and suddenly their parents must provide a lunch at home for the next few months. That's a really big increase in the family food bill. Holiday hunger can be a big concern for a lot of families.
With the rise in more casual employment, parents may be juggling more than one job with very little flexibility, so taking time off or working to fit around school holidays is much more difficult. The cost of childcare is also huge, leaving many working parents scrambling to find informal care where they can get it.
At least at school, every morning children can go to a breakfast club, they can get lunch, and there would be something for them to do and a safe space to go. During the holidays, all of that falls away.
Many parents don't have the time and/or financial resources needed for the summer holidays. If they can't pay for childcare, and grandparents or other family members can't step in, then they might rely on older siblings to look after younger siblings.
If a working single parent needs to leave their 8-year-old with their 15 year old sibling in order for them to keep turning up to work and earn an income during the summer holidays, then that’s what they must do. Otherwise, there will be no job and then they won’t be able to buy food or pay the bills. There is often very little choice available to some parents living from day to day. And school holidays make matters worse because the consistency of going to school and staying there for the day is no longer there.
Even more seriously, a record number of children are becoming vulnerable to exploitation and joining gangs over the summer holidays – with limited supervision online and in the outside world.
It’s understandable to feel daunted and powerless in response to all this. What could I, or my church, do in response?
You might be reading as a parent already struggling with a lot of the issues described.
What I often say to churches is to start small – with one child or one family. I was especially inspired by a story a fellow missionary shared recently about this.
There are some simple things you can do that can make a really big difference.
Could you stretch your family plans to invite a child to your family outing? Perhaps you could look after them for a day?
If you have time on your hands, would you be able to take them to many of the free activities the council or churches may have on offer in your local area?
In Tower Hamlets for instance, LCM is partnering with about four or five churches to run a holiday club in the first week of the school holidays. It’s just outside in a public park. We provide crafts, sports, a free lunch, and a short gospel message. Everybody goes home with a full tummy. It's free too. (To learn how this might work in your local area, click here to get in touch with our Schools team.)
Perhaps even ask a family if they’d like to come to your home for a cup of tea or meet in the park for a play-date. Some may appreciate the break their children get from computer screens while they’re away.
Keep in mind that there may also be a level of embarrassment from parents who may be struggling. The last thing they need is to feel guilty or small. This is an opportunity to offer practical care and to share the love of Jesus. This is a way to build genuine friendships and opportunities to share the gospel. Not a special humanitarian “project”.
There are many churches who are stepping up to support families over the summer break. Many have already planned summer holiday clubs and other outreach activities for children in their community.
I know churches who are providing lunch clubs for children over the summer holidays – where parents can come with their children, make their own lunch and eat it there. Transforming Lives for Good offer support in this area. The LCM schools team are always happy to get in touch and walk through some ideas with you too.
If your church is already running food banks, “warm” spaces, evangelistic courses throughout the year, perhaps you can consider running them over the summer break as well and encourage people to bring their children along.
A church-run food bank can offer a simple lunch for school aged children as well as a box of food for the family during the summer break. Churches could also gather colouring pencils, colouring books, stickers, activity sheets with a bible message, and place it in a bag for parents to take home to their children after they visit the food bank.
Some churches here in Manor Park have rebranded their “warm” space so that it will be open to people in the community all year round. If your church has a space you can open to the community, perhaps you can make it inviting to children by offering board games, football or simple craft activities?
Could your church organise a few families to take children on a day trip? All it would require are some oyster or travel cards, a packed lunch, and tickets to see a free exhibition at a museum. Hosting parents will need DBS checks and safeguarding training, but a church social outing isn’t something that needs months of preparation and planning.
Churches coming alongside families who may be struggling during the summer break, could just mean adapting what they already do to welcome children and families. Perhaps you can start thinking now about what your church can provide next year that would help the families in your area.
Sometimes different churches can partner together because one church might not have all the resources.
Could your church also consider programmes for children with special needs who may not be able to get a spot in a regular holiday club? It can be a factor to consider as your church plans what to do for next summer.
One of the best bits is that all these things create connections which you might not normally make with families around you, which can grow over time, and provide more opportunities to share your life and the hope you have in Jesus.
The best starting point, as ever, is prayer. Why not ask God right now to put a young person or family on your heart and ask how he might use you, your family and your church to reach them?
Here are some other ways you can be praying over the summer for young people:
If you’d like to discuss some of the ways your church can connect with families in your local area during the school holidays, click here to fill in the enquiry form and one of our missionaries from the LCM Schools team will be in touch.
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
Registered Charity No. 247186
